EN    EN EN 
EN    EN  COMMISSION OF THE E UROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
Brussels, 2.7.2008 
SEC(2008) 2183 
  
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING PAPER 
Towards a Renewed Social Agenda for Eu rope — Citizens’ Well-being in the 
Information Society 
{COM(2008) 414 final} 
{COM(2008) 415 final} 
EN 2   EN COMMISSION STAFF WORKING PAPER 
Towards a Renewed Social Agenda for Eu rope — Citizens’ Well-being in the 
Information Society 
1. S UMMARY  
Digital technologies are now an es sential part of daily life. We use them at work, in day-to-
day relationships, in dealing with  public services, and a lot more  besides. They touch our lives 
in ways that we are often unaware  of or don’t even think about. 
In just one generation, they ha ve revolutionised the way we liv e, learn, work and play. They 
account for approximately half of the productiv ity growth in modern economies and have 
radically changed the ways in which people, industry, governments  and society interact with 
each other and with the environment. 
This staff working paper sets out  the significant contributions that these technologies make 
towards a renewed social agenda for Europe and identifies the specific activities that the Commission will undertake until the end of 2008 to  help ensure citizens’ well-being in the 
information society. 
2. I
NTRODUCTION  
Information and communication technology (ICT) has a large impact on society and the 
economy. ICT has fostered the rest ructuring of markets and cha nged the ways we do business, 
and continues to offer an unpre cedented opportunity  for innovation . ICT makes a major 
contribution to economic growth: it accounts for 40% of Europe’s productivity growth and 25% of EU GDP growth
1. It makes both a direct and an in direct contribution to growth and 
competitiveness. 
The innovative impact of ICT is also felt in  the social sphere. Di gital technologies have 
already empowered millions of citizens and helped socially and geographically marginalised groups become more included and engaged. They facilitate improvements in public services, 
ensuring equal access to information and promo ting democracy. They cont ribute to improving 
the environmental performance of other technolog ies, thereby enhancing our quality of life.  
3. T
HE INFORMATION SOCIETY : A WIN -WIN FOR SOCIAL INCLUSION AND ECONOMIC 
GROWTH  
The technological transformation that is c onveyed by the information society makes it 
possible to respond to our social inclusion ne eds while presenting opportunities for economic 
growth. Bridging digital divides and accessibili ty gaps, or improving digital competences, 
                                                 
1 European Commission, i2010 — A European Information Society for growth and employment, 
SEC(2005) 717 
EN 3   EN translates into new jobs and services. Initial es timates indicate that benefits from e-inclusion 
in the EU-27 could be between €35 and €85 billion over five years2. 
The Commission is at the forefront of this effo rt with its strategy of supporting research and 
innovation for inclusive ICT for everybody’s be nefit while establishing a comprehensive 
policy framework to help addre ss Europe’s societal challenges3.  
Although there is a clear need to pursue a cohere nt e-inclusion strategy into the future, these 
efforts are already delivering results. Individuals and comm unities are being empowered by 
ICT to better enjoy traditional as well as new information society services. For example, social, healthcare and consumer services ar e becoming more easily available and more 
affordable thanks to higher efficiencies from the use of ICT and the greater adaptability of 
ICT-enabled services to users’ needs. More attention to accessi bility features when designing 
new technologies is allowing di sabled people — and increasingl y the elderly — to better use 
information society tools and services to be actively included in society. This is, in turn, increasing the degree of usabil ity of technologies for all. 
Additionally, a more empowered society cons titutes the best market incentive for the 
necessary investments in resear ch and innovation for developing the inclusive technologies of 
the future. 
4. P
ERSISTENT DIGITAL DIVIDES LEAD TO SOCIAL EXCLUSION IN THE KNOWLEDGE 
SOCIETY  
Despite its inclusive potential, the informati on society can also have  negative effects by 
creating new divides in terms of digital haves and have nots  based on different factors such as 
education, age, income, geographic and sometimes cultural origin, educati on or disabilities. It 
is estimated that 30-40% of people in Europe still do not fully enjoy the benefits of the 
information society. Those groups with the largest remaining disparities in internet use and digital literacy correspond to cat egories of people outside the labour force and in an older age 
bracket, followed by those with low educati onal attainment. The unemployed, however, have 
internet use rates which are clos er to the population average.  
