"For many years, experts have been talking about digital
convergence of communication networks, media content and devices",
said Viviane Reding, the Commissioner responsible for Information
Society and Media.
Aiming to provide what she described as a coherent regulatory
framework for Europe's digital economy that is market-oriented,
flexible and future-proof, Ms Reding added, "we must focus our
research spending on key information and communication
technologies, such as nanoelectronics."
The initiative, "i2010: European Information Society 2010," has
three policy priorities:
- to create an open and competitive single market for information
society and media services within the
EU
;
- to promote an inclusive European information society; and
- to increase
EU
investment in research on
information and communication technologies (
ICT
) by
80%.
To these ends, the Commission plans to update the regulatory
framework for electronic communications next year – although
details are not available; and to identify an approach for
effective and interoperable digital rights management in 2006/2007.
Again, the nature of this approach is unclear.
The interest in boosting
ICT
research is that,
according to the Commission, Europe lags behind, investing only €80
per head, compared to €350 in Japan and €400 in the
US
.
It also talks of "quality of life"
ICT
initiatives,
including technologies for the elderly, intelligent vehicles that
are smarter, safer and cleaner, and digital libraries making
multimedia and multilingual European culture available to all.
The i2010 initiative is the first from the Commission to be
adopted under the
EU
's renewed Lisbon strategy and,
with
ICT
accounting for 40% of Europe's productivity
growth and for 25% of
EU
GDP
growth, it
focuses on what the Commission believes is the most promising
sector of the
EU
economy.
