Dutch Presidency proposes bold ICT goals to boost EU economy

In a new „tentative and provocative“ report,
the Dutch Presidency proposes „ten ICT breakthroughs“ to help the
EU reach its Lisbon target of boosting economic growth.

A  new report presented by the Dutch Presidency has proposed
„ten ICT breakthroughs“ to stimulate economic growth in the EU and
catch up with leading Information and Communication Technology
countries such as Korea, India, China, USA and Japan. 

The report, prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers for the Dutch
Ministry of Economic Affairs, argues that these countries „all
outperform the EU in many respects“ because they have launched
„bold initiatives and dare to improve their position in the field
of ICT with proactive industrial policies“.

„Europe too can be successful,“ the report goes on, but only if
issues that hamper ICT growth are identified and new policies are
adopted. It thus proposes „ten ICT breakthroughs“ that have the
potential of delivering more economic growth for Europe:

• Shift policy from connectivity to investment in skills and
  back-office (re)organisation
• Achieve standardised and interoperable ICT environments to
  trigger new business
• Accelerate introduction of new (disruptive) technologies like
  smart tags and internet telephony (VoIP)
• Introduce multiplatform access for content to realise anytime,
  anywhere access (through new Digital Rights Management
  Systems)
• Stimulate a new European standard policy in co-operation with
  the market to achieve global leadership (e.g. 3G mobile)
• Respond to job migration towards low-wage countries
• Remove barriers to investments in next generation networks
• Devise a new, more flexible model for spectrum allocation
• Enforce structural solutions to gain consumer confidence and
  improve network security (in response to cybercrime, viruses and
  spam issues)
• Adopt new e-skills policies for broader consumer use of ICT and
  redefine the current universal service obligation  

Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, Laurens Jan Brinkhorst says
the report is only „tentative and provocative“. It is designed to
inspire decision-makers to „re-think and revitalise the Lisbon
agenda and especially the ICT agenda,“ Brinkhorst says. His
proposals come as the e-Europe 2005 Action Plan for ICT adoption
and roll-out draws closer to its end.