% Average (EU-27)  Older people 
(65+)  Economically 
inactive  Low educated  Unemployed 
Internet re gular 
users  51 13 21 31 42 
No internet skills  40 82 73 63 45 
No computer 
skills 40 81 71 62 43 
Source: Eurostat 2007 Community survey on ICT usage in households and by individuals 
 
                                                 
2 European Commission, COM(2007) 694 & SEC(2007) 1469 
3 European Commission, COM(2007) 694 
EN 4   EN Digital divides reinforce so cial divides in two ways: 
– On the one hand, they put a large part of the population at risk of exclusion from the 
knowledge society, since only pa rt of the population have a ccess to or use ICT-enabled 
services efficiently; 
– On the other hand, digital exclusion reduces individual life chances for employment, 
training, and access to quality services and world knowledge, while hampering Europe’s 
ability to develop a fully functional digital economy. 
5. T AKING UP THE CHALLENGE OF CITIZENS ’ WELL -BEING IN THE INFORMATION 
SOCIETY  
An inclusive information society is central to  responding to current social challenges as 
highlighted in the Commission Communication Opportunities, access and solidarity: towards 
a new social vision for the 21st Century4. Policies on the information society are aimed at 
turning current challeng es into societal and economic opportunities. 
In particular, information society policies in  2008 will contribute to addressing the following 
societal challenges: 
– Demographic change, especially th e ageing of Europe’s population; 
– Better citizens’ health through advanced e-health services; 
– Digital literacy for equal opportuni ties for jobs and participation; 
– Widespread and affordable access to informa tion society services and technologies; and 
– E-accessibility, that is usability of ICT for all,  especially for persons  with disabilities.  
5.1. Taking up the demographic challenge of population ageing  
Life expectancy in European societies has dr amatically improved: from 43.5 years in 1900 to 
74.6 in 20045 and a projected6 84.5 in 2060 for men, and from 46.0 to 80.9 with a projected 
89 for women. Thanks to sixty years of peace, medical progress and better living and working 
conditions, a growing proportion of Europeans are now enjoying longer and more active 
retirement. This has far-reaching implications on welfare systems, with the associated 
expenditure expected to rise  to 2.5% of GDP by 2030 and 4.3% by 2050. At the same time, 
access to health services and healthy life expect ancy still vary consid erably between income 
groups and regions. 
Social risks such as old-age depe ndency and loneliness are expected to rise as a result of these 
demographic trends. Today, 28% of the populati on over 70 currently live alone. Up to two 
thirds of people over 75 are dependent on info rmal care, mostly provided by the immediate 
                                                 
4 COM(2007) 726 final 
5 Life expectancy is calculated for the EU27 as one region and not as an arithmetic average of the 27 
Member States 
6 Eurostat population projections EUROPOP2008, 2008-based convergence scenario, convergence year 
2150 
EN 5   EN family, especially women. One in six older people live in poverty, with elderly women 
particularly exposed to low pensions  as a result of incomplete careers. 
The majority of older people do not yet enjoy the benefits of the digital age — low-cost 
communications and online services that could support some of their real needs — since only 
13% use the internet. Vision, hearing or dexterit y problems that tend to increase with age (and 
affecting 21% of over-50s) frustrate many older pe ople’s efforts to engage in the information 
society. 
Within the framework of the Action Plan on Ageing Well in the Information Society7 the 
Decision establishing the Joint Programme for Research in Ambient Assisted Living (AAL)8 
has been adopted on 23 June by Council after earlier adoption by the European Parliament 
and will be signed into law in July. The Co mmission will provide some €150 million in EU 
funding support between 2008-2013 fo r this new programme of applied research in ICT for 
independent living of elderly people .  
