WRITTEN QUESTION E-0888/01 by Juan Naranjo Escobar (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Information society.
Date: 2001-03-27
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, information policy, information society

C 318 E/146

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.11.2001

The Commission believes that it is in the interest of all organisations to exchange information to the
largest possible extent, while preserving full independence in evaluating the information.

(2001/C 318 E/158)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0888/01

by Juan Naranjo Escobar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(27 March 2001)

Subject: Information society

According to the latest figures published by IDC (a US consultancy specialising in computing and the
Internet), Nordic European countries such as Sweden or Finland are the most advanced where the
information society is concerned, whereas Mediterranean countries rank much lower in the league table.

The scores calculated on the basis of each country(cid:146)s rating in terms of 19 indicators in all, for example the
use of computers, telephone charges, or the number of people connected to the Internet, show once again
that the information society varies from one Member State to the next. IDC(cid:146)s overall findings, moreover,
tally with certain figures originating from other independent sources and the Commission itself.

How does the Commission view these fresh signs that the information society is not developing at the
same pace in the different EU countries? What steps will it take to eliminate the inequalities?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(7 June 2001)

It is within the context of the e-Europe 2002 action plan that the Commission is measuring the uptake of
the information society in Europe.

e-Europe was launched at the Feira European Council in June 2000. It sets out a detailed programme
covering 64 actions to accelerate the development of the information society in Europe. To monitor these
developments, the Commission in co-operation with the Council has agreed a list of
indicators to
benchmark eEurope.

The first results of this benchmarking suggest that, overall, uptake of the Information Society has been
swift across Europe. For example, penetration rates of Internet at home increased by 55 % within last year
according to Eurobarometer surveys. A recent survey found that 94 % of European schools are now
connected to the Internet. Internet access costs have fallen by more than 40 % in some Member States.

However, despite these successes, considerable discrepancies can indeed be observed between Member
States.

e-Europe was conceived as a tool to ensure that Information Society in Europe is for all. Member States
committed themselves to the targets set out in the action plan. Continuous efforts are needed to meet these
targets in order to prevent the development of a growing disparity between regions which could lead to
a true digital divide.

To address this issue, the Commission recommended that every regional development plan should include
activities to encourage access to the information society. For the Objective 1 regions alone, it is estimated
that € 6 billion of Community funds will be mobilised during the 2000-2006 programming period.

The Member States themselves confirmed at the European Council of Stockholm their willingness to
proceed with the implementation of
to
a knowledge-based society.

the eEurope action plan and thus to accelerate the shift