SEEMseed to publish www version 2 roadmap
The Internet is about to transform itself from a slightly cumbersome tool, unevenly distributed in Europe, to something slick and efficient that will be a driving force behind economic change. The EU aims to lead this transformation with a Single European Electronic Market (SEEM). Next week, a project designed to bring together this idea will publish its roadmap. The project, SEEMseed, is conceived as 'an electronic market place [that] exists for all of European companies and individuals to participate irrespective of size or locality', according to the project website. This would tie together legal and technical frameworks as well as create an affordable space - the project should be open to all. The roadmap for SEEMseed, will pull together opinions from more than 1,400 professionals and academics, and be published in early July, following the final workshop looking at i2010 initiatives in Brussels on 21 June. The roadmap will be used as an integral part of the Commission's i2010 roll-out of next generation internet throughout Europe. i2010 requires development of three areas: a single European information space; innovation and investment in research; and inclusion, better public services and quality of life. SEEMseed ticks all these boxes. To achieve i2010, work will be uneven, as some countries and industries are more developed than others. But, the goal will be to reduce these differences. Once complete, a SEEM concept will provide a framework to nurture innovation, making collaboration simple. Solutions will multi-lingual and inexpensive, or even free at the point of access. 'This is especially important for small and medium enterprises, which make up the vast majority of companies in Europe,' Project Coordinator María José Núñez from the Spanish Research Institute of Wood Furniture Manufacturers (AIDIMA) told IST Results. But SEEMseed is more than a theoretical framework - the project settled on the waste management sector to test their ideas. 'A company in Spain that needs to dispose of hazardous materials could easily find a waste processor in France who can solve their problem, for example. They could also negotiate the contract and carry out other processes online,' she said. The process threw up an important obstacle. 'Virtually all regulations are geared toward paper transactions. There is little legislation to support e-business models,' said Núñez. Overcoming this will be a challenge, but it is a challenge worth taking to improve business efficiencies and consumer convenience. Tackling the legal frameworks in place with Member States will be a challenge, which the team, representing Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the UK hope the Commission will decide to tackle next.
Countries
Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, United Kingdom