This programme, which is based on a new form  of cooperation between Member States under 
Treaty Article 169, will raise so me €600 million for investing in research on information and 
communications technologies targeted at improvi ng the life of older people at home, in the 
workplace and in society in general. This new truly European initiativ e will contribute to 
allowing older Europeans to stay activ e for longer and live independently.  
With the action plan, the Commission seeks a tr iple win for Europe: improved quality of life 
and social participation for ol der people in Europe, new busi ness opportunities for Europe’s 
industries, and more efficient and more pe rsonalised health and social services. 
The implementation of this joint applied resear ch programme will place  Europe in a leading 
position in ICT for “ageing well”. As ageing is  a global phenomenon, a strong industry in 
Europe will have opportunities wo rldwide. Furthermore, resear ch activities will focus on the 
development of more practical and simpler applia nces that are easier to understand and use by 
older and younger unskilled persons a nd that will finally benefit all. 
In Scotland the West Lothian authorities have ac hieved a dramatic reduction in hospital stays, 
from 57 days to 9 days, and have reduced co sts by a factor of 3 by implementing smart 
technology packages in existing houses and newly built housing: the gross annual cost for one 
care-home place stands at €27,740, compared  with €9,043 for supporting a community 
package including tele-care technology, 24-hour response and ten hours of care.  
5.2. Better citizens’ health throug h advanced e-health services 
The ageing society brings new health and soci al risks and has far-reaching impacts on health 
and social protection systems. Across the EU, a vision is emerging of how best to improve 
citizens’ well-being and health in the face of the challenges of ageing and chronic diseases, 
including those that also a ffect many youngsters, such as obesity. This new approach has 
access to quality healthcare as a cornerstone. 
In the process of delivering hi gh-quality and sustainable hea lth services, service providers 
have to deliver “more (services) for less (inputs )”. ICT plays a pivotal role in achieving this 
                                                 
7 COM/2007/0332 
8 COM/2007/0329 final — COD 2007/0116 
EN 6   EN by improving efficiency and effectiveness of se rvice delivery while providing services that 
are tailored to the needs of patients and ensure  disease prevention. Elec tronic interoperability 
of health services is therefor e a key element for the portability of health-critical data for 
patients and the provision of pan-European health services , in conformity with the 
fundamental rights to privacy  and data protection.  
The current inability for ICT-enabled health sy stems to seamlessly interconnect and exchange 
data and services, such as elect ronic health records, patient summaries, and emergency data 
sets, is a major obstacle to the widespread take-up of e-health applications in the EU. Encouraging interoperability of electronic heal th systems at EU level reduces fragmentation 
of service provision also  at national level.  
The Commission will adopt in 2008 a recommendation on cross-border interoperability of 
electronic health record systems , contributing to the achieveme nt of a “European health 
information area”. 
The Commission has also proposed a lead-market initiative fostering the use of ICT in 
European health systems  and involving all actors in the heal th value chains. The initiative is 
highly innovative, responds to customers’ need s, has a strong technological and industrial 
base in Europe and depends on the creation of favourable framework conditions through 
public policy measures. 
By the end of 2008 the Commission will also  propose a communication on telemedicine and 
innovative ICT tools for chroni c disease management, setting out actions to overcome the 
main barriers preventing wider deployment of telemedicine, in particular tele-monitoring and 
tele-homecare. 
5.3. Empowering EU citizens with digital and media literacy 
As the knowledge society becomes pervasive, more and more everyday activities, goods and 
services will be online. Incr easingly, some are only availabl e electronically, be it via the 
internet, mobile phone, digital TV  or other electronic devices. It is therefor e essential to 
ensure every citizen has the opportunity to beco me digitally literate, in order to effectively 
participate. Those without suffi cient ICT skills suffer from a ma jor disadvantage in the labour 
market.  
