COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS European i2010 initiative on e-Inclusion "To be part of the information society" [SEC(2007) 1469] [SEC(2007) 1470]
Date: 2007-11-08
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Internet, digital literacy, digital technology, economic growth, equal treatment, information society, information technology, social integration, telecommunications

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 8.11.2007 
COM(2007) 694 final 

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

European i2010 initiative on e-Inclusion 

"To be part of the information society" 

[SEC(2007) 1469] 
[SEC(2007) 1470] 

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1. 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY  

Information  and  communication  technologies  (ICTs)  have  become  of  key  importance  for 
many  people  throughout  Europe.  Active  use  of  ICT  often  means  better  prospects  for  work, 
information or social relations for individuals. ICT helps to realise major advances in social 
services, healthcare or education, is a major contributor to productivity growth, and opens up 
many business opportunities. 

e-Inclusion  refers  to  the  actions  to  realise  an  inclusive  information  society,  that  is,  an 
information  society  for  all.  The  aim  is  to  enable  every  person  who  so  wishes  to  fully 
participate in the information society, despite individual or social disadvantages. e-Inclusion 
is necessary for social justice, ensuring equity in the knowledge society. It is also necessary 
on economic grounds, to fully realise the potential of the information society for productivity 
growth and reduce the cost of social and economic exclusion. Finally an inclusive information 
society brings large market opportunities for the ICT sector.  

e-Inclusion  is  a  key  enabler  of  the  goals  of  economic  and  social  progress  of  the  i2010 
initiative an information society for growth and jobs1, and thus of the Lisbon agenda. Indeed, 
bridging broadband and accessibility gaps, or improving digital competences, translates into 
new jobs and services. Initial estimates indicate that benefits from e-Inclusion in the EU could 
be in the order of €35 to €85 billion over five years. 

The  importance  of  e-Inclusion  was  recognised  in  i2010  and  Member  States,  the  European 
Commission,  industry,  and  NGOs  representing  users  have  undertaken  several  actions  to 
advance e-Inclusion. A landmark was the 2006 Ministerial “Riga Declaration” on ICT for an 
inclusive information society2, which set concrete targets for Internet usage and availability, 
digital literacy, and accessibility of ICT by 2010.  

However,  despite  all  these  valuable  initiatives,  progress  is  still  lacking  and  most  of  Riga 
targets  may  not  be  achieved.  Fragmentation  of  efforts  and  lack  of  collaboration  continue  to 
persist.  

Given the importance of ICT, this failure to access or use ICT increasingly constitutes a major 
form  of  social  and  economic  exclusion.  Persistent  digital  divides  affect  cohesion  and 
prosperity.  

Therefore much more must be done to achieve e-Inclusion and realise the Riga targets. 
EU  intervention  is  justified  to  guarantee  equal  rights  in  the  information  society,  internal 
market coherence and e-Inclusion co-ordination actions.  

Firstly,  the  visibility  of  e-Inclusion  should  be  increased  and  the  level  of  political  and 
stakeholder  commitment  should  be  raised.  Secondly,  enabling  conditions  (affordable  and 
accessible technologies and the competences to use ICT) must be put in place, where needed 
with  legislative  support.  In  addition,  stakeholders'  efforts  to  deliver  effective  and  inclusive 
ICT-enabled services must focus on concrete priorities with increased coherence.  

1 
2 

COM(2005)229. 
Riga Ministerial conference "ICT for an Inclusive Society"(11-13.6.2006). 

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Consequently, 
comprising:  

this  Communication  proposes  a  European  Initiative  on  e-Inclusion3 

A) an e-Inclusion campaign "e-Inclusion, be part of it!" to raise awareness and connecting 
efforts during 2008, to be concluded by a Ministerial Conference, to demonstrate concrete 
progress and reinforce commitments, and  

B) a strategic framework for action to implement the Riga Ministerial Declaration by: 

1. Enabling the conditions for everyone to take part in the information society by bridging the 
broadband, accessibility and tackling competences gaps.  

2. Accelerating effective participation of groups at risk of exclusion and improving quality of 
life.  

3. Integrating e-Inclusion actions to maximise lasting impact.  

2. 

