Conference on the future of telematic services for SMEs in Europe
Organized in the context of various Community initiatives aimed at SMEs and the development of the information society in Europe and the G7 meeting on the information society, the conference will be opened by the Commissioner responsible for SMEs, Mr. Papoutsis, and addressed by several officials from the European Commission. The following themes will be covered:
- From the White Paper to the guidelines of the G7 Summit on the information society: how will SMEs participate in the creation of the information society?
Topics include: the implementation of the Bangemann Report on Europe's way to the information society, the Commission's integrated programme for SMEs, and the G7 pilot projects;
- SME access to new technologies: what should the role of the European Commission be?
Topics include: the evolution of European regulation in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (infrastructure liberalization, harmonization, interconnection, protection of data, etc.) and European initiatives under the Fourth Framework Programme;
- Concrete action on information, advice and training proposed by the European Commission in order to encourage the participation of SMEs in telematic programmes, including the Information Society Project Office (ISPO), DG XXIII networks (such as the Euro Info Centres, BC-NET, etc.), and the IDA programme;
- SME expectations, fears and reactions to the information society:
Topics include: the role of national, regional and local public networks, the potential of ISDN, the role of Value Added Networks, the role of networks such as the Internet, etc.
The conference is aimed at SMEs, local and regional authorities, existing networks already established by the Commission, companies involved in the creation of information highways and the promotion of new services, and all concerned with the development of SMEs.
For further information and details on how to register, please contact:
Club de Bruxelles
10 rue du College St Michel
B-1150 Brussels
Tel. +32-2-7719890; Fax +32-2-7706671