A 2007 report by Eurostat9 states that 40% of people aged between 16 and 74 in the EU-27 
have no basic computer skills. Only 13% of the elderly are reported to use the internet. Gaps 
in internet and computer skills are still wide, es pecially for at-risk groups such as those with 
low education, the economically inactive and th e older population. These are also groups that 
lag further behind in the rate of regular internet usage, an d for which the Riga targets10 of 
halving by 2010 the digital literacy gap betw een the groups at risk of exclusion11 and the 
average EU population are not likely to be met. 
Learners need, from an early age, to acqui re competences in the information society by 
reflecting critically on media content and on th eir learning aims. Schools and educational 
patterns will have to encourag e learners to work autonomously as well as collaboratively 
                                                 
9 Eurostat 2007 Community survey on ICT usage in households and by individuals 
10 http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/events/ict_riga_2006/index_en.htm  
11 The unemployed, immigrants, people with low education levels, people with disabilities, and the elderly 
EN 7   EN while using all the opportunities of new tec hnologies including for disadvantaged students 
and those with special needs12. Media literacy is also a key prerequisite for active and full 
citizenship. New media are ind eed key enablers of freedom of expression, the right to 
information and they are also instrume ntal to building and sustaining democracy13. 
Together with policies set in the area of e-Skills14, ensuring that there is a clear European 
policy in place to tackle the challenge of ba sic digital literacy is a key Commission objective. 
In November 2007 a Digital Literacy Expe rt Group was established to provide the 
Commission with inputs for a Di gital Literacy Policy Review15 and contribute to guidelines 
on digital literacy actions. 
A staff working paper including reco mmendations on digital literacy  will be presented by the 
end of 2008. 
5.4. Access, affordability, e-accessibility  for all in the information society 
ICT is becoming the main mode of access for many essential economic and social services, 
training and employment opportu nities, and a broad range of  information and knowledge 
needed to live in modern societies. Theref ore, ICT needs to be available for all ( access for all ) 
and usable by all regardless of their location or social and economic background. 
5.4.1. Enabling access for all and connecting regional economies 
High broadband coverage (availability of DSL broadband networks) and penetration (people 
subscribing to broadband services) is one of th e key enablers for an inclusive society and for 
economic development. Many ICT services rela ted to health and so cial care cannot be 
provided effectively without broadband. Eviden ce shows that over the last decade, regions 
that have invested in broadband efficiently have  also reaped the economic benefits from ICT 
in terms of innovation, productivity growth and economic development16. 
On average, at EU-25 level, 94% of the populati on in urban areas are able to subscribe to a 
DSL connection, as against 72% of the rural pop ulation, who tend to access poorer services at 
higher cost17.  
In January 2008 on average 20% of the EU-27 population were broadband subscribers, with 
sharp differences between the higher penetratio n rates of 30% of the population in Denmark, 
Finland, the Netherlands and Swed en (maintaining their position as world leaders, well ahead 
of Korea, the US or Japan) and rates below 10% in several Member States. Evidence also 
shows that greater broadband penetration and us e often correlates with lower access prices for 
consumers. 
The overall competition among different technol ogical platforms shows positive outcomes in 
terms of availability and affordability of broadband networks, but significant differences 
persist between Member States.  
                                                 
12 COM(2008) 425. 
13 A European approach to media literacy in the digital environment - COM(2007) 833 final 
14 COM(2007) 496 final 
15 http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/eeurope/i2010/studies/index_en.htm#literacy .  
16 SEC(2007) 1469 
17 i2010 Mid-Term Review, SEC(2008) 470 
EN 8   EN A number of successful examples of public-pri vate partnerships in  broadband projects for 
underserved areas are delivering encouragi ng results in Europe. In June 2008 the Commission 
launched a web portal aimed at facili tating the exchange of broadband good practices . The 
portal will also provide an open discussion forum on regulator y aspects, public procurement 
and strategic issues, including the publication of calls for tender  and the facilitation of demand 
aggregation for deploying broa dband networks. During the sec ond half of 2008, the initiative 
Regions for Economic Change will also cont ribute to bridging the broadband gap with the 
launch of a thematic regional network under the Interreg IVC programme, aimed at improving 
the deployment of broadband in remote and rural areas. These two initiatives will facilitate 
and improve the €2,2 billion investments for broadband infrastructure under the European 
Cohesion Policy between 2007 and 2013, of which 82% target less developed regions in 
Europe.  
