Mr President, it is difficult to summarise in three minutes the thoughts and feelings which naturally present themselves when one is to comment on such a broadly based and interesting initiative such as that which Mr Liikanen has prepared. The new technologies which we are debating here have, for the most part, radically altered the bases of production, service, distribution, trade, research, use of information etc. in our societies. Productivity is increasing, as is the quality of various products. Moreover, one of the reasons why we have relatively high growth in the world economy and, at the same time, low inflation lies precisely in these new technologies. I think we are all fascinated by all the new products and applications which are being made available. It is nonetheless important that, in our capacity as politicians, we should pay attention to the prior conditions which are being created for using these new technologies to help solve urgent problems for society with which the market economy will not automatically concern itself. One such example is, of course, the area of education. We live at a time when education is becoming ever more important as a factor in production. One aspect to which little attention is paid in this area is that knowledge, unlike other production factors (such as capital, minerals, and agricultural and other land), is not a scarce resource. Knowledge has a clear tendency to increase or to expand when it is used. It opens the door to incredibly exciting developments where democracy and justice are concerned. We are all born with the potential to learn and acquire knowledge. This cannot, however, occur without good prior conditions for education and learning. That is why the proposal in this report, according to which resources for education and learning would be made available, is so important. It is not, however, just a question of technical equipment. It is also a question of developing new teaching methods and distance learning. This is important in our own part of the world but is also, of course, especially important in poor countries. I hope that the experience which will be gained by the EU in this area will also be used as part of our collaborative work on development. I would urge Mr Liikanen to have a detailed discussion with Mr Nielson on that issue. Another area which is just as important is that of the opportunities for using the new technologies to make the use of energy and materials more efficient. Commendably, in my view, the present programme refers to the area of transport. Do not forget, however, that it is also possible, to a significant degree, to achieve an actual physical reduction in transport needs, which is something we should be trying to come to grips with. Finally, where e-commerce is concerned, it is extremely important that a framework should be created which ensures that consumers can feel secure in engaging in this form of trade, that commerce within the EU is facilitated and that due attention is paid to the tax issue and to the risks concerning integrity. We are only at the beginning of an important discussion, and I look forward to further stimulating dialogue. Thank you, Mr Liikanen and Mrs Read, for an interesting report.

Political group: PPE-DE