Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - eEurope 2005: An information society for all - An Action Plan to be presented in view of the Sevilla European Council, 21/22 June 2002
Date: 2002-05-28
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: access to information, action programme, dissemination of information, information society, information technology, new technology

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 28.5.2002
COM(2002) 263 final

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND
THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

eEurope 2005: An information society for all

An Action Plan to be presented in view of the Sevilla European Council,

21/22 June 2002

Executive summary

The objective of this Action Plan is to provide a favourable environment for private
investment and for the creation of new jobs, to boost productivity, to modernise public
services, and to give everyone the opportunity to participate in the global information society.
eEurope 2005 therefore aims to stimulate secure services, applications and content based
on a widely available broadband infrastructure.

I.

The Barcelona European Council called on the Commission to draw up an eEurope action
plan focussing on “the widespread availability and use of broadband networks throughout the
Union by 2005 and the development of Internet protocol IPv6 …. and the security of networks
and information, eGovernment, eLearning, eHealth and eBusiness”1

This action plan will succeed the eEurope 2002 action plan endorsed by the Feira European
Council in June 2000. eEurope is part of the Lisbon strategy to make the European Union the
most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy with improved employment and
social cohesion by 2010.

eEurope 2002, with the joint effort of all stakeholders, has already delivered major changes
and has increased the number of citizens and businesses connected to the Internet. It has
reshaped the regulatory environment for communications networks and services and for e-
commerce and opened the door to new generations of mobile and multimedia services. It is
providing opportunities for people to participate in society and helping the workforce to
acquire the skills needed in a knowledge-driven economy. It is bringing computers and the
Internet into schools across the Union, bringing governments on-line and focusing attention
on the need to ensure a safer on-line world.

II.

The information society has much untapped potential to improve productivity and the quality
of life. This potential is growing due to the technological developments of broadband and
multi-platform access, i.e. the possibility to connect to the Internet via other means than the
PC, such as digital TV and 3G. These developments are opening up significant economic and
social opportunities. New services, applications and content will create new markets and
provide the means to increase productivity and hence growth and employment throughout the
economy. They will also provide citizens with more convenient access to information and
communication tools.

Most services are provided by the market. Developing new services needs significant
investment, most of it from the private sector. But there is a problem: funding more advanced
multimedia services depends on the availability of broadband for these service to run on,
while funding broadband infrastructure depends on the availability of new services to use it.

1

Barcelona European Council, Presidency Conclusions, paragraph
40(http://ue.eu.int/en/Info/eurocouncil/index.htm)

2

Action is needed to stimulate services and infrastructure to create the dynamic where one side
develops from the growth of the other. Both developing services and building infrastructures
are mainly tasks for the private sector and eEurope will create a favourable environment for
private investment. This means not only developing an investment friendly legal framework
but also taking action that stimulates demand and so reduces uncertainty to private investors.

eEurope 2005 applies a number of measures to address both sides of the equation
simultaneously. On the demand side, actions on e-government, e-health, e-learning and e-
business are designed to foster the development of new services. In addition to providing both
better and cheaper services to citizens, public authorities can use their purchasing power to
aggregate demand and provide a crucial pull for new networks. On the supply side, actions on
broadband and security should advance the roll-out of infrastructure.

The Lisbon strategy is not just about productivity and growth but also about employment and
social cohesion. eEurope 2005 puts users at the centre. It will improve participation, open up
opportunities for everyone and enhance skills. eEurope contains measures regarding e-
inclusion in all action lines. One important tool to achieve this is to ensure multi-platform
provision of services. It is generally accepted that not everyone will want to have a PC.
Making sure that services, especially online public services, are available over different
terminals such as TV sets or mobile phones is crucial to ensuring the inclusion of all citizens.

III.

The eEurope action plan is based on two groups of actions which reinforce each other. On the
one hand, it aims to stimulate services, applications and content, covering both online
public services and e-business; on the other hand it addresses the underlying broadband
infrastructure and security matters.

By 2005, Europe should have:

–

–

modern online public services

e-government

e-learning services

e-health services

a dynamic e-business environment

and, as an enabler for these

–

–

widespread availability of broadband access at competitive prices

a secure information infrastructure

The action plan comprises four separate but interlinked tools

Firstly, policy measures to review and adapt legislation at national and European level; to
ensure legislation does not unnecessarily hamper new services; to strengthen competition and
interoperability; to improve access to a variety of networks; and, to demonstrate political

3

leadership. eEurope 2005 identifies those areas where public policy can provide an added
value and therefore focuses on a limited set of actions in priority areas. Some key targets are:

• Connecting public administrations, schools, health care to broadband

• Interactive public services, accessible for all, and offered on multiple platforms

• Provide online health services

• Removal of obstacles to the deployment of broadband networks

• Review of legislation affecting e-business

• Creation of a Cyber Security Task Force

Secondly, eEurope will facilitate the exchange of experience, of good practices and
demonstration projects, but also of sharing the lessons from failures. Projects will be launched
to accelerate the roll-out of leading edge applications and infrastructure.

Thirdly, policy measures will be monitored and better focussed by benchmarking of the
progress made in achieving the objectives and of the policies in support of the objectives.

Fourthly, an overall co-ordination of existing policies will bring out synergies between
proposed actions. A steering group will provide a better overview of policy developments and
ensure a good information exchange between national and European policy makers and the
private sector. This steering group would also make an early participation of candidate
countries possible.

IV.

This action plan is a proposal to Member States to take some far-reaching commitments. It is
an invitation to the private sector to work with the Commission and Member States to realise
the eEurope objectives. It sets out the initiatives the Commission will or is willing to take.
Overall the action plan sets the scene for a co-ordinated European policy approach on
information society issues. The eEurope action plan should be confirmed as a key element in
the Lisbon strategy. If successful, this plan will have a significant impact on growth and
productivity, employment and social cohesion in Europe.