The proposal for the revision of  the electronic communicati ons regulatory framework , 
adopted by the Commission on 13 November 2007, is expected to help regional and social 
cohesion. The proposal aims to e xploit the full potential of radi o spectrum resources, and keep 
pace with technological advances and convergence of technology platforms and services. This 
means greater flexibility and more efficient use of radio spectrum. In November 2007 the 
Commission published its strategy for a coordinate d EU approach to the use of frequencies 
which will become available when TV broa dcasters switch from analogue to digital 
transmission by 2012 (the “digital dividend”).  This will, in turn, unleash many innovative 
convergent services including wireless broa dband, which is particularly suitable for 
addressing territorial cohesion in those Eu ropean regions where difficult geography, 
population dispersion and other factors often prevent investment by market players. 
5.4.2. The key to a barrier-free knowledge  society for all: e-accessibility 
For many people at risk of exclusion due to physical and cognitive disabilities (some 15% of 
the EU population18), ICT offers essential tools for overcoming barriers to social and 
economic integration. Yet many information soci ety tools and services  currently cannot be 
used by people with disabilities (and therefore increasingly by older people, as disability 
strongly correlates with age) , thus precluding their access to  the knowledge economy. If ICT 
is not accessible to them, the resulting social exclusion will be even worse by impeding them 
the enjoyment of information society conten t as well as commercial and public services. 
e-Accessibility is about the possibilities of  using all information and communication 
technologies and services by people with disa bilities and functional limitations, be they 
permanent or temporary. In doing so, e-Accessibi lity also facilitates us ability of ICT by all. 
“Accessible ICT products and services will foster disabled users’ partic ipation in education, 
employment, culture and societ y in general. People with di sabilities and/or older people 
represent a significant number, so the integration of the people within the information society 
will bring both social, cultural and economic bene fits”, was the view of one respondent in the 
June 2007 public consultation about th e future EU e-inclusion strategy. 
Currently in the EU-2719: 
                                                 
18 Commitments on adopting “web acce ssibility guidelines” in public webs ites were already included in 
the Council Resolution on the e-Eu rope Action Plan 2002: accessibility  of public websites and their 
content (2002/C 86/02) 
19 European Commission, Riga Dashboard , SEC(2007) 1470 
EN 9   EN – Only 5% of public websites comply with the minimum web accessibility standards and 
guidelines20;  
– The percentage of subtitled audio-visual programming varies widely from country to 
country (from 2.5% to 95% of programming); 
– The percentage of sign-language programming is  very limited (from less than 0.5% to 5%); 
– Broadcasting with audio description ranges from less than 1% to more than 10% of 
programming depending on countries.  
Accessible ICT products and services help addr ess the daily challenge s that the many users 
with visual, hearing, speech, mobility and cognitive impairments face in using the 
technologies and services of the information society. 
Poor market dynamics and fragmented attempts at national level to establish legisl ation in this 
area have failed to ensure e-accessibility for a large number of users needing accessible ICT 
tools and services to enjoy the be nefits of the information society. 
Within the review of the electronic comm unications regulatory framework, the Commission 
has proposed strengthening e-accessibility  requirements in the prov ision of e-communications 
services, including accessibility of the single European emergency number 112 . 
Moreover, to prepare for a possible legisl ative measure as announced in the 2007 
Communication on the European e-Inclusion Initiative, the Commission is presently 
consulting with stakeholders on possible measures towards an accessible information society . 
The goal is to improve the accessibility of ICT pr oducts and services, so that they are usable 
by a large range of potential user s notwithstanding their disabiliti es or limitations. This also 
covers the possible introduction of e-accessibility  features in the design phase of new ICT 
tools and services so as to prevent digital exclusion in future.  