SETTING THE SCENE: STATE OF PLAY AND CHALLENGES AHEAD  

The  2006  Riga  Ministerial  Declaration  set  targets  to  be  achieved  by  2010.  If  current  trends 
continue, it will be very difficult to achieve most of these targets at overall EU level, although 
there  are  wide  divergences  across  Europe  and  some  regions  are  performing  well.  Social 
differences in ICT use persist and in some cases are even widening.  

Progress on the targets of the Riga Ministerial Declaration  

(cid:190)  Internet usage: reduce by half the gaps between average EU population and older people, 
people  with  disabilities,  women,  lower  education  groups,  unemployed  and  “less-
developed” regions. 

Significant gaps remained at the end of 2006 between the EU-27 average population (45% are 
regular  internet  users)  and  some  groups,  notably  people  older  than  65  (10%  internet  users), 
economically  inactive  (17%  internet  users),  with  low  education  (25%  internet  users). 
Projections show that these disparities will not be halved by 2010. 

(cid:190)  Broadband coverage: reach more than 90% of the EU population  

This target was already reached by the end of 2006 (89 % of the EU population covered), but 
differences  remain  between  countries  and  regions,  e.g.  only  70%  of  the  rural  population  is 
covered. 

(cid:190)  Digital  literacy:  reduce  by  half  gaps  between  the  EU  average  population  and  certain 

groups at risk of exclusion 

Significant  gaps  remained  at  the  end  of  2006  between  the  EU-27  average  population  (59% 
have  minimum  digital  literacy  level)  and  some  groups,  notably  people  older  than  65  (only 
17%  digitally  literate),  economically  inactive  (27%  digitally  literate),  with  low  education 
(35%).  

3 

Based on feedback from the i2010 high-level group and the i2010 e-Inclusion subgroup, consultations 
with stakeholders, online public consultation, studies and impact assessment. 

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(cid:190)  Accessibility  of  public  websites:  all  public  sites  to  comply  with  the  Web  Content 

Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, which is especially important for disabled people.  

Still  far  from  target  at  the  end  of  2006  (a  minority  of  surveyed  public  websites  were  fully 
compliant with these Guidelines).  

All  the  main  categories  of  actors  –  individual  users,  ICT  industry,  service  providers,  public 
authorities - remain confronted with a series of barriers that hamper progress.  

2.1. 

Users and non-users: many do not take an active part in the information society  

ICT use, especially of mobile telephony and internet services, has rapidly spread across many 
segments of the population. Over recent years, digital gaps have been reduced in relation to 
gender, age, or the unemployed versus the working force. But there are structural divides that 
do not disappear and major challenges remain ahead. In particular:  

•  ICT has enabled significant progress for many. However, there is still insufficient supply 

of accessible ICT, due to market or other barriers. 

•  Differences in digital competences persist. As ICT uses and ICT-enabled services expand 
some  people  lag  further  behind,  notably  those  outside  the  labour  force  or  with  low 
education levels. Lack of available content in languages understandable to potential users 
remains also a barrier.  

•  There  are  also  disparities  between  schools  in  terms  of  broadband  connections,  computer 

availability and ICT skills of teachers and between SMEs in reaping ICT benefits.  

•  Even  though  internet  penetration  continues  to  increase,  about  50%  of  the  European 
population does not use the internet regularly. The non-users are predominantly among the 
low-educated, economically inactive or elderly people.  

•  Users can also step up efforts: their voice is still fragmented and relatively weak in Europe 

compared to e.g. the USA. 

e-Inclusion goal: bridging the digital availability, accessibility, affordability and ability gaps  

2.2. 

ICT industry and service providers: inclusive ICT solutions remain insufficient 
and fragmented  

A  number  of  industry  players  are  making  significant  efforts  to  improve  e-Inclusion,  e.g. 
e-Accessibility or training.4 However, there is still insufficient supply of ICT solutions which 
are affordable and adapted to particular individual needs. Specific problems, where industry 
and providers should play a stronger role, are:  

•  Broadband  connections  are  still  not  available  in  some  parts  of  Europe,  gaps  remain 
between  urban  and  rural  areas,  and  there  are  significant  differences  in  the  price  of 
broadband services.  

