Europe must be at the forefront of new technology, says Swedish Prime Minister
It is essential that Europe is at the forefront of new technology, said Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson, speaking at the opening of an IT seminar in Madrid on 6 March. The way to make Europe the most competitive knowledge-based economy in the world is through concerted efforts in education, research, new technology, environmentally sound investments, increased social security and equality, said Prime Minister Persson. '[On 23 and 24 March] the Heads of State and Government in the European Union will meet in Stockholm. It is the first opportunity to follow up on the targets we set in Lisbon. We will put special attention to the importance of information technology for growth and employment. I am convinced that we shall achieve success in our further work,' asserted the Prime Minister. Mr Persson stressed that Europe must fully utilise its information technology potential if it is to reach its goals. He also emphasised the employment benefits that the sector has to offer, pointing to the situation in Sweden, where employment in the IT sector has increased by more than one third during the last three years compared to one tenth in the private sector. Today, 8.3 per cent of all jobs in the EU are related to information technology, said Prime Minister Persson. He added that this figure is expected to increase to 13.4 per cent by 2003. However, he urged further effort on the part of Europe pointing out that the contribution of information technology to economic output is significantly higher in the USA than in Europe.
Kraje
Sweden