5.4.3. Contributing to consumers’ welfare 
In 2007 European consumers continued to benefit from lower prices, in particular for mobile 
voice services. These gains have been supplemen ted by the increased availability of offerings 
such as mobile broadband and higher-speed fixe d services, in particular over optical fibre. 
Most EU markets have seen increasing volumes  and falling prices and the average European 
consumer of electronic communications services  was better off in 2007 than the year before21. 
The Commission has remained vigilant and, in areas where the market has failed to deliver 
lower prices and bette r value, it has intervened. In 2007 the Roaming Regulation22 tackled 
high prices for EU voice roaming services.  
The consumer markets scoreboard23 will allow the Commission to monitor market outcomes 
for consumers. The evidence in the scoreboard  will help us better to take into account 
consumer interests. A specific survey on consum er switching behaviour, including for digital 
                                                 
20 WCAG 1.0 http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/  
21 i2010 Mid-Term Review, op. cit.  
22 Regulation (EC) No 717/2007 
23 European Commission 2008, The Consumer Markets Scoreboard: M onitoring consumer outcomes in 
the Single Market 
EN 10   EN services, will identify the options  consumers have in the market and their ability to exercise 
their right to choose different service providers.  
The proposals for the review of the electronic communications regulato ry framework, adopted 
by the Commission on 13 November 2007, aim to st rengthen consumers’ and users’ rights, 
with a view to improving accessibility and promoting an inclusive, trustworthy and secure information society. Its objectives are:  
– Strengthening and improving consumer protec tion and users’ rights in the electronic 
communication sector by — among other thin gs — giving consumers more information 
about prices and supply conditions, and facili tating access to and use of e-communications, 
including emergency services, for disabled users; and  
– Enhancing the protection of individuals’ privacy and pers onal data in the electronic 
communications sector, in partic ular through provisions related to security of personal data 
and improved enforcement mechanisms. 
In May 2008 the Commission launched a consulta tion on the functioning and effects of the 
EU Roaming Regulation, including developmen ts in prices for roamed SMS and data 
services. The Commission will report to Council and Parliament in 2008. 
Furthermore, the i2010 Mid-Term Review Communication Preparing Europe’s digital 
future
24, states that users’ rights and obligations in the digital environment are of crucial 
importance, and will be addressed in late 2008 in a guide for consumers .  
5.4.4. Enhancing safety and confidence in the internet 
The number of children using online technologies  is increasing globally. The possibilities for 
interactivity and participation in the online en vironment can improve the quality of life for 
many young people. However, this also means that  they may have to make choices that they 
would not normally have to make, in many cases  related to their own safety and protection 
including protection of their privacy and pers onal data. Protecting children from harmful 
content (such as child abuse materi al) and conduct (such as grooming25 and cyber-bullying26) 
online, curbing the distribution of illegal content and enhanci ng protection of their privacy 
and personal data by developing Privacy Enhanc ing Technologies (PETs) are a continuing 
concerns for policy makers, law makers, industry and end-users, particularly parents, carers 
and educators.  
As results from Eurobarometer surveys on data protection in 200327 (in 15 Member States) 
and in 200828 (in 27 Member States), EU citizens ar e worried about data security on the 
internet. A large majority of respondents (82% ) considered that data transmission over the 
internet was not sufficiently secure, while on ly 15% of respondents trusted data security 
transfers. The majority of respondents also indicated that they were not familiar with 
                                                 
24 COM(2008) 199 final 
25 When minors are contacted by people who will befriend them in order to commit sexual abuse 
26 When minors are victims of bullying in the online environment 
27 http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_196_data_protection.pdf   and 
http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/flash/fl147_data_protect.pdf  
28 http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/flash/fl_226_en.pdf  and 
http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/flash/fl_225_en.pdf  
EN 11   EN technologies limiting collection of personal data through the internet (such as firewalls and 
cookie filtering). 
