Links with its agencies and Member State administrations and the general public will also be developed further. The Commission will present an Action Plan for its use of electronic commerce by the end of 1997. Putting electronic commerce at the service of the citizen 71. Electronic commerce is the Information Society in practice. The Forum emphasised the need for better education in the use of the new technologies, next to other key issues such as awareness creation and readiness by governments and public authorities to assume their responsibilities.
Electronic commerce requires new skills for network literacy.
Consumers will need to become familiar with information technology for communicating and ordering goods and services electronically. The basis for such skills should already be laid in primary and secondary schools. Employees and managers, especially in SMEs, may have to get used to doing business internationally instead of in a national or regional market place and will require retraining to this end. As the Forum expressed clearly, the Information Society will be a Lifelong Learning Society. The Commission will supplement policies at regional and national levels to improve skills.