The Path to the Information Society
in the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC):
The Role of Research & Development and Experimentation
Report of the Working Group for the CEEC/EU Panel
on 7/8 March 1996 in Bled, Slovenia
Introduction
- One of the key aspects of the evolution of the most advanced
industrial countries in recent years has been the trend towards
the "Global Information Society" (GIS), a trend driven
by technology development and the globalisation of trade, but
with profound social, cultural and economic implications. Now,
too, the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) are embarking
on the same path.
It is vital to ensure that the new information society develops
throughout Europe, both in east and west, and through co-operation
between them. It is in the common interest of all European countries
to establish high-performance pan-European communication networks
and to create the conditions for a cross-border transfer of data
and information.
- For the CEEC, it is important to manage the structural changes
arising from the GIS in order to fully realise its potential.
- The European Union (EU) has - as have the CEEC - a strong
interest in creating an open European economic space and thus
in increasing global competitiveness.
- We are all currently experiencing the onset of a revolution.
This new revolution is based on a radical transformation in how
we use knowledge. The currency of knowledge is information. Skilled
and motivated people create the information which is stored, manipulated
and transmitted over electronic networks of networks. These networks
are global. In our new society, information is the key resource,
just as steam power was a key resource in the first industrial
revolution. Hence we can talk about an information revolution
- a revolution which is already producing a new society - an information
society.
This revolution is changing the way we work and the way we spend
our free time. Our working environment is becoming globalised
and mobilised. The telephone, fax machine, personal computer and
Internet connection allow us to talk to people in a neighbouring
continent as easily as to those in a neighbouring office. The
mobile phone and lap-top computer are helping to free us from
the limitations of the fixed workplace. All this is helping bring
Europe and Europeans closer together.
The information society is inevitable. As the Bangemann report
states:
"The first countries to enter the information society
will reap the greatest rewards. They will set the agenda for all
who must follow. By contrast, countries which temporise or favour
half-hearted solutions, could, in less than a decade, face disastrous
declines in investment and a squeeze on jobs."
- The EU has already started to lay the regulatory foundations
for the information society. In a landmark decision, it has decided
to open its public telephony sector to the free market by the
end of 1997. The aim is the creation of competitive and high-performance
"information superhighways" which will provide much
of the technology backbone of the information society. At the
same time, the EU Research and Development (R&D) programmes
are contributing to the development of advanced communication
infrastructures and telematic applications as well as building
the basic technologies of the information society. The Fourth Framework Programme
(1994-1998) has allocated a total of more than 3,6 billion ECU
towards this goal. The next important step will be to support
experimental pilot projects in order to strengthen the practical
acceptance of the GIS and to gain more experience in the adaptation
of new technologies.
- The common objective is to establish a global, open information
society. There are, however, different ways to reach this objective,
and different timescales; it is neither necessary nor possible
to exploit the full potential of the information society right
from the word go. The CEEC have already started on the way towards
the information society. What is needed is to speed up this process,
to increase investment and to coordinate efforts within and between
neighbouring European countries.
The path towards the information society is not proving easy for
the CEEC as the structural adjustments resulting from the changes
in their political and economic systems have not yet fully run
their course and still require high political priority. The CEEC
are confronted with a difficult two-fold task; on the one hand
to support re-industrialisation and on the other to provide the
basic structures for "post-industrialisation". This
is not only an economic necessity but also a part of their pre-adhesion
strategies. Realistically, we have to take into account the fact
that not all the CEEC will participate in every application and
thus be able to reap all the ensuing benefits at the same time.
Therefore, national priorities will have to reflect the different
ways towards the GIS.
- Just as the information society brings with it new patterns
of supply in terms of new methods of working so it also brings
new patterns of demand in terms of new products and services.
Existing services can be revitalised and expanded, new services
can be created. Possible examples are education and training,
home shopping, electronic payment and banking systems and on-line
information services. It is primarily in these new service industries
that new employment opportunities will be created and new prosperity
generated, not only in the EU but also in the CEEC.
