ECHO to close in October 1998
The ECHO server which has successfully demonstrated the value of electronic information services is to be retired on 1 October 1998, after 18 years of service. The European Commission Host Organisation (ECHO) was launched in 1980 to encourage the development, and raise awareness, of electronic information services in Europe. With the rapid development of technology in recent years, in particular the World Wide Web, and the huge growth in electronic information services available, the Commission believes ECHO has achieved its aims and will now concentrate its efforts on the services offered through the I*M Europe Web server. The ECHO server provided a chance for users to establish their services on a non-commercial basis, with access possible from across Europe, and services often provided in several EU languages. It has been part of several EU programmes over the years, most recently being part of the INFO2000 programme which supports the development and use of multimedia content in Europe. CORDIS, the Community R&D Information Service, was hosted by ECHO for many years, until in 1996 it moved to its own dedicated host, known as Apollo. The Commission has announced alternative arrangements for accessing the remaining services on ECHO from 1 October 1998: - TED, Tenders Electronic Daily, provides electronic access to invitations to tender contained in the Official Journal 'S' series. TED is now available on the World Web (http://www.echo.lu/ted/) in all EU languages, however, given the importance of this service, it will continue to be made available on the old ECHO host until at least the first quarter of 1999, under the responsibility of the Office for Official Publication of the EU (Eur-OP); - I*M Guide and I*M Forum provide directories of electronic information services and experts and organisations respectively. These two services are maintained by the INFO2000 programme and will be accessible via the I*M Europe WWW homepage at least until the end of the INFO2000 programme in December 1999; - EURODICAUTOM, the Commission Translation Service's electronic terminology database, will continue to be made available to the public under the Multilingual Information Society (MLIS) programme through the I*M Europe WWW server; - All other services on ECHO will be discontinued as of 1 October 1998.