The European Parliament adopted a resolution on a new Digital Agenda for Europe: 2015.eu. The resolution follows the Communication from the Commission entitled ‘Europe's Digital Competitiveness Report: main achievements of the i2010 strategy 2005-2009’.

Parliament invites the Commission to come forward with a proposal for an ambitious digital agenda and action plan enabling Europe to progress towards an open and prosperous digital society offering all citizens economic, social and cultural opportunities. It proposes that this new digital agenda be called ‘2015.eu agenda’.

Access to broadband Internet: Parliament believes that every EU household should have access to broadband Internet at a competitive price by 2013. It calls upon the Commission and the Member States to promote all available policy instruments to achieve broadband for all European citizens , including the use of the European Structural Funds and of the digital dividend for extending mobile broadband coverage and quality. It calls, furthermore, on Member States to impart new impetus to the European high-speed broadband strategy , notably by updating national targets for broadband and high-speed coverage.

The resolution recalls that particular attention should be paid to rural areas , areas affected by industrial transition, and regions which suffer from severe and permanent natural or demographic handicaps, in particular the outermost regions. It highlights the importance of guaranteeing disabled end-users access at a level equivalent to that available to other end-users and urges the Commission to produce its long-awaited review of universal service without delay.

Members consider that, as Internet access rates are increasing, Member States should strive to achieve the connection of 50% of EU households to very high-speed networks by 2015 and 100% by 2020 .It urges Member States to transpose the new electronic communications regulatory framework before the established deadline and to fully enforce it and to empower national regulators accordingly. It recalls that interoperability and accessibility are interlinked and are the bricks on which an efficient information society will be built.

Digital competences : Parliament insists that digital competences are crucial for an inclusive digital society and that all EU citizens should be empowered and have the incentives to develop the appropriate digital skills. It stresses that all primary and secondary schools must have reliable, quality Internet connections by 2013 and very high-speed Internet connections by 2015 with the support of the regional and cohesion policy where appropriate. The resolution emphasises that ICT training and e-learning should become an integral part of lifelong learning activities enabling better and accessible education and training programmes and recommends introducing the notion of digital literacy into education systems, starting as early as the pre-primary level, in parallel with foreign languages.

Recognizing the importance of e-Learning, Members propose the launch of a ‘ Digital literacy and inclusion action plan ’ at EU and Member State levels, notably comprising: (i) specific digital literacy training opportunities for unemployed people and groups at risk of exclusion; (ii) incentives for private-sector initiatives to provide digital skills training to all employees; (iii) a European-wide ‘Be smart online!’ initiative to make all students, including those engaged in life-long learning and professional training,familiar with the safe use of ICT and online services; (iv) and a common EU-level ICT certification scheme. The EU institutions are invited to take further actions to create a data base for e-skills monitoring.

Consumer rights and security : the resolution emphasises that all EU citizens should be made aware of their basic digital rights and obligations through a European Charter of citizens’ and consumers’ rights in the digital environment . It urges the Commission to take account not only of data protection and privacy questions as such, but especially of the specific needs of minors and young adults with respect to these questions. It calls on the Commission to submit a proposal for the adaptation of the Data Protection Directive to the current digital environment and to take further action to improve digital security , to fight cybercrime and spam, to enhance users’ confidence. They call on the Member States to take steps with a view to making secure electronic identification available to everyone in Europe.

Digital single market : Parliament calls for an effective policy for a digital single market that makes online services in Europe more competitive, accessible, cross-border and transparent providing the highest possible level of consumer protection and putting an end to territorial discrimination. It calls on the EU institutions to remove the key regulatory and administrative obstacles to cross-border online transactions by 2013 . Member States are called upon to establish ‘ one-stop-shops ’ for VAT in order to facilitate cross-border e-commerce for SMEs.

On-line administration : Parliament calls on the Member States to develop national plans for the digital switchover of public services , which should include targets and measures for getting all public services online and accessible to persons with disabilities by 2015. It underlines the importance of broadband for European citizens’ health in enabling the use of efficient health information technologies, enhancing the quality of care, extending the geographic reach of healthcare to rural insular, mountainous and sparsely populated areas, facilitating in-home care and reducing unnecessary treatments and costly patient transfers and facilitating and promoting public safety information, procedures, disaster response and recovery.

Access to digital content : Members emphasise the need to develop a ‘ Fifth Freedom ’ that enables the free circulation of content and knowledge and to achieve, by 2015, a convergent, consumer-friendly legal framework for accessing digital content in Europe. In this context, they stress that a European digital agenda needs to promote the production and dissemination of high-quality and culturally diverse content in the EU. They recommend that an EU-level information campaign be initiated in order to achieve a higher level of awareness, notably by the development and dissemination of digital cultural content. They also underline that greater attention must be paid in the new Digital Agenda to the digitisation of, and improving citizens’ access to, Europe’s unique cultural heritage .