The primary driving forces behind the information society are
technological and economic. And its most immediate benefits will
be the increased competitiveness it can provide. In a world where
many Third World countries are rapidly expanding in traditionally
labour intensive areas such as textiles, the countries of Europe
will be ever more reliant on productivity gains to improve living
standards. The prevailing competitive advantage of low labour
costs of manufacturers in the CEEC will soon be challenged by
even lower-cost economies from outside Europe; quite apart from
this, it is likely that labour costs will increase in line with
further economic development. In order to enhance their competitive
position in global markets, the CEEC will have to improve productivity
and the quality of their products and services. This enhanced
competitiveness will be triggered by the application of new Information
and Communication Technologies (ICT).
- A dynamic and cost-effective communications infrastructure
is vital. Therefore the CEEC will need to create an appropriate
legal framework, including the rapid liberalisation of the telecommunications
sector, as part of their drive towards the information society.
This will ensure that competition drives down costs and thus encourages
private investors to develop new services. A clear deadline for
opening the public telephony sector to the free market will stimulate
the necessary private investment in the required timescales. In
addition to this, a crucial requirement for the success of the
transition process is a strong innovation drive which will lead
to investments in new technologies and applications.
Due to the current transition problems, it is not easy for the
CEEC to initiate and strengthen the innovation process solely
using their own resources. The EU should be willing to support
national strategies with the aim of integrating the region successfully
into the GIS. The aim is to build true pan-European networks so
that all European countries can reap the benefits according to
their own priorities. For this, it is necessary:
- to maintain and strengthen R&D in the CEEC
- to foster R&D cooperation between the CEEC and the EU
- to promote joint experimental GIS projects and programmes
that create European networks and services to adopt an appropriate
legal framework for the liberalisation of the telecommunications
sector.
A. Towards a knowledge-based Society: the Role of R&D
in the Economic Development of the Central and Eastern European
Countries
- The information society will be a knowledge-based society.
The technologies which are driving this development are specialised
in the production, storage, manipulation, access and transmission
of information, and information is the raw material of knowledge.
The provision of knowledge will therefore become a key factor
in enhancing the competitiveness of enterprises in the information
society. The productive use of knowledge is increasingly determining
the competitiveness of products and services, and the location
of their provision. Knowledge will therefore become the most important
factor of production in the advanced economies of the world.
Education and knowledge is an area where the CEEC have an important
comparative advantage. To maintain this advantage, it will be
necessary to foster intellectual resources. In the information
age, social and economic progress is closely linked with technological
progress, which itself ultimately stems from research and development.
Thus our attitude towards R&D is fundamental. R&D allows
our hopes for the future to be realised - it is an engine of change
in our society.
- Failing to adapt in time to the onset of the information society
is a real danger for the CEEC which does not, however, leave them
without a chance of establishing a lead in many technology areas.
A more measured development path can also offer some advantages.
Because the CEEC are starting in many cases from square one, they
can take full advantage of "technology leapfrog" to
install modern systems straight away, rather than modifying existing
equipment. This helps to avoid costly upgrade paths and allows
the introduction, right from the start, of the best technologies.
By encouraging private investors, liberalisation of telecommunications
infrastructures and services will speed up this process and contribute
to giving R&D the importance it deserves in the development
of innovative technologies and applications for the information
society.
Some of the CEEC are already better prepared than others for the
GIS as differences in the regulatory framework as well as the
distribution of telephones, television sets and PCs show. The
rapidly growing number of connections to the Internet in some
of the CEEC also demonstrate that less developed areas can catch
up relatively quickly with more advanced ones in a world that
is changing at an ever faster rate. The cards in the GIS deck
will continue to be reshuffled so that society's willingness to
change will determine the winners and losers of tomorrow.
- The aims of R&D have been changing in the GIS. With the
growing sophistication and complexity of the new products and
services available in the information society, it is becoming
ever more necessary to concentrate on designing products and services
which people can use, and indeed will want to use. It is not the
accumulation of raw data which is crucial so much as its innovative
use, a use which necessitates the integration of potential end
users into R&D activities and the testing of research results
in the field. Many of the basic technologies required for the
information society are already sufficiently mature to make a
start on developing advanced applications but further development
is needed so as to fully meet citizens' needs. The significance
of application-oriented research is increasing dramatically in
the information society. This is not yet being sufficiently taken
into consideration in the structure of the national research budgets
of the CEEC.
