eEurope can boost candidate countries' integration into the EU, says Bulgarian politician
New information and communication technologies (ICT) could help candidate countries to 'catch up' with current EU Member States in economic and technological terms, according to Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Nicolai Vassilev. Speaking at the European Business Summit in Brussels on 7 June, Mr Vassilev said 'now we have a chance to catch up on the electronic side.' He explained that while it may be difficult to keep track of the speed of technological developments, candidate countries must 'develop quickly and look forward, otherwise we will lag behind.' Mr Vassilev added that human capital is becoming increasingly important as society moves towards a knowledge-based economy, and candidate states' strong record in education will put them in a good position to take advantage of the IT (information technology) revolution. 'We must invest in education and a good strategy for the whole new generation,' he said. Today, people have unprecedented opportunities to travel and study abroad and learn about new technologies, said Mr Vassilev. 'If [people] are exposed to new technologies, they can keep pace,' he said. Jan Meuhlfeit, regional director of Microsoft EMEA, agreed. He said that, although technical skills are already at a high level in candidate countries, more needs to be invested in building management and entrepreneurial skills in enlargement countries. Sharing experience and best practice with the European Union will be crucial to their progress, he added. 'It is very important to share as soon as possible best practices from the European Union,' he said. Enterprise and Information Society Commissioner Erkki Liikanen said there is a 'huge enthusiasm' for IT among candidate countries. The importance of the Internet, he said, is that it speeds up learning and development. 'If you missed something in IT services you can actually catch up,' he explained. He called on European Union governments and businesses to learn more about the candidate countries and what they can offer. 'The [candidate] countries must be looked at as future members of the Union,' he said. 'For governments, they must be looked at as future partners for business.' Mr Meuhlfeit added that while tangible investment would help candidate country entrepreneurs to take advantage of the latest information and communication technologies, very little new physical infrastructure is needed. 'You need your computer and you need your brain,' he said. 'There are very low costs to enter this business.'