The resolution underlines that the Internet, which offers many new opportunities for the circulation of and access to the products of creative work, also poses new challenges to securing the European Union cyberspace against new kinds of crimes and offences . It notes that sanctions , as one of the possible tools in the field of copyright enforcement, should be targeted at commercial exploiters before individual citizens, as a point of principle.

Research : Members consider that, alongside consistent deployment of ICT, it is essential to promote ICT research excellence and foster public and private investment in high-risk, collaborative ICT research and innovation. They stress that Europe should be at the cutting edge in the development of Internet technologies, cloud computing, intelligent environments and supercomputers, and ICT low-carbon applications . They propose that the EU ICT research budget be doubled and that the budget for ICT take-up be multiplied by four in the next Financial Perspective. They consider that by 2015 all European research institutes and infrastructures must be linked by Gbps ultra-high speed transmission networks, creating a European research community intranet.

Lastly, Parliament considers that the ownership of the 2015.eu agenda by all political and geographical levels (EU, national and regional), in the spirit of multilevel governance, as well as political visibility, are essential prerequisites for effective implementation. It proposes in this regard that Digital Agenda Summits be periodically organised to review progress at Union and Member State level and to renew political impetus.

The Committee on Industry, Research and Energy adopted the own-initiative report drawn up by Pilar del CASTILLO VERA (EPP, ES) on a new Digital Agenda for Europe: 2015.eu. The report follows the Communication from the Commission entitled ‘Europe's Digital Competitiveness Report: main achievements of the i2010 strategy 2005-2009’.

Members call on the Commission to come forward with a proposal for an ambitious digital agenda and action plan enabling Europe to progress towards an open and prosperous digital society offering all citizens economic, social and cultural opportunities. They propose that this new digital agenda be called ‘2015.eu agenda’. and be based on the model of the virtuous 2015.eu spiral

The committee believes that every EU household should have access to broadband Internet at a competitive price by 2013. It calls upon the Commission and the Member States to promote all available policy instruments to achieve broadband for all European citizens , including the use of the European Structural Funds and of the digital dividend for extending mobile broadband coverage and quality. It calls, furthermore, on Member States to impart new impetus to the European high-speed broadband strategy , notably by updating national targets for broadband and high-speed coverage.

The report recalls that particular attention should be paid to rural areas , areas affected by industrial transition, and regions which suffer from severe and permanent natural or demographic handicaps, in particular the outermost regions. It highlights the importance of guaranteeing disabled end-users access at a level equivalent to that available to other end-users and urges the Commission to produce its long-awaited review of universal service without delay.

Members consider that, as Internet access rates are increasing, Member States should strive to achieve the connection of 50% of EU households to very high-speed networks by 2015 and 100% by 2020 .

They urge Member States to transpose the new electronic communications regulatory framework before the established deadline and to fully enforce it and to empower national regulators accordingly. They recall that interoperability and accessibility are interlinked and are the bricks on which an efficient information society will be built.

The committee insists that digital competences are crucial for an inclusive digital society and that all EU citizens should be empowered and have the incentives to develop the appropriate digital skills. They stress that all primary and secondary schools must have reliable, quality Internet connections by 2013 and very high-speed Internet connections by 2015 with the support of the regional and cohesion policy where appropriate. The report emphasises that ICT training and e-learning should become an integral part of lifelong learning activities enabling better and accessible education and training programmes and recommends introducing the notion of digital literacy into education systems, starting as early as the pre-primary level, in parallel with foreign languages.

Recognizing the importance of e-Learning, Members pr opose the launch of a ‘ Digital literacy and inclusion action plan ’ at EU and Member State levels, notably comprising: (i) specific digital literacy training opportunities for unemployed people and groups at risk of exclusion; (ii) incentives for private-sector initiatives to provide digital skills training to all employees; (iii) a European-wide ‘Be smart online!’ initiative to make all students, including those engaged in life-long learning and professional training, familiar with the safe use of ICT and online services; (iv) and a common EU-level ICT certification scheme. The EU institutions are invited to take further actions to create a data base for e-skills monitoring.

The report e mphasises that all EU citizens should be made aware of their basic digital rights and obligations through a European Charter of citizens’ and consumers’ rights in the digital environment .

