Multiannual programme on the Information Society adopted
The Internal Market Council, meeting on 30 March 1998, formally adopted the EU's Multiannual programme to stimulate the establishment of the Information Society. This follows the political agreement reached at the Telecommunications Council in December 1997. The new programme runs from 1 January 1998 to 31 December 2002, and will have a budget of ECU 25 million. The objectives of the programme are to: - Increase public awareness and understanding of the potential impact of the Information Society and its new applications throughout Europe; - Optimize the socio-economic benefits of the Information Society in Europe; - Enhance Europe's role and visibility within the global dimension of the Information Society. Ministers at the Council also welcomed the Commission's recent communication on "The year 2000 computer problem". The UK Presidency used the opportunity to announce that it intends to hold a one-day high-level conference on this topic in early May 1998.