Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-02-05-Speech-2-203"
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"en.20020205.10.2-203"2
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". – I should first of all like to thank Mr Harbour for keeping
Europe high on the European agenda.
When we look back at the year 2000 we can see that the
Europe action plan really rewrote the European political agenda. The idea was to set clear targets for the EU and Member States, clear deadlines and follow it up. Has this idea worked? I think it has. To give you a few examples: the telecoms package and unbundling the local loop. We would never have been able to imagine these rapid procedures without high priority being given to information society.
Internet penetration has increased. It was 18% in March 2000 and 38% in December 2001 – more than double. Nearly 90% of schools are now connected to the Internet. Today 90% of European enterprises have Internet access. We now have the fastest research network in the world. The start of progress in getting government on-line is well under way. A comprehensive overview is now available. It was accepted today in the Commission. I am happy to pass it on to Members of Parliament.
What are the new challenges? First of all, Internet penetration has risen sharply but is still very unevenly distributed across Europe. Schools are massively connected but still the number of pupils per on-line PC varies enormously. We must have more PCs at school per student.
Even though businesses are more and more connected the reorganisation of business procedures is only starting. Business consumer
commerce is still rather small.
Governments have started enthusiastically to go on-line. Normally there is a question about presenting activities on their website. Real interactivity is still rare. All the interactivities give better services to citizens and increase the productivity of the public sector.
The Commission has not come to the end of its actions because technology moves quickly. Broadband Internet is now a real option. Broadband is the essential physical infrastructure of the knowledge society. Without broadband we will not deliver fully Lisbon.
Other nations have already made their choices for broadband. The Commission's report to the Barcelona Summit said: "Broadband Internet access will be a key factor for improving the performance of the economy. Broadband networks will form the backbone of an increasingly interconnected and integrated society.
Europe should be continued beyond 2002 and shift its focus more towards effective usage and availability of the Internet."
The Commission is particularly happy that the Spanish Presidency shares this analysis and has put the launch of
Europe 2005 action plan on its agenda. The first discussion on a possible new action plan will take place at the informal telecoms council in Vitoria in Spain on 22 and 23 February 2002. The Commission is ready to go into pro-dialogue also with the relevant committees in the European Parliament."@en1
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