Commission recommends 163 million euro digital content programme
The European Commission has proposed a new 163 million euro programme to support the development of multilingual content for online services in the EU, and tackle the fragmentation that currently characterises the European content market. The hope is that the eContentplus programme (2005 to 2008) will increase demand for broadband Internet access in Europe, resulting in wider social and economic benefits. The three main content areas that the programme will focus on are: geographical data, educational material and cultural content. 'This programme is designed to support projects which can cross borders and overcome current barriers which stop people investing,' said Erkki Liikanen, Commissioner for Enterprise and the Information Society. 'It pays particular attention to content which exploits our languages and cultural context.' The Internet has already proved its ability to transcend technologies and national borders, and it is widely believed that quality online content will help drive the uptake of broadband and mobile communications in Europe. However, there are still a number of barriers facing providers and users of digital content. These include differing legal requirements across Member States, divergent technical, cultural and administrative practices, and multiple languages. With ten new countries joining the EU in May, the need to tackle such barriers becomes even more pressing. As an example, when different Member States collect and store their geographical data in different ways, the development of promising Community wide information services based on such data are hampered. Similarly, the widespread availability of educational material, research results and cultural content depends on the ability of content providers to overcome multiple languages and digital rights systems. The key approach of the eContentplus programme, therefore, is to combine information from different systems, irrespective of format, language or location, and tailor it to the needs of the user. Furthermore, the focus will be on quality content that disperses information and diffuses knowledge, rather than simply more content. The proposal also notes that 'the activities of the programme will support the emergence of pan-European frameworks (services, information infrastructures, etc.), facilitating discovery of and access to digital content in Europe, the creation of new content based services and their organisational underpinnings.' The programme forms a key part of the eEurope 2005 action plan, and the Commission also believes that it will contribute to achieving the Lisbon strategy. eContentplus will be implemented through shared cost projects, best practice actions, and the establishment of thematic networks.