And the number of participating projects doubled in the last few months before the application deadline expired, so we now have 106 projects from all over Europe. The Bangemann Challenge adopted 10 main application areas emphasized in the Bangemann Report. The goal of the competition extends beyond the recognition afforded by prizes. Kleist explained that stimulating European IT development is the most important aspect of the Challenge. Secondly, we are trying to spread the word of best practice examples, through conferences, seminars and other activities.
Many European cities face the same kinds of problems.
If we do not all reinvent the same wheel, this will save a lot of time and money. Europe is very culturally diverse, which means that we do approach problems in different ways. Provided that we find good systems for exchange of information, this could be a real strength for our part of the world. Thirdly, the Bangemann Challenge will lead to concrete cooperation in new joint projects between European cities. It has led us to meet people all over Europe who are very knowledgeable in computers and with whom we can exchange experiences.