While it is true that, as was the case in Japan in the immediate
post-war years, some economic growth can be achieved in the CEEC
by "technology transfer" - i.e. the adaptation of technologies
and applications developed elsewhere - many of the needs of a
given market will be local in nature and will require technologies
and applications, and hence R&D, specific to that market.
The technologies need to be adapted to the specific conditions
in each of the CEEC to achieve real productivity gains and to
successfully solve current problems. In this context, more emphasis
needs to be put on the dissemination of research results.
- R&D will be vital to the CEEC in their bid to achieve
economic "take-off" and establish their place in global
markets. History also shows that only the countries which have
the easiest and cheapest access to technologies developed elsewhere
will be able to offer the fruits of their own developments in
exchange. This is another significant reason why R&D in the
CEEC has to be maintained and promoted.
R&D can help to manage industrial change. Upgrading professional
skills, improving training and giving examples of "best practice"
in organisation and manufacturing will help to tackle transitional
problems. R&D has to play an active role in all of these.
The PHARE programme is designed to support the process of transition
into the information society. For this, R&D on its own is
not enough. It is a necessary, but not a sufficient, condition
of the development of the information society. R&D is crucial
in producing new technologies and hence new applications - but
only the marketplace can decide which applications succeed or
fail. Equally, however, people at their workplaces as well as
users must learn to use the new technologies. It is therefore
equally important to adapt ICT to the specific needs of citizens
and of society as a whole.
Ultimately it is users who will decide the shape of the information
society. The choices they make as to the products and services
they want will determine which innovations become the most successful
applications of the twenty-first century and which innovations,
like the airship as a means of intercontinental travel, become
interesting footnotes in historical textbooks. It follows that
developers of new applications must be "market-aware".
R&D must support the whole process of bringing new technologies
all the way from the drawing board to the marketplace.
- While there are issues relating to R&D common to all the
CEEC, nevertheless the diversity of this region has to be recognised
- just as the EU itself forms a diverse area, as the statistics
on penetration of information technology and communications devices
show.
One of the problems affecting R&D, common to all the CEEC
is the so-called "brain drain" of skilled personnel,
a process which erodes their scientific base. Researchers are
among the most mobile members of society and have highly portable
skills. There are considerable temptations for researchers to
go abroad to work, either to gain access to better R&D resources
and facilities or simply to better their standard of living, or
both. This problem is not unique to the CEEC as proven by the
high number of EU researchers working in North America.
The CEEC are, however, not only confronted with the migration
of scientists. Worse than that is the fact that a great number
of capable researchers have left their institutes and changed
their professions, thus a form of internal "brain drain"
is further eroding the R&D structure of the CEEC. Often it
is the most valuable employees who leave in search of better paid
jobs, often not at all related to their field of education and
job experience. This has led to a considerable waste of valuable
expertise.
A related problem has been the lack of funding available from
governments. The transition to a market economy has imposed increased
social burdens on governments and thus has put other forms of
public spending under pressure. The proportion of Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) devoted to public R&D has declined in almost
all the CEEC. This is made worse by the fact that R&D funded
by the private sector is still relatively poorly developed. Only
a few enterprises have their own research laboratories. Due to
increasing foreign takeovers of domestic companies, there is even
the increasing danger that existing laboratories in the CEEC will
be closed - which implies a further loss of skills. This poses
the overall danger of the CEEC not being able to particpate actively
in the development of basic technologies, and only being able
to use applications after a long time delay - which would result
in competitive disadvantage.
- To prepare the CEEC successfully for the GIS, there is a need
for action, both at national and European levels. At national
level, it is important
A1: to establish forums and national panels on the GIS
- The way to the information society requires a high level of
social consensus to manage the structural change successfully.
- All relevant social groups must be included in the dialogue
on the common path to the information society.
- The CEEC are asked to establish forums and national panels
to prepare the development of nationa lstrategies towards the
GIS.
