Digital Agenda: action plan to boost Europe’s prosperity and well-being
The Digital Agenda proposes to remove current obstacles to maximise the potential of ICTs, with long-term investments to minimise future problems, by outlining 7 priority areas for action:
- A new Single Market to deliver the benefits of the digital era, so that citizens enjoy commercial services and cultural entertainment across borders.
- Improve ICT standard-setting and interoperability in order to allow people to create, combine and innovate
- Enhance trust and security to feel confident and safe online.
- Increase Europeans’ access to fast and ultra fast internet to have internet speeds of 30 Mbps or above for all European citizens.
- Boost cutting-edge research and innovation in ICT by investing more in R&D and ensuring our best ideas reach the market.
- Empower all Europeans with digital skills and accessible online services so that citizens become part of the digital.
- Unleash the potential of ICT to benefit society by investing in smart use of technology and the exploitation of information.
Europe needs to tackle the challenges the European Citizen is facing and to create a virtuous cycle in which ICT stimulates the EU economy. This can happen when attractive services are made available in a borderless online environment and their availability and use creates demand for faster internet. This demand, in turn, creates investment opportunities in faster networks. When put in place and widely used, the faster networks open the way for even more innovative services.
European Technology Platforms for ICT adopt a long standing familiar approach commonly used in the ICT domain as most major European successes are the results of partnerships and consensus building exercises between industry and academia.