It urges the Commission to take account not only of data protection and privacy questions as such, but especially of the specific needs of minors and young adults with respect to these questions. It calls on the Commission to submit a proposal for the adaptation of the Data Protection Directive to the current digital environment and to take further action to improve digital security , to fight cybercrime and spam, to enhance users’ confidence. They call on the Member States to take steps with a view to making secure electronic identification available to everyone in Europe.

Members call for an effective policy for a digital single market that makes online services in Europe more competitive, accessible, cross-border and transparent providing the highest possible level of consumer protection and putting an end to territorial discrimination. It calls on the EU institutions to remove the key regulatory and administrative obstacles to cross-border online transactions by 2013 . Member States are called upon to establish ‘ one-stop-shops ’ for VAT in order to facilitate cross-border e-commerce for SMEs.

Underlining the importance of on-line administration, Members call on Member States to develop national plans for the digital switchover of public services , which should include targets and measures for getting all public services online and accessible to persons with disabilities by 2015. They underline the importance of broadband for European citizens’ health in enabling the use of efficient health information technologies, enhancing the quality of care, extending the geographic reach of healthcare to rural insular, mountainous and sparsely populated areas, facilitating in-home care and reducing unnecessary treatments and costly patient transfers and facilitating and promoting public safety information, procedures, disaster response and recovery.

Member emphasise the need to develop a ‘ Fifth Freedom ’ that enables the free circulation of content and knowledge and to achieve, by 2015, a convergent, consumer-friendly legal framework for accessing digital content in Europe. In this context, they stress that a European digital agenda needs to promote the production and dissemination of high-quality and culturally diverse content in the EU. They recommend that an EU-level information campaign be initiated in order to achieve a higher level of awareness, notably by the development and dissemination of digital cultural content. They also underline that greater attention must be paid in the new Digital Agenda to the digitisation of, and improving citizens’ access to, Europe’s unique cultural heritage .

The report underlines that the Internet, which offers many new opportunities for the circulation of and access to the products of creative work, also poses new challenges to securing the European Union cyberspace against new kinds of crimes and offences . It notes that sanctions , as one of the possible tools in the field of copyright enforcement, should be targeted at commercial exploiters before individual citizens, as a point of principle.

Members consider that, alongside consistent deployment of ICT, it is essential to promote ICT research excellence and foster public and private investment in high-risk, collaborative ICT research and innovation. They stress that Europe should be at the cutting edge in the development of Internet technologies, cloud computing, intelligent environments and supercomputers, and ICT low-carbon applications . They propose that the EU ICT research budget be doubled and that the budget for ICT take-up be multiplied by four in the next Financial Perspective. They consider that by 2015 all European research institutes and infrastructures must be linked by Gbps ultra-high speed transmission networks, creating a European research community intranet.

Lastly, Members consider that the ownership of the 2015.eu agenda by all political and geographical levels (EU, national and regional), in the spirit of multilevel governance, as well as political visibility, are essential prerequisites for effective implementation. They propose in this regard that Digital Agenda Summits be periodically organised to review progress at Union and Member State level and to renew political impetus.

The Council adopted conclusions on transforming the digital dividend into social benefits and economic growth. The conclusions highlight:

the fact that radio spectrum is a scarce resource that needs to be used efficiently; the importance of the digital dividend in helping to provide high-speed broadband services in rural areas.

The Council invites Member States to contribute to the development of a common EU approach towards spectrum coordination issues with third countries

PURPOSE: to present the Commission’s report on Europe’s digital competitiveness report (main achievements of the i2010 strategy 2005-2009).

CONTENT: in its report, the Commission recalls that Europe remains a global force in advanced information and communication technologies (ICT). The World Wide Web, the mobile GSM standard, the MPEG standard for digital content and ADSL technology were all invented in Europe. Maintaining this leadership position and turning it into a competitive advantage is an important policy goal. The Commission presented in 2005 the i2010 strategy , which was designed as the strategic framework for Europe’s information society and media policies. It described the overall thrust of policy to promote an open and competitive digital economy across Europe and it underlined for the first time the importance of ICT to improve the quality of life.