4 

E.g. see EICTA paper “Moving Towards a Fully Inclusive Digital Europe” 

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•  Lack  of  e-Accessibility  persists  in  many  countries,  e.g.  regarding  websites,  digital 
television, phone access to emergency services, or public information terminals, and new 
barriers  appear.  This  is  often  due  to  structural  market  failures  and  lack  of  common 
approaches  in  the  internal  market  which  pose  serious  barriers  for  industry.  Mass-market 
technologies and services often  continue to ignore inclusive design/ design for all. An e-
Accessibility business  of  many  billions is left untapped (disabled people are estimated at 
15% of EU population).  

•  Overall,  the  e-Accessibility  situation  is  better  in  countries  with  strong  regulation,  which 
does  not  constitute  a  barrier  to  a  fully  competitive  ICT  market.  On  the  contrary,  legal 
requirements on e-Accessibility have set a level playing field for companies and led to new 
business opportunities.  

e-Inclusion goal: stimulate and enable inclusive ICT as a viable and thriving business  

2.3. 

Public authorities: policy action is not sufficiently co-ordinated and effective  

Many public authorities at all levels carry out initiatives that favour e-Inclusion. These range 
from acknowledging legal rights for ICT access and accessibility, to financial support for e-
Inclusion  actions.  The  EU  has  also  been  very  active  through  its  policy  agendas  on  the 
information  society,  data  protection,  social  inclusion  and  employment,  public  procurement, 
research, education, culture, and standardisation. e-Inclusion is one of the cornerstones of the 
i2010  initiative,  which  was  followed  up  by  concrete  policy  actions5.  The  2006  Riga 
Ministerial Declaration prepared the ground for a comprehensive policy, identifying priorities 
and committing to specific targets. However, much remains to be done:  

•  Awareness, evidence of the impact and understanding of the link of ICT usage with social 

and economic participation all remain insufficient.6  

•  e-Inclusion  considerations  are  still  not  common  place  in  social,  economic  and 
technological  policy  agendas,  and  strategic  approaches  for  stakeholders’  cooperation 
around common goals are often missing or insufficient.  

•  Activities are often fragmented, without sufficient co-ordination of public actions with the 
efforts  of  civil  society  and  business.  This  partly  is  due  to  the  multi-faceted  nature  of 
e-Inclusion, where several ministries can be involved. 

•  There  is  a  lack  of  effective  legislative  frameworks  to  firmly  safeguard  rights  of  users  at 
risk  of  exclusion  in  the  internal  market.  This  is  particularly  visible  for  e-Accessibility: 
legislation  is  fragmented  across  Europe  and  of  a  limited  impact.  Relevant  EU  provisions 
are  implemented  inconsistently  or  not  at  all,  mainly  due  to  their  non-binding  nature,  and 
national  approaches  can  diverge  significantly.7  This  hinders  common  e-Accessibility 
features to the detriment of many users and of the ICT industry, which is confronted with 
fragmented markets and diversity of requirements.  

e-Inclusion goal: coherent and efficient e-Inclusion policies and legislation  

5 
6 
7 

Government COM(2006)173, ICT and ageing COM(2007)332, and e-skills COM(2007) 496. 
However, the Disability Action Plan (COM/2003/650) has since its launch addressed ICT. 
See  reports  from  the  INCOM-COCOM  group  on  e-Accessibility  EU  legal  provisions,  and  study 
"Measuring e-Accessibility in Europe". 

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3. 

ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES: THE EUROPEAN INITIATIVE ON E-INCLUSION  

Acting  on  the  problems  identified  in  the  previous  section  will  lead  to  tangible  progress 
towards  the  i2010  and  Riga  targets  on  e-Inclusion.  The  European  Initiative  on  e-Inclusion 
therefore firstly aims to increase the sense of urgency and raise the visibility of the important 
contribution  that  e-Inclusion  can  make  to  quality  of  life,  economic  growth  and  jobs  and  to 
reinforce the main commitments made in Riga. The Initiative does not impose administrative 
or financial burden at EU level.  

"e-Inclusion, be part of it": raising awareness and connecting efforts  

-  The Commission will run a dedicated campaign throughout 2008 (“e-Inclusion, be part of 
it”)  building  on  a  call  for  contributions,  and  giving  visibility  to  e-Inclusion  initiatives, 
events and results from all across Europe.  

-  The Commission will organise a High-Level Ministerial Conference on e-Inclusion at the 
end of 2008 to bring together and publicize a wide range of achievements in e-Inclusion, 
profile them with a European e-Inclusion award, reflect on the state of play and set new 
directions for the future.  