The European Council in Sevilla is expected to endorse an Action Plan and invite Council and
Parliament to adopt as quickly as possible the necessary legal and budgetary instruments to
implement it.

4

CONTENTS

1.

2.

3.

The objectives ................................................................................................................ 6

The approach.................................................................................................................. 8

The actions..................................................................................................................... 9

3.1

Policy measures.......................................................................................................... 9

3.1.1. Modern online public services .................................................................................. 9

3.1.2. A dynamic e-business environment ........................................................................ 13

3.1.3. A secure information infrastructure ........................................................................ 15

3.1.4. Broadband .............................................................................................................. 16

3.2.

3.3.

3.4.

3.5.

Development, analysis and dissemination of good practices...................................... 18

Benchmarking .......................................................................................................... 19

A co-ordination mechanism for e-policies................................................................. 21

Financing.................................................................................................................. 21

4. Conclusions.................................................................................................................. 22

5

1. The objectives

The Barcelona European Council called on the Commission to draw up an eEurope action
plan focussing on:

“the widespread availability and use of broadband networks throughout the
Union by 2005 and the development of Internet protocol IPv6 …. and the
security of networks and information, eGovernment, eLearning, eHealth and
eBusiness”2

This action plan will succeed the eEurope 2002
action plan endorsed by the Feira European
Council in June 2000. eEurope 2002 is part of the
Lisbon strategy to make the European Union the
most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based
economy with improved employment and social
cohesion by 2010. It was complemented by the
eEurope+3 initiative launched by the candidate
countries in reply to the invitation of the European
Council
to take on board the Lisbon strategy.
Many of the objectives of eEurope 2002 have
already been achieved and the remainder will
largely be completed by the end of this year4.

Progress during eEurope 2002

in

has

homes

penetration

Internet
doubled
Telecom framework in place
Internet access prices have fallen
Almost all companies and schools are
connected
Europe now has world’s fastest research
backbone network
e-commerce legal framework largely in
place

¤ More government

services

available

online
A smartcard infrastructure is emerging
¤ Web accessibility guidelines adopted
and recommended in Member States

To create a knowledge economy, eEurope 2002
focused on extending Internet connectivity in
Europe. In order to generate growth, connectivity
needs to be translated into economic activities.
This is the focus of eEurope 2005: stimulating services, applications and content that create
new markets and reduce costs and eventually increase productivity throughout the economy.
Developing content, services and applications and rolling out the underlying infrastructure is
predominantly up to the market. Therefore, the action plan will concentrate on those areas
where public policy can provide an added value and contribute to creating a positive
environment for private investment.

Fast progress in digital technologies and the decline in prices for information technology
equipment provided business and consumers with more powerful devices. Investment
in
digital equipment grew throughout
the 80s and 90s but when computers became
interconnected as the World Wide Web took off in the mid 90s there was a particular boost to

2

3

4

Barcelona European Council, Presidency Conclusions, paragraph 40
(http://ue.eu.int/en/Info/eurocouncil/index.htm)
http://europa.eu.int/information_society/international/candidate_countries/action_plan/index_en.htm
The full text of the eEurope 2002 Action Plan, other reference documents and the results of eEurope
benchmarking can be found at http://europa.eu.int/eeurope.

6

¤
¤
¤
¤
¤
¤
¤
productivity. The contribution of the Internet to productivity and growth, particularly in
Europe, is therefore relatively recent and much more can be expected. Two new developments
will have a major impact on the further development of the Internet: multi-platform
access/convergence and broadband5.

New communication platforms beyond PC-based Internet access are now becoming available.
In particular, interactive digital television and third generation (3G) mobile systems driven by
common standards open up possibilities for multiple platform access to services. They can be
both substitutes and complements. The same holds for the supporting networks. The
Barcelona European Council stressed the importance of open platforms for convergence6.

Broadband connections significantly increase the speed of transmission between computers,
mobile phones, TV set-top boxes and other digital devices. This will improve quality of
Internet access, making it more user-friendly and convenient for consumers, and enable the
full scope of multi-media applications to be applied.

The next generation of services will rely on these features. If fully exploited, broadband
technologies will improve the effective use of networks, and thereby increase productivity
and employment. Having anytime, anywhere access to information will contribute to greater
effectiveness. However, achieving productivity gains through effective use can only be
realised by restructuring of economic behaviour to exploit the new technologies: adapting
business processes, bringing public services online, enhancing skills.

Realising the potential of broadband requires that everyone is given the ability and
opportunity to enjoy and exploit its richness and benefits (in terms of healthcare, education,
and business for example). This means that the goal of the eEurope 2002 action plan of
achieving an 'information society for all' remains valid for eEurope 2005. By supporting the
emergence of alternative access platforms, such as digital television or 3G mobile systems,
the new action plan will further facilitate e-inclusion, also for people with special needs.

The more networks and computers become an essential part of business and daily life, the
more security becomes a necessity. Because of the value of current and expected transactions
carried out online, networks and information systems need to be secure. Security has therefore
become a key enabler for e-businesses and a pre-requisite for privacy.

5

6

There is no universally accepted definition of broadband, but its key characteristics are high speed and
always-on functionality. Currently, broadband access is mostly offered over the telephone copper
network using ADSL technology or over cable TV networks using cable modems. Broadband access
can also be offered over new infrastructure, mainly fibre optic, fixed wireless access (FWA), third-
generation mobile systems, R-LANs operating in licence-exempt frequency bands, and satellite
communication systems.
The Barcelona European Council called upon "the Commission and the Member States to foster the use
of open platforms to provide freedom of choice to citizens for access to applications and services of the
Information Society, notably through digital
television, 3G mobile and other platforms that
technological convergence may provide in the future.” It also invited the Commission to present "a
comprehensive analysis of remaining barriers to: the achievement of widespread access to new services
and applications of the information society through open platforms in digital television and 3G mobile
communications, the full roll-out of 3G mobile communications, the development of e-commerce and
e-government and the role that national electronic identification and authentication systems could play
in this context." (paragraph 41).

