ictconsortiumni - strategy

The “i2010 – A European Information Society for growth and employment” initiative was launched by the Commission on 1 June 2005 as a framework for addressing the main challenges and developments in the information society and media sectors up to 2010. It promotes an open and competitive digital economy and emphasises ICT as a driver of inclusion and quality of life. i2010 principally seeks to boost efficiency throughout the economy through wider use of ICTs?.

i2010 framework
While i2010 focuses particularly on promoting high-speed and secure broadband networks offering rich and diverse content in Europe, the policy rests on three pillars.

1. Creating the single European Information Space, which promotes an open and competitive internal market for information society and media services.
2. Increasing investment in innovation and research in ICT.
3. Fostering inclusion, better public services and quality of life through the use of ICT.

The most important for our purpose is the third objective - to promote an inclusive European information society. This aims to close the gap between the information society “haves and have nots”, the Commission has proposed:

• an Action Plan on e-Government for citizen-centred services (2006);
• three “quality of life” ICT flagship initiatives (technologies for an ageing society, intelligent vehicles that are smarter, safer and cleaner, and digital libraries making multimedia and multilingual European culture available to all (2007); and
• actions to overcome the geographic and social “digital divide”, culminating in a European Initiative on e-Inclusion (2008).

Issues for an Information Society policy beyond 2005
The changes which have had to be made for ICT to be used are not just about technology. New social and economic structures and new forms of governance are appearing, leading to new ways of communication and interaction between individuals, businesses and the public authorities. The Commission has identified a number of issues that it considers important, in particular:

• Content and services: the EU must support content providers and foster the emergence of innovative services. The variety of obstacles slowing down the development of new services and content must be eradicated so that users and businesses can benefit from them;
• eInclusion and citizenship: citizenship is about the participation of all in society. The policies of “eInclusion” aim at ensuring equal access to and the availability of ICT services for all at an affordable cost. New and complex technologies marginalise those who are not equipped to use them. In order to avoid the creation of new divides, it is important to ensure digital literacy for everyone and that technologies are easy to use;
• Public services: the use of ICT in this area will increase democracy and transparency. Their use also ensures that services are more efficient and of a better quality;
• Skills and work: the ICT component must be strengthened during all learning and training processes to obtain the full benefit for users in this field. Europe must apply ICT in the workplace in ways that raise efficiency and provide better jobs;
• ICT as a key industrial sector: by covering information technology, electronic communications and audio-visual markets, ICT represent a major sector of the economy. In order to make Europe a more attractive place for foreign investors, it is important to create a competitive environment that is as clear and simple as possible;
• Interoperability: Interoperability should be guaranteed at all levels - for network operators, for content or service providers and consumers - as well as between services, legal provisions and administrative practises which are different in every country;
• Trust and dependability: it is essential that these resources are both safe and reliable. Consumers want their privacy to be guaranteed and to see action taken to prevent illegal commercial practises and all unsolicited communications. The infrastructures of modern life rely heavily on ICT and are interdependent, so failures may have far-reaching consequences;
• Exploitation of ICT by business: given that the use of ICT by companies is recognised as being one of the success factors for European competitiveness, these companies should use them efficiently, especially SMEs.

eAccessability
“eAccessibility” refers to initiatives taken to ensure that all citizens have access to Information Society services. This is about removing the technical, legal and other barriers that some people encounter when using ICT-related services. In particular, it concerns people with disabilities and certain elderly people.

It is also about encouraging such people to use ICT and the Internet, and making them aware of the prospects the latter can open up for them.

The barriers to ICT accessibility relate in particular to:

• the lack of Europe-wide standards
• the lack of adequate services (especially websites)
• the lack of products and services for certain groups of persons
• the lack of interoperable solutions for accessible ICT;
• the lack of accessible content;
• the incompatibility of software with assistive devices

Many of these barriers could be removed. However, this requires firm cooperation, coordination and determination at European level.

Ongoing activities at European level
A number of eAccessibility measures are under way at European level.

Accessibility requirements and standards
European standards on e-Accessibility would contribute to the proper functioning of the European single market. This would promote the development of new markets, competitiveness and employment.