Secondly,  the  European  Initiative  on  e-Inclusion  provides  a  framework  for  action,  which 
builds on existing activities seeking synergies between them, fills gaps and ultimately aims at 
better e-Inclusion impact through a coherent set of actions in three areas:  

•  Enabling the conditions for everyone to take part in the information society  

•  Accelerating effective participation of groups at risk of exclusion and improving quality of 

life  

•  Integrating e-Inclusion actions to maximise lasting impact.  

3.1. 

Enabling the conditions for everyone to take part in the information society  

Pre-conditions  for  participating  in  the  information  society  are  the  availability  of  affordable 
and  accessible  ICT,  and  the  ability  of  individuals  to  use  them.  Still  today,  there  are  many 
people who do not have the possibility to fully benefit from ICT possibilities, because those 
pre-conditions  are  not  met.  Some  have  no  physical  access  to  ICT  products  and  services, 
notably  broadband,  for  others  the  use  of  ICT  is  not  affordable.  Moreover,  to  fully  reap  the 
benefits  of  the  information  society,  it  is  essential  to  ensure  that  broadband  with  sufficient 
speed is provided. In a few years time a minimum speed  of 20 Mbit/sec will be needed  for 
services  such  as  telemedicine  that  are  of  great  importance  for  many  people  at  risk  of 
exclusion, in particular for the growing population of elderly persons. It is also important to 
raise awareness of the risks involved in processing personal data through ICT networks and 
educate users in this field, e.g. risks of identity theft, discriminatory profiling or continuous 
surveillance.8  

For many people with disabilities, e-Accessibility barriers remain a major obstacle. The 2005 
e-Accessibility Communication9 announced that further measures could be proposed in 2007, 

8 
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These are addressed in the Communication on Privacy Enhancing Technologies (COM (2007) 228). 
COM(2005)425. 

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including new legislation, if appropriate. Pan-European surveys and the public consultation to 
prepare  this  Communication  indicate  that  progress  remains  unsatisfactory.  Though  several 
countries  have  adopted  measures,  including  legislation,  their  impact  is  sometimes  limited 
because  they  are  poorly  implemented.  It  is  therefore  important  to  set  clear  EU  rules  and 
mechanisms, as recently called for by the European Economic and Social Committee10. And 
this  must  be  done  now,  before  divergent  national intervention continues to further fragment 
the market, and before new mass-market technologies such as digital TV are massively rolled 
out. Legal action and non-regulatory support (pilots, research, promotion) should go together. 
International cooperation in e-Accessibility should continue to be pursued as well. 

Finally, the fact that many people at risk of exclusion still do not have the necessary digital 
competences needs to be addressed. 

Bridging the broadband gap  

-  The Commission will stimulate regional initiatives on an inclusive information society 
through  thematic  networks  in  the  framework  of  the  European  Commission  initiative 
on  "Regions  for  Economic  Change".11  The  Cohesion  Policy  Fund  will  continue 
targeting  investment  in  knowledge  in  areas  where  commercial  deployment  of  ICT 
infrastructure and services is inadequate. 

-  EU  regional  and  local  authorities  must  drive  the  effort  to  bridge  the  broadband  gap, 
including by using EU structural and rural development funds, to promote an inclusive 
information  society,  especially  in  remote  and  rural  areas.  They  must  support 
infrastructure  as  well  as  e-services  and  applications  for  citizens  (e-health,  e-
government, e-learning and e-inclusion).  

-  The Commission will support in the framework of the ICT-Policy Support Programme 
(ICT-PSP) a web platform on regional initiatives for the information society, and will 
conduct a survey on EU funding for regional information society projects.  

Bridging the e-Accessibility gap 

- 

- 

ICT industry should rapidly commit to putting in place, in the 2008-2010 timeframe, 
privacy-friendly solutions for persons with sensory, physical, motor and/ or cognitive 
restrictions  to  make  use  of  digital  TV  (accessible  DTV)  and  of  electronic 
communications  ('total  conversation')  notably  to  safeguard  access  to  emergency 
services  and 
the 
line  with 
e-Communications Directives), building on their current cooperation with users. 

interoperability 

the  proposed 

revision  of 

(in 

Industry  and  users  should  continue 
the  European 
Standardisation  Organisations  to  pursue  standardisation  efforts,  notably  for  public 
procurement of accessible ICT products and services. They are also expected continue 
the  current  cooperation  in  order  to  put  in  place  a  European  training  programme  on 
Inclusive ICT Design no later than the end of 2008. 

their  co-operation  with 

10 
11 

EESC opinion on Future eAccessibility legislation (TEN/295. 30 May 2007). 
COM(2006) 675 final.  