7

The internationalisation of Internet management will also be a key parameter for the
harmonious development of the Internet, and the EU will continue to work actively towards
this aim.

In summary, broadband enabled communication, in combination with convergence, will bring
social as well as economic benefits. It will contribute to e-inclusion, cohesion and cultural
diversity. It offers the potential to improve and simplify the life of all Europeans and to
change the way people interact, not just at work, but also with friends, family, community,
and institutions and the way companies operate. This is what users are interested in, and this
is where eEurope 2005 starts from. The objective of this Action Plan is to stimulate secure
services, applications and content based on a widely available broadband infrastructure.

2. The approach

The eEurope 2002 action plan proved to be a successful format and the basis for similar
actions not only in the candidate countries (eEurope+), but also in third countries. Its method
ii) re-focusing existing support
of i) speeding up the adoption of new legal measures,
programmes, and iii) defining clear targets to be achieved, combined with benchmarking, had
a major impact. The new action plan will build on these successes and maintain eEurope as
the symbol of European Union policy to develop the information society. However it needs to
be adapted with regard to three requirements.

1.

2.

3.

7

8

Broadband technology is transforming the Internet and opening up new possibilities
for interactive multimedia services only possible at very fast transmission speeds.
Infrastructure investment is driven by availability of content and services and the
development of new services and content depends on infrastructure deployment. The
infrastructure evolves and upgrades when new services and applications emerge and
vice versa. eEurope 2005 will try to stimulate a positive feedback between
infrastructure upgrading, both broadband and multi-platform and service
developments.

Many measures at European, national and regional level in support of the knowledge
economy are already underway. Most Member States have national action plans for
information society policy, many of which were inspired by eEurope 2002. The
eEurope 2005 actions should therefore go beyond current policies and make a
real difference. They must also be in line with the Barcelona conclusions7 and take
account of the discussions at the Informal Telecom Council8 in Vitoria.

Before the end of this action plan, it is likely that a number of candidate countries for
accession to the EU will be members. It will be a challenge for them (and for the
current Member States) to meet the targets and to implement the actions contained in
eEurope 2005. eEurope 2005 therefore needs built-in flexibility and should
provide for a mid-term review of actions to ensure a smooth phasing in of the
new members in the action plan.

http://ue.eu.int/en/Info/eurocouncil/index.htm
Results of the informal meeting of ministers for Telecommunications and the Information Society,
February 2002 – Vitoria, http://www.ue2002.es/

8

To meet these requirements, the eEurope action plan is based on two groups of actions which
reinforce each other and build a virtuous circle. The first one concerns services, applications
and content, covering both online public services and e-business, and the second one
concerns the underlying broadband infrastructure and security matters. The targets of
eEurope 2005 can be summarised as follows:

By 2005, Europe should have:

–

–

modern online public services

e-government

e-learning services

e-health services

a dynamic e-business environment

and, as an enabler for these

–

–

widespread availability of broadband access at competitive prices

a secure information infrastructure

The action plan is structured around four lines which are interlinked:

Firstly, policy measures to review and adapt legislation at national and European level, to
strengthen competition and interoperability, to create awareness, and to demonstrate political
leadership.

Secondly, the implementation of policy measures is supported by the development, analysis
and dissemination of good practices. Projects will be launched to accelerate the roll-out of
leading edge applications and infrastructure.

Thirdly, policy measures will be monitored and better focussed by benchmarking of the
progress made in achieving the objectives and of the policies in support of the objectives.

Fourthly, an overall co-ordination of existing policies will bring out synergies between
proposed actions. A steering group will provide a better overview of policy developments and
ensure a good information exchange between national and European policy makers and the
private sector.
3. The actions

3.1 Policy measures

3.1.1. Modern online public services

i) e-government

Starting point

9

Under the eEurope 2002 Action Plan, Member States agreed to provide all basic services
online by end 2002. Much has been achieved in this area but many services still have limited
interactivity. The Commission and the Belgian Presidency held an e-government conference
in November 2001 to identify and disseminate examples of good practice. The ministers
participating in the conference adopted a declaration9 stressing the need to further develop the
exchange of good practices and to ensure inclusion and security in online public service
delivery. The development of secure and seamless access to e-government services depends
on deployment and the effective use of electronic authentication means. The action taken in
support of smart card take-up will continue and could effectively serve this purpose by also
providing a secure device to support electronic signature.

Improved access to public web sites for disabled people is an objective of eEurope 2002. In
October 2001, the Council adopted a resolution on e-inclusion10 and a further resolution in
March 200211 stating that Member States should speed up their efforts in implementing the
'Web Accessibility Initiative' guidelines12. Access to government services can be facilitated
by providing multilingual content and making it available on various platforms.

is financing research activities.

Initiatives regarding e-government exist at national, regional and local level. These are
complemented by actions carried out at European level: the IDA programme13 is supporting
interoperability of back office processes, standardisation and the provision of pan-European
services and the IST programme14
the
Commission is preparing an initiative to follow up the Communication on creating a EU
framework for the exploitation of public sector information15. At the Barcelona European
Council, Heads of State and Government decided on the creation of a 'one stop European Job
Mobility Information Web Site'. This and the portal of the EU administration developed in the
framework of the IDA Programme will offer multi-lingual point of access for online
information and services to citizens and enterprises supporting mobility across borders. The
IDA portal will also serve as test bed for multi-platform technologies. In this context, the use
and improvement of machine translation systems to fully cover the linguistic diversity of
European users of such web sites will be of importance. The Barcelona European Council
also invited the Commission to analyse the role that electronic authentication systems can
play in removing obstacles to the development of e-government.

In addition,

Proposed actions

Broadband connection. Member States should aim to have broadband connections for all
public administrations by 2005.Since broadband services can be offered on different
technological platforms, national and regional authorities should not discriminate between
technologies when purchasing connections (using open bidding procedures, for example).