A2: to develop and adopt national action plans to build the GIS
- The information society touches upon different policy areas
which need to be carefully balanced and targeted towards common
objectives to make the transition process to the information society
easier.
- It is therefore crucial to draw up national action plans with
clear objectives and timetables for the implementation of the
proposed actions.
- The EU should be prepared to start a structured dialogue with
the CEEC to facilitate the establishment of such action plans
in order to achieve the highest possible coherence.
A3: to strengthen the role of R&D, especially of ICT, in economic
modernisaton
- R&D is playing a key role in developing the information
society. The CEEC should give greater priority to R&D in order
to use their innovation potential to greatest effect.
- Application-oriented R&D is of growing importance in the
information society. The share of ICT in national research programmes
needs to be increased; of particular importance in this context
is a better integration of users.
- European support (e.g. PHARE) is available to develop and
strengthen the infrastructure for R&D in the CEEC. The CEEC
are urged to use their existing potential to its greatest effect
in order to give R&D a higher priority in overall economic
development.
A4: to actively support cooperation with the EU on R&D and
experimen- tation, especially by promoting private-public partnerships
and joint ventures
- Cooperation on R&D between the CEEC and the EU is of special
importance in overcoming financial restrictions , stabilising
R&D potential and promoting technology transfer.
- In order to improve information on existing funding possibilities
and to facilitate R&D cooperation, it would be desirable to
appoint national coordinators in the CEEC. Regularly updated online
information about the EU R&D programmes should be made available
electronically to the national coordinators.
- The national coordinators should be in close contact with
the relevant Directorates General of the European Commission to
improve the exchange of information; at the same time, they should
act as a contact point for any interested parties or enquiries.
B. To strengthen R&D Collaboration between the European
Union and the Central and Eastern European Countries
- The R&D programmes of the EU are open to participation
by the CEEC, and such participation will be vital in promoting
the GIS in Europe. During the past few years, many projects in
the CEEC have been supported by the research budgets of the EU,
above all through stabilisation and improvement of the research
environment. In addition, the Fourth Framework Programme has been
providing, since the end of 1994, direct support for a number
of projects. All such projects are rigorously vetted for the excellence
of their proposal presentation and their involvement of partners
from different European countries.
Legally constituted bodies carrying out R&D activities, such
as research centres, industrial concerns, small- and medium- sized
companies, universities etc., which are established in the CEEC,
are eligible to participate in the Framework Programme activities
either under the specific programme for International Cooperation
(INCO), or under the specific programmes designed for cooperation
within the EU (Activity 1) on GIS-related topics (ESPRIT,
ACTS, Telematics,
etc.). In the case of INCO, proposals for R&D projects are
submitted through public calls for proposals (INCO-COPERNICUS
calls in 1996 and 1997) with the general aim
of promoting cooperation with the CEEC and specific objectives
including the safeguarding of CEEC R&D potential, solving
problems specific to the CEEC and industrial applications of R&D.
In the case of Activity 1 programmes, the focus is on cooperation
within the EU, and the participation of the CEEC is encouraged
in the context of their progressive integration into the EU. In
order to finance these activities, around two thirds of the funds
available from the Fourth Framework Programme, as a general rule,
should be devoted to INCO-COPERNICUS activities and one third
to finance CEEC participation in Activity 1 programmes.
The relatively high barriers to European research support have
so far only permitted a comparatively low participation in the
research programmes of the EU.
There are four main reasons:
- Firstly, lack of experience of and knowledge
about EU programmes, institutions and procedures in the CEEC.
- Secondly, problems of finding European
partners. In general, EU R&D programmes require collaborators
to originate from two or more different countries.
- Thirdly, uncertainty over the availability
of funding. Funding sources in the CEEC and in EU R&D programmes
are generally limited.
- Fourthly, lack of knowledge of potential
partners from the CEEC or even low levels of interest in cooperating
with them.
Any successful strategy to strengthen participation of the CEEC
in EU R&D programmes needs to start by addressing these weaknesses
and developing suitable approaches for resolving them.
