Information Society developments in the EU: Identifying best practice for the future

A major European conference presenting the results to date of the Commission's "European Survey of Information Society Projects and Actions" (ESIS) will be held in Brussels, Belgium, on 18-19 March 1998. The conference, organized by the Commission's Information Society Project Office (ISPO), will provide a first opportunity to review the present state of the Information Society in Europe and map out prospective developments for the future.

Projects and initiatives associated with the Information Society have been flourishing in Europe over recent years. Driven by the digital revolution and global competition, the private sector has started exploring and investing in new market opportunities. Public authorities also have become more involved at all levels - European, national, regional and local - as both catalysts of change and clients of the new Information Society services.

The rapid changes being brought about by the development of the Information Society and the continuous evolutions in this sector - the regulatory environment, the key players involved, the technologies and the networks - have made the need for an inventory of Information Society initiatives and developments an imperative. Launched by the European Commission in February 1997, for an initial period of two years, ESIS is probably the first ever inventory of projects and initiatives related to the Information Society in Europe.

ESIS combines four categories of information:

- A quarterly analysis of regulatory and other key developments;
- Continuous monitoring of actions and initiatives for the promotion of the Information Society;
- An inventory of Information Society projects;
- A repertory of key actors and alternative networks.

The initiative offers a valuable information resource, a tool for communication and the development of partnerships, and a means of identifying best practice in Information Society initiatives. This first ESIS conference, entitled "Information Society Developments in the EU: Best initiatives and practices for the future", will offer an ideal occasion to analyse the results of ESIS to date, assess the current state of development of the Information Society in Europe and develop guidelines for the future.

The conference programme will include a lunchtime address, on 18 March 1998, by Mr. Martin Bangemann, Commissioner responsible for industrial affairs, information technologies and telecommunications, on "The Information Society: Inventing the future". A series of parallel sessions on the second day of the conference will review Information Society initiatives in specific sectors. These will be aimed at identifying best practice criteria and the most appropriate instruments for dissemination for projects in the following main areas:

- Education;
- Electronic democracy;
- Social integration;
- Small and medium-sized enterprises;
- Arts and culture;
- Sustainable development;
- Consumer protection and empowerment of the user;
- Employability, work organization and life-long learning.
For further information, please contact:

European Commission
Information Society Project Office (ISPO)
Helpdesk
200 rue de la Loi
B-1049 Brussels
Tel. +32-2-2969206; Fax +32-2-2994170
E-mail: ispo@ispo.cec.be

General information, including the conference registration form, may be found on the World Wide Web, at:

http://www.ispo.cec.be/esis/(opens in new window)