Interoperability. By end 2003,
issue an agreed interoperability
the Commission will
framework to support the delivery of pan-European e-government services to citizens and
enterprises. It will address information content and recommend technical policies and

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

http://europa.eu.int/information_society/eeurope/egovconf/index_en.htm
OJ C 292 of 18.10.2001.
OJ C 86 of 10.04.2002.
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/
Interchange of data between administrations (http://europa.eu.int/ispo/ida)
Information society technologies (http://www.cordis.lu/ist)
COM(2001) 607 final of 23.10.2001.

10

specifications for joining up public administration information systems across the EU. It will
be based on open standards and encourage the use of open source software.

Interactive public services. By end 2004, Member States should have ensured that basic
public services are interactive, where relevant, accessible for all, and exploit both the potential
of broadband networks and of multi-platform access. This will
require back-office
reorganisation16 which will be addressed in the good practice exercise. It also implies
addressing access for people with special needs, such as persons with disabilities or the
elderly. Commission and Member States will agree on a list of public services for which
interactivity and interoperability are desirable.

Public procurement. By end 2005, Member States should carry out a significant part of
public procurement electronically. The experience of the private sector shows that reducing
costs is most efficiently achieved through the use of the Internet in supply chain management,
including e-procurement. Council and Parliament should adopt as quickly as possible the
legislative package on procurement.

Public Internet Access Points (PIAPs). All citizens should have easy access to PIAPs,
preferably with broadband connections, in their communes/municipalities. In establishing
PIAPs, Member States should use structural funds and work in collaboration with the private
and/or voluntary sector, where necessary. The Commission intends to continue to support
technology development in the research programme and good practice showcases to the
extent possible through the follow-up programme to the PROMISE programme.

Culture and tourism. The Commission, in co-operation with Member States, the private
sector and regional authorities, will define e-services to promote Europe and to offer user-
friendly public information. These e-services should be deployed by 2005 and build on
interoperable interfaces, use broadband communication, and be accessible from all types of
digital terminals.

ii) e-learning

Starting point

Member States responded positively to the ambitious eEurope 2002 targets. Most schools are
now connected and work is underway to provide convenient access to the Internet and
multimedia resources for schools, teachers and students. In Barcelona, the European Council
the target of ensuring by end 2003 a ratio of 15 pupils per on-line computer for
set
educational purposes17 in EU schools. Trans-European networks connecting national research
and education networks have been upgraded substantially but, as yet, few schools are
connected.

The Commission has contributed to financing some of these actions through the IST
Programme, the eLearning initiative and other actions co-ordinated under the eLearning
Action Plan. EU measures included support to the provision of equipment, co-operation and

16

17

Re-engineering of internal administrative processes that relate e.g.
management, electronic information exchange, interagency co-ordination.
The Barcelona European Council also requested to develop digital literacy through the generalisation of
an Internet and computer user's certificate for secondary school pupils and to undertake a feasibility
study to identify options for helping secondary schools to establish or enhance an internet twinning link
with a partner school elsewhere in Europe (paragraph 44).

to data collection and data

11

exchange of good practices, teacher training, pedagogical research, and the development of e-
learning content and services.

Proposed actions

Broadband connections. By end 2005, Member States should aim that all schools and
universities have Internet access for educational and research purposes over a broadband
connection. Museums, libraries, archives and similar institutions that play a key role in e-
learning should also be connected to broadband networks.

eLearning Programme. By end 2002, the Commission intends to adopt a proposal for a
specific eLearning Programme. It will focus on the implementation of the objectives of the
eLearning Action Plan from an educational perspective and run from 2004-2006. The
Commission will also publish an analysis of the European market for e-learning, including the
private sector. It will review the market situation and analyse legal, economic and social
issues with a view to identifying obstacles to the development of the e-learning market in
Europe and where necessary make proposals to remedy them.

Virtual campuses for all students. By end 2005, Member States, supported by the eLearning
and eTEN18 programmes, should ensure that all universities offer on-line access for students
and researchers to maximise the quality and efficiency of learning processes and activities.

University and research computer-supported co-operative system. By end 2003,
the
Commission will launch research and piloting actions to enable the deployment of Europe-
wide computer-supported networks and platforms, based on high performance computing
infrastructures and GRID19 technologies. They will allow collaborative work addressed at
solving complex problems and virtual access to, and sharing of learning resources, and
computational power across Europe.

Re-skilling for the knowledge society: By end 2003, Member States, where appropriate
using structural funds and supported by the Commission, should launch actions to provide
adults (e.g. the unemployed, women returning to the labour market, etc) with the key skills20
needed for the knowledge society, to improve their employability and overall quality of life.
These actions will take advantage of the possibilities offered by e-learning.

iii) e-health

Starting point

The work of medical practitioners at all levels is becoming more information intensive as
sophisticated medical equipment and computer applications are more widely used. At the
same time, demands on healthcare budgets are increasing in the face of medical and scientific
advances, an ageing population and changing patient expectations. Digital technologies are
becoming more important in health management both at individual practitioner level and at
national and regional level. They offer the potential to reduce administrative costs, to deliver

18

19

20

The former TEN-Telecom programme.
wide-area distributed computing using the global
communications infrastructures.
Key skills include basic computer skills (digital literacy) and higher-order skills such as teamwork,
problem solving, project management, etc.

to build distributed computing and

Internet

12

health care services at a distance, to avoid unnecessary duplicate examinations. In addition,
the Internet is increasingly used by citizens to obtain medical information. Against this
background, it is critical that e-health content and services are developed efficiently, are
available for all and health related web sites comply with established quality criteria.