- The first priority would be to develop
actions for awareness building on existing programmes, including
the legal framework which underpins EU funding mechanisms. New
concepts should be developed for "information days"
on EU R&D programmes, to be conducted in concert with the
partner countries, and focusing on selected target groups. Another
primary aim is to establish "dating agencies" to bring
together partners from different countries and from different
sectors of the economy, including, in particular, SMEs, users
and private laboratories and to assist them in the process of
finding suitable partners. Existing research networks should be
used and further developed for this purpose. Finally, a joint
"GIS information desk" should be established as a platform
for information exchange and for additional support in the awareness
building process.
- Better information is necessary, but to
achieve real improvements, the question of co-financing of joint
projects needs a satisfactory resolution. This will determine
the eventual share of the CEEC in EU R&D programmes. R&D
consortia need a guarantee that the necessary funding resources
under the Fourth Framework Programme, PHARE or under national
programmes are indeed available. The very limited funds of the
INCO-COPERNICUS programme are, however, not sufficient to provide
a satisfactory resolution to the problem of co-financing in order
to achieve a stronger CEEC participation in EU R&D
programmes.
The aim of EU R&D programmes is to foster industrial competitiveness,
both inside the EU and in cooperation with outside countries and
organisations. They are not designed for the purpose of development
aid, whether in the CEEC or anywhere else. There are, however,
EU programmes which do address this area - in the context of the
CEEC, the relevant programme being PHARE. PHARE funds are available
for R&D activities and infrastructure, depending on the national
priorities of the CEEC. Besides that, awareness building, the
promotion of ICT standards and joint pilot actions for building
the GIS may be funded. National priorities must therefore include
R&D. These funding possibilities should be more frequently
used and more specifically targeted. The funding criteria should
in this respect be applied as flexibly as possible in order to
smooth the way to the GIS for the CEEC. In addition, it is possible
to envisage the creation of a special programme concerned with
R&D infrastructure.
- The objectives and procedures of the various EU R&D programmes
are legally clearly defined; there are no legal barriers restricting
access for the CEEC to EU R&D programmes. The modalities of
the individual research programmes are, however, different in
each case - which does not allow an easy examination of the overall
situation. In general, the existing rules do allow sufficient
flexibility to react appropriately to the specific needs and priorities
of the CEEC.
In order to fully utilise the existing potential for research
cooperation between the CEEC and the EU, a close political dialogue
as well as an exchange of expertise is necessary. To achieve this,
the informal participation of the CEEC in meetings of the research
ministry council is of great importance; such joint meetings should
be organised on a regular basis in order to be used as a political
platform for intensive R&D cooperation. In addition, on a
technical level, it should be examined to establish High Level
Expert Groups that identify themes of common interest and that
prepare special actions to promote greater participation of the
CEEC in EU R&D programmes. As a first symbolic example of
such increased participation of the CEEC in EU R&D programmes,
the "Information Technology European Award" (ITEA) will
be extended to include the CEEC.
- There is enough scope for enhancing the participation of the
CEEC in EU R&D programmes by adapting their implementation
to the specific needs of the CEEC. It is, however, vital that
the quality of the proposals presented for funding is simultaneously
improved. Therefore, a closer cooperation with research institutions
and enterprises in the EU is necessary. Closer East-West research
cooperation is also important for the urgently needed strengthening
of privately financed R&D in the CEEC. In order to improve
international research cooperation for the GIS, it is possible
to envisage the inclusion of the CEEC in projects to build high-performance
European research networks. As an example of cooperation of this
kind, the participation of some CEEC research establishments in
the European Research Consortium for Information and Mathematics
(ERCIM) can be mentioned. Another example is the establishment
of ACTS National Hosts in the CEEC which serve as distributed
platforms for experimentation.
To strengthen R&D collaboration between the CEEC and the
EU, it is proposed
B1: to establish High Level Expert Groups for consultation on
EU R&D programmes on ICT
- Improving the information flow is necessary but not sufficient
in itself. In addition, efforts must be made - in the context
of the agreed priorities for the Fourth Framework Programme -
to take into account the specific circumstances of the CEEC.
