Strategic planning and the deployment of the Information Society

A conference on the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in municipal administrations will be held in Brussels, Belgium, on 22 and 23 October 1998. It will be jointly organised by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and the Local Authorities Telematics Network Initiative (ELANET), and will receive support from the European Commission's Information Society Project Office (ISPO).

The conference will address the question of the strategic planning required to introduce and use these new technologies, not only in larger cities, but also in smaller towns and regional areas. A keynote address from the Director-General of the European Commission's DG XIII, Mr. Robert Verrue, will open the conference. Workshops are due to cover the following topics:

- The modernisation of administration systems and resources;
- ICT platforms and service provision to citizens, SMEs and other local actors;
- Education, health and social services;
- Key city services.

Three plenary sessions on the second day of the conference will cover the following:

- The European Information Society and the role of local governments;
- Strategic planning, at local and regional level, for the Information Society;
- European programmes and other sources of financial support for local government.
For further information, please contact:

EISCO Conference Desk
Services Techniques Globaux
Ms. Sara Riso
69-71 Avenue Adolphe Lacomblé
B-1030 Brussels
Tel. +32-2-7381010; Fax +32-2-7329373
E-mail: stg@infoboard.be