More than 10 years of research and development in health telematics and in the framework of
the IST programme have been undertaken. Examples of results are integrated regional health
information networks,
reliable and effective
standardised electronic health records,
telemedicine services (teleconsultation and home telemonitoring) as well as personal systems
for citizens to support and manage their health status. Another important action already
underway which will be contributing to eEurope 2005 is to improve the use of telematics in
the community pharmaceutical
safety of
information exchange between
medicines, Europharm Database or e-submission for
regulatory authorities and industry) which is expected to deliver first results by end 2003.
eEurope offers the possibility to combine efforts into a strategy to deliver visible results
at the end of the action plan. Health data is particularly sensitive, and all actions in this area
must be accompanied by the development of the technical and organisational means to ensure
the protection of individuals’ health information from unauthorised access, disclosure, and
manipulation.

regulatory system (e.g. Eudravigilance for

Proposed actions

Electronic health cards. Building on the agreement at the Barcelona European Council that a
European health insurance card will replace paper based forms needed for health treatment in
another Member State, the Commission will make a proposal before the Spring Council in
2003. The Commission intends to support a common approach to patient identifiers and
electronic health record architecture through standardisation and will support the exchange of
good practices on possible additional functionalities, such as medical emergency data and
secure access to personal health information..

Health information networks. By end 2005, Member States should develop health
information networks between points of care (hospitals,
laboratories and homes) with
broadband connectivity where relevant. In parallel,
the Commission intends to set up
European-wide information networks of public health data and co-ordinate actions for Europe
wide rapid reactions to health threats.

Online health services. By end 2005, Commission and Member States will ensure that online
health services are provided to citizens (e.g.
information on healthy living and illness
prevention, electronic health records, teleconsultation, e-reimbursement). Some of the health
and related preventative services (e.g. air and water quality online information) could be
expanded to a trans-European level through the eTEN programme. The Commission will
monitor actions taken by Member States to make health information as accessible as possible
to citizens as well as initiatives to implement quality criteria for web sites.

3.1.2. A dynamic e-business environment

Starting point

e-business comprises both e-commerce (buying and selling online) and restructuring of
business processes to make best use of digital technologies. Since the publication of the e-

13

commerce communication in 199721, the Commission has developed a comprehensive policy
in this field. Among the achievements have been the rapid adoption by the EU of a series of
directives22, which are aimed at establishing an Internal Market for information society
services, as well as a number of non-legislative initiatives aimed at promoting self-regulation,
notably in the field of “e-confidence” and online dispute resolution (ODR)23, and the launch
of the 'Go Digital' initiative to help small and medium-sized enterprises to better use e-
business. In addition, the tax environment of e-commerce has been adapted and simplified,
mainly through the adoption of a directive on electronic invoicing24 as well as a directive and
a regulation on VAT on digital supplies25.

The Commission has also launched26 a debate on the future of consumer policy, regulation
and its enforcement. It highlights the need to eliminate regulatory distinctions between the on
and off-line world and for future regulation to be created in such a way that it neither becomes
redundant or stifles innovation and new technology.

Building on the European Competitiveness Report27 and on the Communication on the e-
economy28, the Commission is working in co-operation with Member States to support e-
business in Europe. The goal is to promote take-up of e-business with the aim of increasing
the competitiveness of European enterprises and raising productivity and growth through
investment in information and communication technologies, human resources (notably e-
skills) and new business models, whilst ensuring privacy. eEurope 2005 will be instrumental
in making this policy work.

Proposed actions

Legislation. The Commission, in co-operation with Member States, will review relevant
legislation where appropriate with the aim of identifying and removing factors that prevent
enterprises from using e-business. This review will in particular aim at extending existing e-
commerce friendly rules to the off-line delivery of goods and services in order to create a
level playing field between the different trading modes (on-line/off-line). The review, open to
all interested parties, will be kicked off with an e-business summit in 2003, giving high-level
business representatives the opportunity to describe difficulties encountered when doing e-
business.

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

A European Initiative in Electronic Commerce, COM(1997) 157 final of 16.4.1997.
Directive 2000/31/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2000 on electronic
commerce, OJ L 178 of 17.7.2000, Directive 1999/93/EC of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 13 December 1999 on a Community framework for electronic signatures, OJ L 13 of
19.1.2000, Directive 2001/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001 on the
harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the Information Society, OJ L 167 of
22.6.2001, Directive 97/7/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 1997 on the
protection of consumers in respect of distance contracts, OJ L 144 of 4.6.1997.
The Commission has established an alternative dispute settlement network - the EEJ net - in order to
utilise and promote dispute resolution mechanisms for resolving consumer-business disputes cross
border throughout the EU.
Council Directive 2001/115/EC of 20.12.2001, OJ L 15 of 17.1.2002.
Council Regulation (EC) No 792/2002 of 7.5.2002, OJ L 128 of 15.5.2002 and Council Directive
2002/38/EC of 7.5.2002, OJ L 128 of 15.5.2002.
Green Paper on consumer protection 2001 COM(2001) 531 final, follow-up Communication currently
under preparation.
Commission Staff working paper: European competitiveness report 2001, SEC(2001) 1705.
The Impact of the e-Economy on European Enterprises: Economic Analysis and Policy Implications’ -
COM(2001) 711 final of 29.11.2001.

14

SMEs. By end 2003, the Commission intends to establish an European e-business support
network, federating existing European, national and regional players in this field with a view
to strengthening and co-ordinating actions in support of SMEs in the field of e-business. The
Commission will foster geographical and sectoral clusters of SMEs working online to
encourage innovation in e-business, sharing of good practice and promotion of guidelines and
standards.

e-skills. By end 2003, the Commission, in close co-operation with Member States, will
publish an analysis of the supply and the demand for e-skills in Europe. The Commission and
Member States should foster public-private partnerships and the co-operation of stakeholders
with a view to developing European-wide e-skills definitions.

Interoperability. By end 2003, the private sector should, supported by the Commission and
Member States, have developed interoperable e-business solutions for transactions, security,
signatures, procurement and payments. This will facilitate services enabling seamless, secure
and easy cross-border electronic business and mobile commerce.