Since 1996, the Safer Internet programmes  have been a major feature of the Commission’s 
activity in the protection of ch ildren in the information societ y. These programmes have in 
recent years established a European network of hotlines/reporting points where members of 
the public can report illegal content, a European  awareness-raising network and Safer Internet 
Days coordinated by the network, information for parents through independent testing of 
effectiveness of filtering software, and support for industry self-regulato ry initiatives in the 
area of content rating and mobile phones. 
On 27 February 2008 the Commission adopted a pr oposal for a new Safer Internet programme 
2009-2013. The new programme will take into ac count future challenges in the online 
environment, encompassing recent web 2.0 devel opments, such as soci al networking. This 
new programme will fight illegal content as well as harmful conduct such as grooming and 
bullying. Final adoption of the programme by C ouncil and Parliament is expected in early 
2009. 
5.4.5. Redesigning public services 
The goal of public administrations is to deliver information and services in easy and 
accessible ways through a multi-channel approach  combining the use of the internet, the 
telephone or digital television, while including face -to-face support via an intermediary 
(practitioners acting as “public agents”). This  multi-channel approach to e-government aims 
to deliver personalised, combined and flexible services to citizens and businesses in a more 
efficient and effective way. 
People who are socially disadvantaged for econo mic, geographic, physical or other reasons 
also tend to rely most heavily on public social services and have the most to gain from e-
government. Yet they are less likely to be able to access e-government services directly, owing to multiple socially excluding factors.  An inclusive, multi-channel approach is 
therefore of prime importance. 
As part of the 2006 e-Government Action Plan
29, the Commission is supporting efforts by 
Member States to ensure that “by 2010 all ci tizens, including socially  disadvantaged groups, 
become major beneficiaries of e-government”30. To this end, current efforts focus on the 
exchange of information on multi-channel e-government initiatives and best practices and on support for pilot schemes amongst Member States and regions.  
Electronic identification systems (e-IDs) are making it easier for in creasing numbers of 
Europeans to access online services such as enrolling at university, submitting tax returns, claiming unemployment benefits and checking pension entitlements. However, e-IDs are still 
seldom recognised when crossing European bo rders since most e-ID systems do not work 
across Member States. For this purpose the Commission is working on the creation of a EU-wide interoperable system for recognition of e- IDs and authentication that will enable people 
                                                
 
29 i2010 eGovernment Action Plan: Accelerating eG overnment in Europe for the Benefit of All , 
COM(2006) 173 
30 Ministerial Declaration, eGovernment Conference, Li sbon, 19 September 2007 
EN 12   EN to use their national electronic identities in any Member State31. This will increase the 
opportunities for economic and social pa rticipation for all throughout Europe32.  
5.4.6. Towards more participatory governance 
Sound governance and good government are enhanced by greater participation of citizens in 
the decision-making and legisla tive processes, cont ributing to greater democratic social 
cohesion. The e-Government Action Plan33 and the 2007 Lisbon Mini sterial Declaration34 
committed to demonstrate, by 2010, tools for eff ective public debate and participation in 
democratic decision-making. In the three year s since the European Parliament asked the 
Commission to launch the e-Part icipation Preparatory Action, pr ojects have demonstrated 
concrete cases in which, with the help of m odern ICT tools and appli cations, the legislative 
process and the resulting legislation can be  improved through active participation of the 
public in the decision-making process. To en hance this, the Commission is supporting the 
exchange of information and good practice cases based on Member States’ national initiatives 
as well as funding research and innovation projects within the Competitiveness and 
Innovation Programme as well as the 7th Framework Programme for Research and 
Technology Development in ICT.  
_______________________________ 
                                                 
31 The STORK project (Secure idenTity acrOss boRders linKed) has been funded under the 
Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme 
32 i2010 eGovernment Action Plan: Accelerating eG overnment in Europe for the Benefit of All , 
COM(2006) 173 
33 i2010 eGovernment Action Plan: Accelerating eG overnment in Europe for the Benefit of All , 
COM(2006) 173 
34 Ministerial Declaration, eGovernment Conference, Li sbon, 19 September 2007