Council Resolution of 8 October 2001 on "e-Inclusion" — exploiting the opportunities of the information society for social inclusion
Date: 2001-10-08
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: information society, marginalisation, new technology, public awareness campaign

C 292/6

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

18.10.2001

COUNCIL RESOLUTION

of 8 October 2001

on (cid:145)e-Inclusion(cid:146) (cid:151) exploiting the opportunities of the information society for social inclusion

(2001/C 292/02)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION:

(1) RECALLING that the Community has among its tasks to
promote throughout
the Community a high level of
employment and social protection and to raise the
standard of living and quality of life, and economic and
social cohesion;

16 February 2001 in Lule(cid:229) highlighted the role of
information and communication technologies (ICT) as
an engine for growth and employment in Europe and
stressed the need to reduce ICT skills shortages and to
literacy, and RECOGNISING the challenge
increase digital
job
for
potential by appropriate learning in ICT skills;

enabling the unemployed to take up this

(2) RECALLING the Resolution of

the Council and of

the
Representatives of
the Member
States meeting within the Council of 17 December 1999
on the
the
employment
information society (1);

and social dimension of

the Governments of

(3) RECALLING that

extraordinary Lisbon European
Council of 23 and 24 March 2000 called for an
information society for all;

the

(4) RECALLING that one of the objectives in the fight against
poverty and social exclusion, approved by the Nice
European Council of 7 to 9 December 2000,
is to
exploit
the knowledge-based
society and of new information and communication tech-
taking
nologies and ensure that no one is excluded,
particular account of the needs of people with disabilities;

fully the potential of

(5) RECALLING that the promotion of the knowledge-based
society is a key element across the European employment
guidelines, and, in particular, that they call for e-Learning
for all citizens, a particular attention to the needs of disad-
vantaged people, tapping the employment potential of the
to
knowledge society, and invite the social partners
establish the conditions
the
for giving every worker
opportunity to achieve digital literacy;

(6) RECALLING

the

that

Commission

communication
(cid:145)Strategies for jobs in the information society(cid:146), adopted
the
in February 2000,
information society
and
working conditions of all citizens, and RECOGNISING
that lessons can be learnt from previous experience in
fields such as community economic development, tech-
nology transfer and sustainable development;

stressed the opportunities of
living

improving

the

for

(8) RECALLING that the social partners and non-governmental
organisations play a key role in reducing the digital divide,
to the knowledge-based
by promoting access
for all
society and by exploiting the resulting potential,
in
particular in terms of jobs and qualifications;

(9) RECALLING that a key objective of the (cid:145)e-Europe 2002
action plan(cid:146), endorsed by the Feira European Council of
19 and 20 June 2000, is to achieve the participation of all
in the knowledge-based economy and,
in particular, a
more effective coordination at European level of policies
to avoid info-exclusion;

(10) RECALLING

the

that

Commission

communication
(cid:145)e-Europe 2002 (cid:151) impact and priorities(cid:146), submitted to
the Stockholm European Council of 23 and 24 March
2001, underlined the priority of e-Inclusion and called
on the high-level
social
(ESDIS) to draw
dimension of the information society(cid:146)
up, in support of the social inclusion process, a report
on e-Inclusion by the end of 2001 to enhance the coor-
dination of policies to prevent a digital divide in Europe;

group (cid:145)Employment

and

among

(11) RECOGNISING that this report, submitted as a Commission
(cid:145)e-Inclusion (cid:151) the information
staff working paper
inclusion in Europe(cid:146) builds
society’s potential for social
on a Eurobarometer survey and a broad exchange of
policy practices
the
the
Member States in the ESDIS high-level group; that this
analysis
to participation in the
information society, and policy areas to enhance the
inclusion of disadvantaged people in the information
society and to ensure effective and sustainable uses of
technology that are
local
economy;

fully integrated into the

representatives of

identifies barriers

(7) RECALLING that the joint informal meeting of Ministers for
Employment and Ministers for Telecommunications on

(1) OJ C 8, 12.1.2000, p. 1.