Trust and confidence. By end 2003, the Commission, together with the private sector,
consumer organisations and Member States will examine possibilities of establishing a
European-wide online dispute resolution system. To facilitate cross-border electronic
transactions for SMEs, the Commission will further support the establishment of online
information systems on legal
issues. The Commission will work with stakeholders on
trustmarks requirements with a view to a recommendation on consumer confidence in
electronic commerce.

The ".eu company". By end 2003, the Commission will examine the possibilities to provide
European companies with additional functionalities linked to the .eu domain name such as a
trusted cyberidentity and other supporting operations, e.g. trustmarks and an authentication
scheme.

3.1.3. A secure information infrastructure

Starting point

The European Union has already launched a comprehensive strategy based on the
Communications on network security29, cyber crime30, and the current31 and forthcoming data
protection directive regarding electronic communications. The suggested approach was
endorsed and further developed by the Council Resolution of 28 January 200232 and by the
recent Commission proposal
for a Council Framework Decision on attacks against
information systems33.

29

30

31

32

33

Network and Information Security: Proposal for A European Policy Approach, COM(2001) 298 of
6.6.2001.
Creating a Safer Information Society by Improving the Security of Information Infrastructures and
Combating Computer-related Crime, COM(2000) 890 of 22.1.2001.
Directive 97/66/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on 15 December 1997 concerning
the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the telecommunications sector, OJ L 24
of 30.1.1998.
http://register.consilium.eu.int/pdf/en/01/st15/15152en1.pdf
http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/justice_home/index_en.htm, COM(2002) 173 final of 19.4.2002.

15

Based on the 28 January Resolution, a number of initiatives (e.g. the establishment of a cyber
security task force, awareness campaigns, promotion of good practices, and improved
exchange of information mechanisms) should be completed by the end of 2002. This will
provide the basis for the work towards a secure information infrastructure. Work on the
creation of a secure European smart card infrastructure should continue and the roll-out of
applications be intensified.

Community research activity on security will continue under
the Sixth Framework
Programme. Priorities will be: trustworthy network and information infrastructures with an
emphasis on emerging technologies (e.g. broadband, wireless architectures, ambient
intelligence); the identification of vulnerabilities and inter-dependencies in infrastructures. It
also intends to support standardisation with a view to wider use of open standards and open
source software. Research activities should also take into account the 'human factor' in
security, e.g. basic security standards, user-friendliness of systems.

Proposed actions

Cyber security task force (CSTF). By mid 2003, the CSTF should be operational. Based on
a proposal which the Commission intends to submit in 2002, Council and Parliament will be
able to adopt the necessary legal base as quickly as possible, taking into account the cross-
pillar dimension of network and information security. Member States and the private sector
should support the activities of CSTF. It should become a centre of competence on security
questions, e.g. to develop with Member States a concept for a European computer attack alert
system; to facilitate cross-pillar discussion; to improve trans-border co-operation.

'Culture of security'. By end 2005, a ‘culture of security’ in the design and implementation
of information and communication products should be achieved. The private sector should
develop good practices and standards and to promote their consistent application. The
Commission intends to support projects and will work to raise awareness of security risks in
all users. An intermediate report of progress made will be issued end 2003 and a final
assessment by end 2005.

Secure communications between public services. By end 2003,
the Commission and
Member States will examine the possibilities to establish a secure communications
environment for the exchange of classified government information.

3.1.4. Broadband

Starting point

Governments world-wide are increasingly realising that broadband access will be central to
the economic development of their countries. Wide availability of broadband communication
would have a significant impact on the economy, and several EU Member States have started
reviewing broadband development on their territory. Their common objective is to accelerate
its deployment. The importance of ‘widespread availability and use of broadband networks
throughout the Union by 2005’ has been recognised by the Barcelona European Council. The
actions proposed in this Action Plan correspond to this priority.

Investment in broadband will mainly come from the private sector. In its broad economic
policy guidelines, the Commission recommended that “Member States should: … ensure
effective competition in local telecommunication networks (the ‘local loop’) in order to speed

16

up the development of the European broadband network”. Competition is expected to drive
investment, generate innovation and lower prices. Therefore, public policy should focus on
issues where competition is not effective or where political objectives, e.g. territorial coverage
with a view to cohesion, need to be ensured.

The new regulatory framework, which will be applied in all Member States from July 2003,
takes full account of the convergent nature of broadband. Encouraging efficient investment in
infrastructure (by new entrants and incumbent operators) and promoting innovation are
explicit objectives for regulators. This means taking account of the need for investors to
obtain an adequate return on their investment, in the light of the risks taken. This also means
that regulatory uncertainty for investors must be reduced as much as possible.

In the wider context of the European Research Area project, the Commission is supporting the
full exploitation of broadband networks by the research community. This will continue under
the Sixth Framework Program using the new priority instruments of Networks of Excellence
and Integrated Projects. In specific terms, it will support the upgrade and efficiency of
technology for optical fibre access networks, mobile broadband wireless services (beyond
3G), broadband access satellite systems (also taking into account the needs of the Galileo
system), convergence of fixed and mobile networks, including the transition to the next
generation Internet Protocol (IPv6) and take account of security and privacy issues (wireless,
always-on) etc. The Commission has already set out the steps needed to support the next
generation Internet in its IPv6 Communication34, “Next Generation Internet - priorities for
action in migrating to the new Internet protocol IPv6” and those recommendations should be
followed up.

A broadband strategy will have a complex task as it is affected by many different policies:
town and country planning, research policy, taxation and regulation. They are carried out at
all levels: international, European, national, regional and local, and by a range of different
actors, private sector as well as public sector. The Commission will deepen the analysis of
policy options and existing obstacles to broadband deployment, in particular with a view to
widespread access to new services through open platforms in digital television and 3G, in line
with the request from the Barcelona European Council

Proposed actions

Spectrum policy. The Commission will use the new regulatory framework for radio spectrum
policy to ensure spectrum availability for, and efficient spectrum use by, wireless broadband
services (e.g. W-LANs) and to co-operate with Member States’ with regard to the
introduction of such services. The Commission will initiate a discussion on new approaches to
spectrum valuation and trading of rights-of-use of frequencies.

in co-operation with the
Broadband access in less favoured regions. Member States,
Commission should support, where necessary, deployment in less favoured areas, and where
possible may use structural
incentives (without prejudice to
competition rules). Particular attention should be paid to outermost regions.

funds and/or

financial

Reduce barriers to broadband deployment. Member States should ease access to rights-of-
way, poles and conduits to facilitate investment, for instance through the removal of

34

COM(2002) 96 final of 21.2.2002.

