Report on the 1998 Euro-Med Net Conference
The recommendations and conclusions from Euro-Med Net'98, a conference on the Euro-Mediterranean Information Society, held in Nicosia, Cyprus, from 4 to 7 March 1998, have now been published. The conference brought together over 350 people from the EU and the Mediterranean region to exchange ideas and to discuss the creation of an information strategy which could bring these two regions closer together. The conference was attended by IT specialists, scientists, industry leaders, entrepreneurs and public officials from Euro-Mediterranean countries' Ministries. The conference highlighted the large number of initiatives that have been undertaken in the Mediterranean countries and presented examples of innovation and best practice across the region. The conference recognized the need to integrate Mediterranean country partners rapidly in the move towards the Global Information Society. The overall conclusion from participants was that the meeting has proved that the scientific, business and institutional environment of the Mediterranean region was ready for cooperative pilot projects and the implementation of regional initiatives. Proposals made during the conference include: - Establishment of an Information Society (IS) High Level Committee to develop a Euro-Mediterranean Information Society strategy; - Establishment of an information and communications technologies business roundtable to ensure proper communication between the industry and the public sector; - Development of national Information Society strategies for the Mediterranean, including a network of national project offices; - Enlarge the scope of the European Survey of the Information Society (ESIS) to include the Mediterranean countries; - Interconnect Euro-Mediterranean Research Institutes via the Internet. A number of pilot projects were discussed in workshops during the conference. These are all aimed at developing interconnection between the different countries in the region, and focus on different sectors, such as academia, culture and tourism, electronic commerce, health, education, telework and teletrade. The conference recognized that these projects share common characteristics: they are driven by the economic imperative to act, emphasize training and awareness, and respect cultural diversity while building on common strengths. Further workshops will be organized in the coming months to progress work in the field, in particular on the pilot projects and interconnection issues. A major event will be held in Istanbul on 15 and 16 June 1998, where the work of the Cyprus conference will be continued and developed. Information on this conference can be obtained from ISPO at the European Commission.