(12) TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the recommendations made by
the ESDIS high-level group on the basis of this analysis,

18.10.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 292/7

CALLS ON MEMBER STATES:

I. to tap the information society’s potential for disadvantaged

people by:

1. facilitating appropriate on-line content and services,
accessible according to demand profiles, understandable
and affordable for all people, and backed up by regular
user-friendliness checks, including for the disabled and
in particular, targeted
others with special needs and,
on-line services in areas
such as social protection,
employment, education and training, health, housing,
and justice, while continuing, as appropriate, comple-
mentary off-line access to basic public services;

2. facilitating local

communities

through encouraging
financial and technical support for the development of
in particular in disad-
on-line services and networks,
vantaged urban neighbourhoods,
less-favoured rural
and peripheral areas, and through an emphasis on the
framework of
areas within the
needs of
e-Government;

these

3. realising ICT job opportunities,
the

social
employment guidelines, and in particular:

partners, within

in collaboration with
the
framework

of

(a) by providing the unemployed and inactive people,
workers at risk of exclusion including older workers,
and people with disabilities with ICT training and
other learning that respond to their individual needs
and
and with
incentives to obtain a certificate of basic ICT skills,
like the European computer driving licence (ECDL),
and to take up conversion courses
in ICT or
e-Business skills; and

requirements

employment

for

(b) by promoting telework and on-line recruitment.

II. to remove barriers in the information society by:

1. raising awareness of

the information society’s oppor-
tunities and challenges,
in particular among tech-
including the elderly, and within
nology-shy people,
communities at risk of digital exclusion, as well as by
sensitising ICT producers, information providers, social
partners and political actors to the special needs of
disadvantaged people in terms of
ICT equipment,
on-line content, and information society jobs;

2. making ICT access available and affordable, for example:

(a) by supporting the establishment of user-friendly
local
public
communities which could feature
access,
on-site training facilities, and locations favourable

Internet

points

access

free

all

in

for disadvantaged people and accessible for persons
with disabilities;

(b) by providing targeted incentives for individual ICT

purchase and use by disadvantaged people;

(c) by developing ICT infrastructures

in remote or

dispersed localities; and

(d) by exploiting the potential of other

technical
platforms like mobile communications or digital
TV for e-Inclusion;

3. promoting digital literacy as an element for full partici-
pation in society, appropriate to specific learning needs,
and developing networks of e-Learning centres,
in
particular for disadvantaged people;

in terms of

4. tackling technical barriers for people with different
and web
in particular by implementing the respective
e-Accessibility

disabilities
content,
e-Europe actions, monitored by the
expert group;

ICT equipment

5. promoting the development of specific software adapted

to the particular needs of disadvantaged groups.

III. to encourage partnerships of all stakeholders, with an

emphasis on the regional and local dimensions, by:

1. developing the above e-Inclusion measures as an integral
element in the fight against social exclusion, across all
relevant policy areas;

partners

2. supporting the key role of regional and local actors,
organisations,
social
and
including their becoming producers of
information
and content and actively extending the benefits of new
technology to the wider community, and taking full
advantage of public-private partnerships;

society

civil

3. taking due account of

levels of digital
exclusion in the Member States, across regions and
localities, and appropriately addressing the various
disadvantaged communities;

the different

4. mainstreaming a gender equality approach in e-Inclusion
emphasis on
policies, while putting a particular
enhancing the take-up of
training and employment
opportunities of the information society among women;

5. promoting, where appropriate, e-Inclusion measures
under the Structural Funds, in particular the European
Social Fund;

C 292/8

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Official Journal of the European Communities

18.10.2001

CALLS ON THE COMMISSION:

Social Fund, taking into account other priorities, as well as
within other relevant Community action programmes;

1. to take fully into account the challenges and opportunities
of e-Inclusion with a view to further developments of the
including in the context of the
social
open method of coordination at European level;

inclusion strategy,

4.

2. to promote the further realising of the information society’s
job potential for the unemployed within the framework of
the European employment strategy;

e-Inclusion policies within the

to
in collaboration with the ESDIS high-level group,
monitor and analyse progress in the effective coordination
of
the
employment and social inclusion strategies, and to report
on it in the joint employment report and in the synthesis
report on combating social exclusion and poverty.

framework of

3. to favour, where appropriate, e-Inclusion measures within
in particular within the European

the Structural Funds,

Done at Luxembourg on 8 October 2001.