17

legislative barriers. The Commission will support
exchange of local and regional experience and private/public partnerships.

this by encouraging and organising

Multi-platform content. Public authorities in Member States and the private sector should
aim to offer their content on different technological platforms, such as interactive digital TV,
3G etc. The Commission intends to support demonstrations and research projects. The
Commission will identify regulatory obstacles to the use of digital television for interactive
services35.

Digital switchover. In order to speed up the transition to digital television, Member States
should create transparency as far as the conditions for the envisaged switchover are
concerned. Member States should publish by end 2003 their intentions regarding a possible
switchover . These could include a road map, and an assessment of market conditions, and
possibly a date for the closure of analogue terrestrial television broadcasting which would
enable the recovery and refarming of frequencies. National switchover plans should also be an
opportunity to demonstrate a platform-neutral approach to digital television, taking into
account competing delivery mechanisms (primarily satellite, cable and terrestrial).

3.2. Development, analysis and dissemination of good practices

In all areas of eEurope 2005, commercial and public applications are being developed,
support programmes are running, and experimental applications are being tested. These
activities are a rich source of knowledge and expertise. Progress is rapid but uneven, for
example one administration or school may be trying to develop or use an application already
working somewhere else or for which there is a viable private sector solution.

eEurope 2005 aims to build upon these experiences. It will not only identify and exploit good
practices, but further advance them to act as a showcase which will be instrumental to the
achievement of the eEurope targets. Good practice activity will therefore be complementary
to the policy actions. A three-step approach is proposed:

i. Examples of good practice will be identified, and selected.

The Commission, in close co-operation with Member States, candidate countries, and the
private sector, will identify examples of good practice world-wide. This would include
practical working examples from the public sector and commercial applications in the areas of
the action plan.

ii. Where appropriate, selected good practices will be enhanced to broaden their
applicability and an analysis will be carried out to produce a template or guidelines for
good practices.

Relevant examples would be extended in scope (e.g. multi-platform instead of single platform
or additional users) or complemented by additional developments (e.g. greater functionality or
multi-lingual interaction). The demonstration and evaluation aspects of these projects will be
reinforced, so that a thorough analysis of the results may be undertaken.

The detailed analysis of good practice should result in templates or guidelines. These provide
proven, well-documented approaches to tried and tested applications for e-services. They

35

As has been requested by the Barcelona European Council.

18

would be modular and customisable for any particular user and would typically consist of a
methodology, an associated set of tools and software in open-source form. This would result
in a critical assessment of success factors and lessons of failure, which may lead to transfer
and dissemination of good practice across Europe, particularly in the less favoured regions.

iii. The good practices and the results of the project analysis will be disseminated.

For the dissemination of good practices, the Commission in co-operation with the Council
Presidencies will organise promotional campaigns covering the EU and candidate countries.
This will be based on the following mechanisms:

• Conferences/workshops: The e-government conference with its exhibition of good
practice examples is one successful model for an exchange of experience and lessons
learnt. An e-health conference which will follow this model is planned for the first half of
2003, as is an e-learning conference and a second e-government conference is proposed for
the Italian Presidency.

These conferences normally address policy-makers. They will be accompanied by special
dedicated workshops which would bring together the actors for the respective strategies.
These events will address in detail the good-practice showcases, templates and guidelines.

• Support networks: Results will be disseminated using existing business, academic,
research and user networks - e.g. the e-business support networks to the SME's or the
European School Net- and other such channels at the European, national or regional levels.
Comparable networks will be sought for actors in all eEurope areas. In doing so, the
regional and local dimension shall be particularly taken into account,
inter alia by
maintaining an open dialogue with networks such as TeleCities, Eris@ and Elanet. The
new Innovative Actions programmes within the framework of the European Regional
Development Fund (ERDF) offer regions (in particular, less favoured regions and areas
under re-conversion) the possibility to test innovative tools and to exchange good practices
in regional e-services. This will contribute positively to regional development strategies
and thus play an important role within the eEurope 2005 action plan.

• A web site: Links to the good-practice templates and guidelines will be published on a
specific web site which will provide tools supporting their use and feed-back mechanisms.

3.3. Benchmarking

Benchmarking of eEurope is a 3 stage process.

i.

Definition of indicators

For eEurope 2002, 23 indicators were used. The rationale behind these indicators is to focus
on output, i.e. the final objective of policy, not the policy itself (e.g. % household connected
loop unbundling). The objective of
to the Internet rather than any measure of local
benchmarking is policy development and this means it
to obtain political
endorsement of the indicators36. Indicators will need to be updated for eEurope 2005 to reflect
the revised political objectives. From 2004 onwards, i.e. after the end of eEurope+, the new

is essential

36

Indicators were endorsed by the Internal Market Council, November 2000 (13493/00 ECO 338).

19

indicator list will also serve as a basis in the Candidate Countries. Where appropriate, regional
indicators will be developed.

ii. Measurement and analysis

Internet related statistics soon become outdated and, to retain policy relevance, indicator
measurements must be available quickly. Inevitably there is a trade-off between speed and
quality. To improve the quality, measurement of eEurope 2005 indicators should make greater
use of official statistics from the National Statistical Institutes and Eurostat. To allow for
regular and comparable data collection in Member States, a legal base is needed for
information society statistics. The Commission will propose this legal base before end 2002.

