eEurope 2002 'a major success' according to Commission's final report
The eEurope 2002 Action Plan, designed to bring the EU online as rapidly as possible, was a major success, according to the eEurope 2002 final report adopted by the Commission on 12 February. During the period covered by the 2002 Action Plan, the number of European citizens online has more than doubled, and nearly all schools and businesses are now connected to the Internet. Erkki Liikanen, Commissioner for Enterprise and the Information Society, said: 'Greater connectivity and investment in information and communications technologies [ICT] are the main building blocks for improved productivity in Europe [...]. The targets set by eEurope have been essential to help Europe on the way to meet the Lisbon target of becoming more competitive by 2010.' The eEurope 2002 Action Plan was launched at the European Council in Feira, Portugal, in 2000. It set out 64 targets to be achieved by the end of 2002, most of which have been achieved. The key success of the initiative has been the rapid growth of Internet connectivity. When eEurope was launched, few Europeans had access to the web. In 2002, more than half of Europeans were regular users, and more than 90 per cent of schools and businesses were online. One of the main challenges in bringing more citizens online was the regional disparity of information infrastructure. To tackle this, the Commission prioritised information society projects within the Structural Funds programme. As a result, around 10 billion euro of programme funds has been deployed to support infrastructure development, e-government, e-commerce and ICT skills development. The introduction of more competition through the action plan has led to a corresponding fall in prices according to the available statistics. Consequently, the cost of 20 hours off peak Internet usage per month in most Member States is now between 10 and 20 euro. Europe also now boasts the fastest research network backbone in the world. The GEANT network covers 32 countries, has direct connectivity to North America and Asia Pacific, and operates at a speed of 10 Gigabits per second. In terms of legislation, the eEurope 2002 Action Plan highlighted the need for a new regulatory framework as the main tool for delivering competition and low prices, thus speeding Internet take up. The Commission proposed a suitable package in July 2000, and the legislation is expected to be transposed by Member States later this year, and by the accession countries as they join the EU. The last main target for the eEurope Action Plan was that of getting basic public services online, and 20 such services were identified. Their progress in each Member State was surveyed and in October 2002, it was found that all Member States at least partly offered all 20 services online. The launch of eEurope 2002 has also seen a marked rise in the availability of online health services. Some 78 per cent of EU general practitioners are now connected to the Internet, and all Member States have adopted detailed plans to implement information technology in the provision of healthcare. As the report itself concludes: 'This evaluation has shown that eEurope 2002 achieved its main objectives and that these represent important steps towards the knowledge-based economy which is at the centre of the Lisbon strategy.' The key targets under the next Action Plan, eEurope 2005, are to continue bringing interactive public services online, to address the gaps that exist in Internet use among different groups and regions, to encourage and support the move to high-speed broadband connectivity, and to promote the use of information technologies and e-business by Europe's small and medium-sized enterprises. Also on 12 February, the European Parliament adopted the Commission's eEurope 2005 Action Plan by a majority of 442 votes