- It is therefore proposed to examine the creation of High Level Expert Groups
with representatives from governmental CEEC institutions who are
acting in the fields of R&D in ICT. This would complete the
informal participation of the CEEC in R&D ministry council
meetings.
- The High Level Expert Groups
should meet on a regular basis to discuss with relevant EU R&D
programmes' representatives general policy issues as well as issues
of implementation and financing of joint initiatives with the
aim of increasing the participation of the CEEC in EU R&D
programmes.
B2: to improve information on existing programmes, including information
on funding possibilities
- Information days on current programmes, in particular on any
funding possibilities where it is particularly important that
both researchers and users are included.
- It is proposed that the different CEEC together with the European
Commission develop new concepts for a greater transparency of
the EU R&D programmes by taking into account specific national
conditions.
- It is envisaged that all relevant information on the EU R&D
programmes for ICT will also be available electronically in the
CEEC.
B3: to promote trans-European R&D partnerships, in particular
involving small and medium enterprises
- To improve research cooperation between the CEEC and the EU,
the existing funding possibilities must be extended. For this,
clear mechanisms should be established, in particular for channelling
PHARE funds into the co-financing of R&D projects submitted
under the Fourth Framework Programme.
- In addition, existing networks, e.g. for SMEs, should be further
used to bring together researchers and users ("dating agencies").
- The European Commission will examine which specific funding
mechanisms in the existing programmes could be used for targeted
actions to improve research cooperation between the EU and the
CEEC.
B4: to strengthen trans-European research networks
- International research requires powerful communication networks
which allow a quick and efficient exchange of data, text and graphics.
For this, high-speed European research networks have to be established.
- The CEEC should, therefore, put high priority on the building
of trans-European research networks especially in the context
of PHARE. This is equally important in view of the need to strengthen
private research capabilities so as to avoid further emigration
of highly qualified researchers.
- The EU will futhermore examine how the CEEC could be integrated
into the current projects involved in upgrading cross-border research
networks. The aim is to build European high-performance networks
as a backbone for international research cooperation.
C. The Role of R&D Applications and Pilot Projects in
creating the Global Information Society
- R&D does not and cannot exist in a vacuum. Scientists
and designers must not be too remote from the markets for which
the products and systems they develop and design are destined.
Thus R&D must be application-oriented. To achieve this, the
idea of using pilot projects to build small-scale versions of
"real-life" systems is of crucial importance so as to
test the new applications in a more realistic setting. It is not
sufficient to simply develop advanced ICT as building blocks and
tools for the GIS. What is important for their acceptance is that
they are also affordable, easy to use and that they create added
value for companies and citizens. Pilot projects, linking R&D,
existing infrastructure and new use of existing technologies into
the implementation of practical applications, should aim at demonstrating
the potential of the GIS and stimulating its realisation.
In building the GIS, experimental pilot actions are crucial to:
- raise public awareness of the necessity of the GIS
- shape technologies to better fit user requirements
- create a "cricital mass" for the demand of new services
- manage industrial change.
Nobody yet knows the exact future course of the GIS. What appears
a likely market winner of today may totally fail tomorrow. What
appears an unpromising new invention may prove to be highly profitable.
To create the GIS, an open and innovative environment is necessary.
Success or failure is not determined in laboratories. Pilot projects
can help to find this out before expensive marketing activities
are carried out.
- The Brussels conference of the G7
in February 1995 has contributed considerably to the process of
building public awareness, in particular due to the pilot projects
which the G7 countries agreed upon. The European Commission has
taken the leadership in four of them. Other pilot projects, as
described in the Bangemann report, are being carried out at both
national and European levels. Much experience gained in this area
is relevant to the CEEC who will, in some cases, be able to directly
join in these projects. Integration into such pilot projects represents
a "fast track" on the way to the information society,
especially as financial bottlenecks can thus be more easily avoided.
Of particular relevance to the CEEC is the G7 Global Inventory
Project (as well as the European inventory), which aims to produce
a database of existing national and international projects, studies
and calls relating to the information society. This would allow
the exchange of information on GIS projects in the EU and the
CEEC, of expertise and the implementation of joint projects. In
parallel, actions to build awareness in the CEEC need to be undertaken
and enforced. It is understandable that the information society
is not yet as much in the public eye as, for example, it is in
the EU. A change of attitude is, however, necessary to build the
required public climate for the creation of the information society.
