Jacques Santer outlines Commission position for G7 ministerial meeting
In a statement issued on 21 February 1995, the European Commission President, Mr. Jacques Santer, underlined the political points of view that the European Commission will put forward at the G7 ministerial meeting on the information society, which will take place in Brussels on 25-26 February 1995. Mr. Santer said that the development of the information society is an area of policy in which Europe needs to be at the forefront. The technological revolution must: - Pursue cultural diversity; - Avoid the creation of a two-tier society; - Address the future impact on employment; - Avoid a widening gap between developed and developing countries. The development of the information society is vital for future competitiveness and for promoting investments in the EU as well as for stimulating creative and innovative talents. Mr. Santer identified the areas necessary for the completion of the global information society as: - Interconnection and interoperability; - Data privacy and security; - Adequate protection of intellectual property rights; - R&D cooperation; - Encouraging fair competition and open access to networks. These areas are addressed in the agenda of the EU's action plan for the information society. Mr. Santer expects that around ten pilot projects will be agreed by the G7 partners covering the following areas: - A global inventory on the impact of the information society (e.g. jobs, education, health); - Interoperability for broadband networks; - Cross-cultural education and training; - Electronic museums and galleries; - Environment and natural resources applications; - A global emergency management system, or global healthcare, etc. The Commission President commented that the meeting will clearly demonstrate that it is only with a shared vision of the future that the concrete political and private sector steps to make that vision a reality can be achieved.