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-  Member  States  are  called  upon  to  strengthen  their  follow-up  of  e-Accessibility 
requirements  in  current  EU  legislation  and  to  agree  by  mid  2008  on  a  roadmap  for 
accessibility of public websites. 

-  The Commission will co-finance in the 2007 ICT-PSP a pilot on accessible digital TV, 
intends  to  fund  in  the  2008  ICT-PSP  a  pilot  on  'total  conversation'  and  common 
approaches 
through  a  European  benchmarking 
methodology,  and  will  continue  to  pursue  e-Accessibility  and  assistive  technology 
research in the EU R&D Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).  

to  web  accessibility,  notably 

-  The Commission will work towards a horizontal legislative approach for an accessible 
information  society,  to  guarantee  equal  rights  and  an  effective  internal  market.  A 
public  consultation  and  an  impact  assessment  in  the  first  half  of  2008  will  provide 
input for a possible proposal from the Commission on e-Accessibility legislation in the 
second half of 2008. In parallel, the Commission will seek to reinforce its proposals to 
the  European  Parliament  and  to  the  Council  on  the  e-Accessibility  dimension  in  the 
revised EC Directives on electronic communications.  

Tackling the digital competences gap  

-  Authorities  at  all  levels,  together  with  industry  and  social  organisations,  have  a  major 
responsibility to improve digital competences, in line with the commitments of Riga and 
the  Recommendation  on  key  competences  of  lifelong  learning12.  Education  and  training 
systems are key to build digital competence. Authorities, in cooperation with industry, are 
called upon to step up in 2008 their efforts to  promote e-skills and basic digital literacy 
training, notably for those that are most at risk of exclusion.  

-  The Commission, in line with the Riga Declaration, is carrying out an EU-wide review on 
digital competences with advice from a Digital Literacy Expert Group, and will provide 
guidance on digital competences policy for vulnerable groups by the end of 2008.  

3.2. 

Accelerating  effective  participation  of  target  groups  at  risk  of  exclusion  and 
improving quality of life  

Ensuring  that  the  enabling  conditions  are  in  place  is  necessary  but  not  sufficient.  It  is  also 
necessary to stimulate effective use of ICT-enabled services and provide competence building 
opportunities via education and training services. e-Inclusion actions must focus on people at 
risk  of  exclusion,  and  on  those  who  tend  not  to  use  ICT  and  are  losing  out  on  potential 
benefits to their quality of life. The Riga Declaration identified several target groups including 
elderly people, people with disabilities and cultural minorities. Learning resources for special 
needs education on the internet are relevant in this context. 

12 

Recommendation by Council and Parliament 2006/962/EC. 

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Including the socially disadvantaged through modern public e-services  

-  Public authorities are called upon to significantly reinforce their inclusive e-Government 
and  e-Participation  activities  in  line  with  the  Lisbon  Ministerial  e-Government 
Declaration  of  September  2007.  This  is  the  most  direct  way  to  promote  inclusion, 
especially for social services directly in contact with people at risk of exclusion.  

-  The Commission will support, through the ICT-PSP and the e-participation programmes, 

exchange and analysis of good practice, and piloting of innovative solutions.  

Addressing ageing, health conditions and disability in the information society  

- 

Industry, user organizations, Member States, and the Commission must implement the EU 
Action  Plan  on  “Ageing  well  in  the  information  society”13  and  thus  bring  a  major 
contribution to the e-Inclusion Summit at the end of 2008.  

-  The Commission will provide sustained support for research and for deployment on ICT-
enabled innovative solutions relating to ageing, disability and health. It will also prepare 
an agenda on ICT for active ageing and the workplace.  

-  The  Commission  will  issue  early  2008  a  Recommendation  on  e-Health  interoperability 
(addressing core e-Health infrastructure data of patient summary and emergency data set) 
and launch in 2008 a new European initiative on telemedicine to be supported by the ICT-
PSP programme. 

Exploring  ICT-enabled  opportunities  for  marginalised  young  people  and  migrants  at 
risk of exclusion. 