Key achievements of i2010 : the report notes that the pro-competition and pro-consumer policy drive led by i2010 has produced many tangible results:

more and more Europeans are online : the number of regular internet users has increased from 43% in 2005 to 56% in 2008. Most of them use the internet almost daily and with high-speed internet access. The numbers of users in disadvantaged groups (the inactive, the less educated and those aged 55-64) are rising the fastest; Europe has become the world leader in broadband internet : with 114 million subscribers, it is the largest world market and penetration rates are rising swiftly. Half of all European households and more than 80% of European businesses have a fixed broadband connection. Broadband internet is available to 93% of the EU25 population, up from 87% in 2005; high rates of broadband connectivity have translated into higher usage of advanced services . 80 % of regular internet users engage in increasingly interactive activities, e.g. communicating, using online financial services, sharing and creating new content and participating in innovative processes; the market for mobile phones has exceeded 100% penetration : increasing from 84% of the EU population in 2004 to 119% in 2009. This makes Europe the world leader in mobile penetration, as the rates in the US and Japan are around 80%. Consumers spend more time talking and texting at prices at least 34.5% less than in 2004, including a 70% drop in roaming charges since 2005; fast progress in the use of the 20 benchmarked online public services : the supply of fully available services to citizens has increased to 50% in 2007 (27% in 2004) and for businesses to 70% (58% in 2004). One third of European citizens and almost 70% of businesses in the EU use eGovernment services; EU–funded ICT research has played a key role in Europe’s major industrial development , such as in micro- and nano-electronics, in healthcare and the EU’s road safety agenda; ICT policies have been increasingly mainstreamed.

A new digital agenda : the success of the EU ICT strategy over the last four years needs, however, to be put in a global perspective. Today it is becoming apparent that, even in areas where it has global leadership, Europe is at risk of losing its competitive edge when it comes to new, innovative developments. For instance, Europe has positioned itself as a world leader for broadband internet but dramatically lags behind Japan and South Korea in high-speed fibre. Similarly, Europe’s mobile communications success has not spilled over into wireless broadband, where Asia is emerging as the world leader. In addition, Europe is sidelined regarding internet services and applications, with the US dominating the new interactive web habitat, especially blogs and social networks. Therefore Europe needs a new digital agenda to meet the emerging challenges, to create a world beating infrastructure and unlock the potential of the internet as a driver of growth and the basis for open innovation, creativity and participation. The European Council in December 2008 called for a European plan for innovation where ICT would be a key technology. The Commission launches a public online consultation on nine key areas for Europe’s future ICT and media policies:

1) Unleashing ICT as a driver of economic recovery and as a lead contributor to the Lisbon growth and jobs agenda : this is crucial in the current economic and financial crisis and to achieve Europe’s longer-term economic goals.

2) Increasing the role of ICT in the transition to a more sustainable low-carbon economy : focusing on ICT to promote responsible energy consumption in households, transport, energy generation and manufacturing and reveal the potential to make substantial energy savings. Smart meters, efficient lighting, cloud computing and distributed software will transform usage patterns of energy sources.

3) Increasing Europe’s performance in ICT research and innovation : despite the achievements of the past few years, European R&D is constantly challenged. A strong ICT R&D base in Europe is crucial as ICT breakthroughs are key to solving a number of challenges, such as health care, the demands of an ageing society, security and privacy and managing the transition to a low-carbon economy.

4) Creating a 100% connected economy through a high-speed and open internet for all : the potential of high-speed infrastructure for economic recovery, long-term growth and innovation in Europe must be unlocked.

5) Consolidating the online single market : we have yet to achieve an online single market, despite solid progress during the past years. Europe still faces legal fragmentation, with payment systems, security, privacy and other obstacles that discourage businesses and consumers to go digital. This applies also to the market for digital content where fragmentation makes it difficult for European citizens to access the full span of rich and culturally diverse online offer available across the EU.

6) Promoting users’ creativity : the new digital habitat (WEB 2.0 and beyond) offers an unprecedented chance to unleash the creativity of Europe’s citizens. The internet today is an interactive political forum, a vibrant social network and a vast source of knowledge. With new participative platforms and services, users have become active players, producers or ‘prosumers’ and it is essential to put in place new policies to encourage users’ creativity and participation.

7) Reinforcing the EU’s position as a key player in the international ICT arena : the continued success of modern ICT depends on international openness and cooperation, an internet free of restrictions on traffic, sites, platforms and the type of equipment to be attached, and free of censorship. It also depends on our ability to handle global challenges, such as international governance, security, inappropriate content and malpractice, privacy, protection of persona data and new vast address spaces (IPv6), multilingual identifiers and so on. Many of these issues can only be solved at international level. But Europe’s voice often struggles to be heard.

8) Making modern and efficient public services available and accessible to all : (i) eGovernment is increasingly a reality in Member States. However, efforts must be further pursued to increase interoperability among public administrations. The Commission for its part has proposed to pursue the successful IDABC programme by tabling a proposal for a new programme aimed to promote Interoperability Solutions for public Administrations (ISA) and is pursuing work to revise the European Interoperability Framework, aimed to define the general rules for collaboration among the Member States' administrations and the EU Institutions; (ii) the use of ICT in schools has increased significantly. The Lisbon targets connect all schools in Europe have already been met; (iii) eLearning and eHealth applications can greatly improve the quality of education and health care across the EU. However, the benefits of all these applications have not yet been realised fully; (iv) the participative web offers new opportunities but also challenges public administrations, enabling citizens to review their relationship with the authorities.