Analysis of the factors underlying indicator values is a key element in exploiting the data for
policy development. The first analysis of eEurope 2002 indicators was given in the
Commission benchmarking report37. To enable Member States to undertake their own
analysis the results are regularly updated on the eEurope web site38. The Commission and the
Member States will encourage the development of regional benchmarking, especially with
less developed regions in relation to the development of national and regional information
society strategies.

iii.

Policy development

The value of benchmarking to policy development is evidenced by the Commission’s Spring
Report to the European Council39 and the Benchmarking report which provided impetus for
the eEurope 2005 Action Plan.

Benchmarking can be further exploited by exchanging policy good practices. To facilitate
this, the Commission will analyse the benchmarking results to identify policy good practices,
including regional policies of those Member States, or other countries, with best results in
terms of the indicators.

Proposed actions

By end 2002, based on a proposal of the Commission, the Council adopts a list of indicators
and a methodology for the benchmarking exercise.

By beginning 2003, the Commission will publish an evaluation of the eEurope 2002 action
plan which will build on the first benchmarking report and will provide the analytical basis
for progress assessment under eEurope 2005.

The Commission will carry out benchmarking, will publish an interim report early in 2004,
and regularly update the benchmarking data on the eEurope web site.

37

38

39

eEurope Benchmarking Report, COM(2002) 62 final,
http://europa.eu.int/information_society/eeurope/news_library/documents/index_en.htm
http://europa.eu.int/eeurope
"The Lisbon Strategy – Making change happen", COM(2002) 14 and the supporting staff paper
SEC(2002) 29 of 15.01.2002.

20

3.4. A co-ordination mechanism for e-policies

Over the recent years many policy initiatives have been launched either as a direct response to
the e-economy or to build in an e-dimension into existing policies. Examples at European
funds40),
(e.g. support
level are policies such as regional
development (e.g. dotforce - the G8 initiative), education (e.g. e-learning), employment and
inclusion (e.g. employment guidelines), trade (e.g. e-commerce in WTO) and the eEurope+
action plan. At national level equally, many policy initiatives related to the e-economy have
the various national measures are well
been taken. It
communicated at European level. A better overview and an exchange of information between
the various actors would enhance the efficiency of e-policies.

is not always guaranteed that

for eEurope in structural

For this reason, an eEurope steering group, chaired by the Commission (composed of
Member States and candidate countries representatives, the European Parliament, and, where
necessary, representatives of the private sector and of consumer groups, and funded by the
follow-up to the PROMISE programme), should be established. This steering group would
monitor progress of the eEurope action plan with the aim of improving the implementation of
eEurope 2005. It would also provide a forum to exchange experiences. It would allow to bring
in the private sector and make an early participation of candidate countries possible. The
group would in general meet twice a year and with executive level participants to allow a
strategic discussion.

3.5

Financing

The action plan sets ambitious objectives and proposes actions that will need significant
resources. This will be met by using and, where necessary, re-focussing existing programmes.
To finance projects and actions at European level, the Commission will make full use of the
eTEN and the IDA programmes. Both programmes are currently being re-orientated to
support eEurope objectives. In particular the financial regulation with respect to the eTEN
programme would need to be adapted to make this programme an appropriate tool.

The Commission will, where possible, also use available funds of the eContent programme,
the follow-up programme of PROMISE41, the multiannual programme for enterprise and
the Internal Market and the industrial
entrepreneurship, as well as the standardisation,
competitiveness budget
lines. The forthcoming eLearning Programme will also support
eEurope related activities. The use of funds from these programmes will be in accordance
with their legal base.

IST financed projects have been directly relevant to the eEurope 2002 action plan and the new
IST priority in the Sixth Framework Programme intends to continue to finance research and
demonstration projects covering these fields, thus contributing (mostly in an indirect way) to
the eEurope objectives. .

Proposed actions

40

41

A significant amount of structural funds expenditure, around 6 billion euro, has been earmarked for
literacy,
information society actions over
modernising public services, promoting e-business and upgrading the digital infrastructure.
multi-annual
support programme for
(http://europa.eu.int/ISPO/promotion/i_promise.html)

the period 2000-2006, mainly on improving digital

the information society in Europe

the promotion of

21

By end 2002, Council and Parliament, on the basis of a Commission proposal, should raise
the funding ceiling for the implementation phase of eTEN projects from 10% to 30% without
prejudice to the other TEN programmes.

By end 2002, Council and Parliament should adopt the proposal for an amendment of
IDA programme to reorient it according to the eEurope objectives.

the

By end 2002, the Council, on the basis of a Commission proposal and taking into account the
opinion of the Parliament, should adopt a follow-up programme to PROMISE and the legal
base for the cyber security task force.

By end 2002,
programme.

the Commission intends to adopt a proposal for a specific eLearning

By end 2002, the Commission will examine the need to adjust the second eContent work
programme with a view to eEurope objectives and, if necessary, will make an appropriate
proposal.

By end 2003, the Commission will make a proposal for a follow-up programme to the
eContent programme.

4. Conclusions

This action plan is a proposal to Member States to take some far-reaching commitments. It is
an invitation to the private sector to work with the Commission and Member States to realise
the eEurope objectives. It sets out the initiatives the Commission will or is willing to take.
Overall the action plan sets the scene for a co-ordinated European policy approach on
information society issues. The eEurope action plan has been confirmed as a key element in
the Lisbon strategy. If successful, this plan will have a significant impact on growth and
productivity, employment and social cohesion in Europe.

One lesson learnt from eEurope 2002 is that it would be useful to review actions during the
course of the action plan. This becomes particular important given that several new Member
States will probably have to be accommodated during eEurope 2005. Therefore a mid-term
review, which would coincide with the proposed interim benchmarking report, presented in
advance of the 2004 Spring European Council is suggested.

The European Council in Sevilla is expected to endorse an Action Plan and invite Council and
Parliament to adopt as quickly as possible the necessary legal and budgetary instruments to
implement it.

22