- 

Industry and authorities in European countries have the main responsibility to explore the 
potential  of  new  technologies  to  enable  innovative  services  and  empower  people  in 
particular  young  people  at  risk  of  exclusion,  migrants  and  cultural  minorities,  notably 
through multilingual and adapted content. 

-  The Commission will support new areas of e-Inclusion through exchange of practices and 
targeted projects in the EU research and deployment programmes (FP7 and ICT-PSP).  

3.3. 

Integrating e-Inclusion actions to maximise lasting impact  

In  order  to  have  a  full  and  lasting  impact  it  is  necessary  to  align  policy  agendas  at  EU  and 
national level, mainstream e-Inclusion across relevant policies and better co-ordinate actions. 
Voluntary  industry  agreements  relevant  to  e-Inclusion  should  receive  full  support  from 
European  and  national  authorities.  User  organisations  must  reinforce  reinforce  their  e-
Inclusion.  

13 

COM(2007) 332. 

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Enhancing and sustaining impact through mainstreaming and co-ordination  

- 

Industry,  social  organisations  and  public  authorities  must  better  co-ordinate  their  efforts 
on  e-Inclusion,  and  are  called  upon  to  join  forces  in  an  open  e-Inclusion  partnership 
building  on  the  existing  cooperation.  The  Commission  will  continue  to  support 
organisations  of  users  in  stepping  up  their  e-Inclusion  efforts  in  co-ordination  with  the 
i2010 high-level group.  

-  Policy-makers  at  all  levels  are  called  upon  to  address  the  potential  of  ICT  in  social  and 
economic  policies,  and  conversely,  to  take  into  account  social  inclusion  aspects,  non 
discrimination  principles  and  accessibility,  in  policy  initiatives  relating  to  ICT  and  in 
related impact assessments.  

-  The Commission in response to the European Parliament's call for initiatives on the digital 
rights  of  users14  will clarify  existing  rights  and  obligations  of  consumers  in  the  digital 
environment.  

-  The  Commission  will  further  contribute  by  promoting  social  inclusion  in  2008  on  the 
occasion of the review of i2010, of the communication on universal service of electronic 
communications  and  of  the  EU  international  strategy  on  the  information  society.  It  will 
also  continue  addressing  ICT  accessibility  aspects,  in  the  third  phase  of  the  Disability 
Action plan, for adoption by end 2007, and will follow-up on the UN Convention on the 
rights  of  persons  with  disabilities.  The  Commission  is  also  conducting  an  impact 
assessment  on  possible  measures  to  complement  current  EU  anti-discrimination 
legislative framework based on Article 13 of the EU Treaty. 

-  Finally,  the  Commission  will  show  the  way  by  making  the  Europa  web  site  more  user-

friendly, improving multi-lingualism and accessibility. 

Improving understanding and comparing progress of e-Inclusion 

-  The Commission will improve monitoring and analysis of e-Inclusion, tracking progress 
towards the Riga targets on a yearly basis through a set of indicators (“Riga Dashboard”).  

-  The Commission will pursue surveys and studies amongst others on barriers for assistive 
technology,  adaptive  learning  resources,  e-Inclusion  and  social  capital,  social  and 
economic impact of ICT, and perceptions of the information society.  

4. 

CONCLUSIONS  

The role of the information society for economic and social participation should be firmly put 
on  Europe’s  economic  and  social  agenda.  Reinforcing  the  Lisbon  agenda,  solidly  based  on 
i2010,  and  building  on  the  Riga  e-Inclusion  Ministerial  Declaration,  this  Communication 
presents  a  comprehensive  e-Inclusion  strategy,  to  take  away  the  barriers  in  the  information 
society  itself,  to  maximise  the  contribution  of  ICT  to  economic  and  social  inclusion  and  to 
stimulate business opportunities in this context. 

14 

Non-legislative Resolution on Consumer confidence in the digital environment (INI/2006/2048). 

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The  Commission  now  calls  upon  the  European  Parliament,  Member  States,  regions  and 
stakeholders to put words into action and make e-Inclusion a reality, with the support of the 
policy actions outlined in this Communication. These joint efforts will contribute to business 
opportunities  and  to  achieve  an  accessible  and  inclusive  information  society  in  which  each 
and every one of us can participate on equal terms. 

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