This High Level Group will review achievement and progress and report annually to the European Council and the European Commission on progress, achievements and on any new policy initiatives needed A Steering Committee, reporting annually to the High Level Group, has the operational responsibility for ensuring that the Smart Card Charter objectives are achieved. This requires action to improve the employment prospects of those groups with low employment rates, especially women and older workers. Work can be made more attractive and accessible through flexible work arrangements such as telework . Particular efforts should be made to attract women to the knowledge economy and IT professions where they are massively underrepresented and where they represent a largely untapped resource in most countries. This must be accompanied by the modernisation of work organisation .
Greater flexibility brings benefits of variation in the time and place of work to people in work.
Social Partners are encouraged to support agreements on flexible working to the benefit of both employers and employees. A substantial set of RTD projects and accompanying measures is now in place in the Action lines on eWork to support these ambitions. Support was also given to the organisation of the 7 th European Assembly on New Ways to Work Telework 2000, held in London in September 2000. In this framework, Awards were again presented to the best nominations for innovative actions in eWork development. SMEs are of critical importance for the further implementation of eEurope.