9) Using ICT to improve the quality of life of EU citizens by unlocking the storehouses of Europe’s cultural heritage and bringing it online . The 2008 eInclusion initiative showed the socio-political and economic importance of this and the ‘eInclusion business case’ is now stronger than ever to overcome the main aspects of disadvantage, such as age, education, gender and location. In the current economic downturn, disenfranchised people in particular risk being further excluded from society and the labour market.

This Communication from the Commission deals with Europe’s Digital Competitiveness Report - “Main achievements of the i2010 strategy 2005-2009”.

In 2005, the Commission presented the i2010 strategy to boost Europe’s lead in ICT and to unlock the benefits of the information society for European growth and jobs.

This strategy outlined concrete policy measures to: (i) boost the single market for businesses and users by eliminating regulatory obstacles and enhancing regulatory consistency in the telecoms sector and for audiovisual media services; (ii) stimulate ICT research and innovation in Europe by pooling public and private research funding and focusing it on areas where Europe is or can become a global leader; (iii) ensure that all citizens benefit from Europe’s lead in ICT , in particular through first-class online public services accessible to all.

Over the past four years, ICT policies have confirmed their role as a major driver of Europe’s economic and social modernisation and have made Europe more resilient in times of crisis. Today, they are firmly anchored in European core policies for growth and jobs. All EU Member States have ICT policies and consider them a key contributor to national growth and jobs under the renewed Lisbon agenda. i2010 has also influenced other policy areas, such as the Single Market and the Consumer Agenda. ICT policies today are implemented through various instruments, such as the Structural Funds or the Rural Development Funds.

ICT, and in particular the broadband internet, is a crucial component of the European economic recovery plan . ICT accounts for half of the rise in EU productivity and available high-speed broadband is key to new jobs, new skills, new markets and cutting costs. It is essential to businesses, public services and to making the modern economy work. This has been recognised in the Commission’s proposals to speed up economic recovery by smart investments in broadband networks in rural areas, endorsed by the European Council, up to EUR 1.02 billion .

The main results are as follows:

the number of regular internet users has increased from 43% in 2005 to 56% in 2008; most of them use the internet almost daily and with high-speed internet access. Regular internet use is also becoming more inclusive, with the numbers of users in disadvantaged groups (the inactive, the less educated and those aged 55-64) rising the fastest; Europe has become the world leader in broadband internet. With 114 million subscribers, it is the largest world market and penetration rates are rising swiftly. Half of all European households and more than 80% of European businesses have a fixed broadband connection, three quarters of them with average download speeds above 2 Mbps. Broadband internet is available to 93% of the EU25 population, up from 87% in 2005; 80% of regular internet users engage in increasingly interactive activities, e.g. communicating, using online financial services, sharing and creating new content and participating in innovative processes; the market for mobile phones has exceeded 100% penetration — increasing from 84% of the EU population in 2004 to 119% in 2009. This makes Europe the world leader in mobile penetration, as the rates in the US and Japan are around 80%. Consumers spend more time talking and texting at prices at least 34.5% less than in 2004, including a 70% drop in roaming charges since 2005; Europe has made fast progress in the supply and use of the 20 benchmarked online public services. The supply of fully available services to citizens has increased to 50% in 2007 27% in 2004) and for businesses to 70% (58% in 2004). One third of European citizens and almost 70% of businesses in the EU use eGovernment services; Europe is also the home of breakthrough research, such as Giant Magneto-Resistance technology, which revolutionised the hard disk business and won the 2007 Nobel prize in physics, and ADSL technology, the basis for today’s broadband internet success; many Member States now have integrated national ICT strategies with objectives similar to those of the i2010 initiative.

These are some of the key success stories of the past four years.

Conclusions and perspectives : the achievements of i2010 and the ways it has been implemented in the Member States provide a snapshot of the dynamism and range of schemes that innovative policies can produce; i2010 has laid the building blocks for a modern ICT-enabled society. Broadband is today firmly on the political agenda .

Nevertheless, Europe faces important decisions about how to build a seamlessly connected digital economy poised for recovery . In addition, over the coming years the internet is expected to become an essential service, crucial for us to participate fully in society.

To seize these opportunities, the Commission calls on the Member States and on stakeholders to actively cooperate in the months ahead until early 2010 to draft a new digital agenda so that Europe can emerge from the current crisis with a stronger, more competitive and more open digital economy, driving European growth and innovation.