- Because of the need to promote the private sector in the CEEC,
GIS pilot projects centred around SMEs are of particular interest
and relevance. The G7 Global Marketplace for SMEs project is an
attempt to foster increased industrial efficiency in small- and
medium-sized enterprises and to increase their participation in
global trade by using distributed databases for information exchange.
This is especially important for SMEs in the CEEC, not only for
international suppliers, using electronic commerce, but also to
build market-oriented distribution systems and to develop new
services. Special efforts are therefore needed to integrate SMEs
from the CEEC into such projects. For this, the existing networks
for SMEs, such as the Euro-Info Centres, should be strengthened
and better linked with the EU. Parallel actions to the GIS pilot
projects have already been undertaken with a view to facilitating
the CEEC joining e.g. in the field of the Global Marketplace for
SMEs and in the MARIS (Maritime Information Society) project.
These measures need to be reinforced and to be integrated into
the EU strategies.
Further cooperation possibilities are developing from industrial
applications of ICT, e.g. in the framework of the IT programme
of the EU (ESPRIT).
These are "first user actions" to test innovative applications
of information technologies. This requires a close collaboration
between R&D and industrial users. How the integration of partners
from the CEEC could be efficiently promoted in such projects needs
to be considered. At the same time, this would present an important
contribution to the restructuring of the economies of the CEEC
and support the diffusion of best practice.
- Productivity gains and quality improvements will not only
be possible in the private sector. Many of the new applications
being developed can be used to transform the efficiency of public
administration. Modernisation of public administration is at issue
here. It is also necessary in the CEEC to promote collaboration
in the area of "best practice" in public administration
by using E-Mail for communications within and between governments
and their clients; providing on-line services to the public; and
further development of electronic transaction processing techniques.
The use of networking, for example, can assist cooperation between
administrations at an international level. Such systems are already
widely used within the EU, and are essential in the day-to-day
operations of many of the agencies of the European Community itself
- for example in the pooling of police intelligence; in monitoring
the safety of foodstuffs; in providing customs information; aiding
the process of public procurement. A closer collaboration between
administrations is equally necessary in the area of transport
and road safety, for example in the development of reliable and
effective early warning and traffic control systems. Programmes
such as IDA and Telematics Applications foster the exchange of
data between administrations across borders and push forward the
modernisation of public organisations.
The development of such information systems in the area of public
administration within the CEEC and with the EU is critical to
the pre-adhesion strategies of the CEEC, just as they are critical
to the ability of the Member States to play a full role within
the EU. In this regard, the existing funding possibilities of
PHARE should be fully used for the building of European networks
between national administrations. Large amounts of data are being
collected, stored and used for different purposes by public authorities.
This results in many new application possibilities for ICT, for
example for storing and exchanging statistical, geological and
geographic data or using data in public health services. The exchange
of expertise between the EU and the CEEC on new innovative approaches
to modernise public services needs to be supported.
- The main requirement in information society-oriented pilot
actions is to bring together the right partners. Even more than
with research, such projects need public-private partnerships.
The public authorities act mainly as a catalyst in building the
information society; the most decisive role must be played by
private investors. It is therefore necessary to strengthen public-private
partnerships as part of the economic reform process. The willingness
of telecoms and industry - hardware companies as well as services,
software and multimedia enterprises - to invest in the CEEC is
high. Building the appropriate framework for private investment
in the CEEC is a crucial political task which needs to be supported
in the context of industrial cooperation with the EU.
To build the GIS in Europe, experimentation is of great importance
in raising public awareness and learning from practical experience.
For this, it should be envisaged
C1: to exchange information and expertise on GIS projects
- The European Commission is prepared to include the CEEC in
the current projects involved in building inventories of information
society projects in order to improve mutual information flow.
- The European Commission will continue to regularly inform
the CEEC on any progress in the implementation of its action plan
to promote the information society as well as on new instruments
to support experimental pilot actions.