The Commission therefore intends to continue to provide financial support for the activities proposed by the European standardisation organisations in the framework of the European Standardisation Action Plan.

Design for All (DFA)
DFA involves a more thorough consideration of accessibility requirements when a product or service is being designed. It is now well established, though not yet widely practised. It is therefore essential to continue raising awareness of and promoting DFA in Europe. To this end, the Commission has set up a network of centres of excellence (EDEAN), which has over one hundred members.

Web accessibility
A 2001 Commission Communication on the accessibility of public websites (COM(2001) 529 final) was followed by Council and Parliament resolutions in 2002. As a result, Member States have undertaken to make their public websites accessible in accordance with international guidelines.

An eAccessibility Experts Group is enabling the Commission and the Member States to monitor developments. In addition, a European Committee for Standardisation workshop is exploring adequate solutions for devising accessibility certification schemes.

Benchmarking and monitoring
To be able to further develop appropriate European eAccessibility policies it is essential to have European data comparable across Member States. The Commission will build upon the ongoing European monitoring activities, taking account of the revised Lisbon approach.

Research
Almost 200 European research and technological development (RTD) projects undertaken since the early 1990s have improved accessibility by increasing our knowledge of the problems involved and the solutions required.

The current proposal for the 7th framework programme addresses the need to pursue and expand RTD in eAccessibility.

Proposed new approaches to accessibility
In addition to promoting ongoing measures, the Commission intends to foster the use of three approaches not yet widely used in Europe.

Award of public contracts
The European Public Procurement Directives specifically mention the possibility of including accessibility requirements in conditions for tender. Some Member States already include accessibility requirements in their public procurement.

There is a clear need for consistency of accessibility requirements in public procurement in Europe. To this end, the Commission is preparing a mandate to the European standardisation organisations to develop European accessibility requirements for public procurement of products and services in the ICT domain. The Commission will also encourage debate on this subject with the Member States in the framework of the eAccessibility Expert Group.

Certification of accessibility
A number of standards exist or are under development defining how products and services can be made accessible. However, at present there is no reliable means to assess the conformity of products with those standards. Certification schemes for accessibility would provide guidance to customers and clients who want accessible products and services. They would also provide manufacturers and service providers with recognition for their efforts.

With this in mind, the Commission will study the possibilities for the development and introduction of certification schemes. The possibility of self-declaration or third-party certification will also be investigated and the different options will be compared for their effectiveness.

Better use of existing legislation
The eAccessibility potential of existing European legislation needs to be fully exploited. Several European directives have clauses which could be used to encourage eAccessibility (e.g. the Employment Equality Directive, the Directive on Radio and Telecommunication Terminals and the Public Procurement Directive).

Facing the challenge of the information society
External events since 2000 have not helped achieving the objectives but the European Union and its Members States have clearly themselves contributed to slow progress by failing to act on much of the eEurope strategy with sufficient urgency. This disappointing delivery is due to an overloaded agenda, poor coordination and conflicting priorities. Still, a key issue has been the lack of determined political action.

There are a series of interconnected initiatives and structural changes that require urgent action across five areas of policy:

• the knowledge society: increasing Europe’s attractiveness for researchers and scientists, making R & D a top priority and promoting the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs);
• the internal market: completion of the internal market for the free movement of goods and capital, and urgent action to create a single market for services;
• the business climate: reducing the total administrative burden; improving the quality of legislation; facilitating the rapid start-up of new enterprises; and creating an environment more supportive to businesses;
• the labour market: rapid delivery on the recommendations of the European Employment Taskforce; developing strategies for lifelong leaning and active ageing; and underpinning partnerships for growth and employment;
• environmental sustainability: spreading eco-innovations and building leadership in eco-industry; pursuing policies which lead to long-term and sustained improvements in productivity through eco-efficiency.

If Europe is to achieve its targets, it needs to step up its efforts considerably. In order to ensure that Member States take up their responsibilities, a new focus is required along three lines:

• more coherence and consistency between policies and participants
• improving the process for delivery by involving national parliaments and social partners, and
• clearer communication on objectives and achievements.