- In order to improve the exchange of views between the CEEC
and the European Commission, joint working groups and panels,
including public authorities and private decision makers, should
be established for selected areas which will identify priorities
for possible cooperation and develop relevant financing plans.
C2: to support the organisation of conferences, workshops and
showcases in the CEEC
- Improved public awareness in order to build the GIS in the
CEEC is a high priority. The European Commission is prepared to
support public relations actions in conceptual and financial terms.
- Besides general efforts to increase awareness, target-oriented
actions are necessary to inform specific interest groups on the
implications and possibilities of the GIS.
- The CEEC and the European Commission will examine which joint
actions for awareness building can be organised and which associations
and other interest groups need to be involved.
C3: to extend experimental EU pilot actions to the CEEC
- New ICT applications are being tested and adapted to the market
all over Europe (and beyond), many of them with EU funding support.
We need to examine which of these experimental pilot actions could
be extended to the CEEC according to their national priorities.
All existing funding instruments should be coordinated for financing.
- The priorities for cooperation need to be determined by the
CEEC. The focus should be on close technical collaboration in
selected fields to promote European networks and applications.
For this, it is proposed to extend e.g. the "European Multimedia
Support Centres" as well as the "First user action"
of the IT R&D programme (ESPRIT)
to the CEEC.
- Particularly promising and urgent is closer collaboration
between the CEEC and EU in such application areas as networks
for SMEs, modernisation and cross-border cooperation of public
administration and managing structural change. Joint working groups
should be established for further elaboration of possible joint
actions in these (and other) fields.
C4: to promote industrial cooperation based on the results of
R&D
- The industrial exploitation of research results is of special
interest to the CEEC. Industrial applications of research results
should therefore be supported differently, in the context of PHARE
as well as within the EU research programmes, with the specific
aim of facilitating structural change in the CEEC.
- To help facilitate technology transfer, the existing "innovation
centres" need to be implemented as a network of Fellow Members
to the community Innovation Relay Centres (FEMIRC). The main objective
of the FEMIRC will be to contribute to the opening of the CEEC
to wider European cooperation in R&D and technology transfer
with a view to exploiting and developing their industrial potential
by establishing an infrastructure for information and advice on
EU R&D activities.
- In addition, the European Commission will support industrial
projects of various kinds: Series of sectoral meetings aiming
at exploiting research results and valorising the human network
developed through R&D projects, encourage large-scale and
long-term development projects with industrial participation,
finance "keep-in-touch" measures which combine research
and university training around specific research and educational
projects in order to maintain cohesion between research and industrial
actions.
Summary
The countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the EU agree that
the establishment of pan-European networks and services for a
Global Information Society are of mutual interest. R&D is
vital in enhancing the innovation process in the CEEC which is
necessary to adapt the information and communication technologies
to the specific needs of the CEEC as well as to explore new GIS
applications and to implement them in the marketplace. In order
to achieve this, the Working Group proposes an action plan with
the following elements:
A. To prepare the CEEC successfully for the GIS, there is need
for action, both at national and European levels. At national
level, it is important
A1: to establish forums and national panels on the GIS
A2: to develop and adopt national action plans to build the GIS
A3: to strengthen the role of R&D, especially of ICT, in economic
modernisation
A4: to actively support cooperation with the EU on R&D and
experimentation, especially by promoting private-public partnerships
and joint ventures
B. To strengthen R&D collaboration between the CEEC and
the EU, it is proposed
B1: to establish High Level Expert Groups for consultation on
EU R&D programmes on ICT
B2: to improve information on existing programmes, including information
on funding possibilities
B3: to promote trans-European R&D partnerships, in particular
involving small and medium enterprises
B4: to strengthen trans-European research networks
C. To build the GIS in Europe, experimentation is of great
importance in raising public awareness and learning from practical
experience. For this, the CEEC and the EU should agree
C1: to exchange information and expertise on GIS projects
C2: to support the organisation of conferences, workshops and
showcases in the CEEC
C3: to extend experimental EU pilot actions to the CEEC
C4: to promote industrial cooperation based on the results of
R&D