Fostering the competitiveness of Europe's ICT industry: Commission launches Task Force

The information and communication technology (ICT) sector is a key contributor to growth in the EU. Meeting for the first time yesterday, the new Task Force – launched by the European Commission – will tackle barriers to competition and the competitiveness of the ICT sector. The ICT Task Force is composed of high-level representatives of the ICT industry and of civil society. This is one of several Commission initiatives that aim to help create a more favourable environment for business in the EU.

Vice-President Günter Verheugen, responsible for enterprise and industrial policy, said: "This Task Force should provide us with new ideas and coherent recommendations to promote the competitiveness of the Europe's ICT industry. This is an important element of our new industrial policy.'

Viviane Reding, the Information Society and Media Commissioner, stressed: "The ICT industry is crucial to Europe's economic recovery, and a strategic, market-oriented co-operation of the EU institutions with the private sector is the key to its successful development. With the ICT Task Force, we want to ensure that Europe's ICT industry keeps its leading role in the world. Jointly, we will focus our work on facilitating cross-border competition in Europe, on removing barriers for a true internal market for online content services, and on combining more effectively public and private research efforts to spur ICT investment."

The ICT Task Force will address the following topics:

  • ICT uptake
    This working group will identify potential reasons for the divergence with leading regions. Topics to be covered will include the adaptability of enterprises to changing technologies, the impact of the ICT uptake on the workforce, the adequacy of ICT education for Europe's workforce, and the importance of standards and ICT interoperability.
  • IPR for competitiveness and innovation
    This working group will assess the contributions that Intellectual Property makes to Europe’s economies; to study the link between IP, R&D and innovation; to explore the scope, causes and impact of piracy; the importance of standards and ICT interoperability
  • Innovation in R&D, manufacturing and services
    This working group will consider three distinct elements of innovation: R&D, manufacturing and services (i.e. turning the result of R&D into value-added products and services). More specifically, in the R&D space, the group will consider issues such as how to prioritize R&D in line with Lisbon and i2010 targets.
  • SMEs and entrepreneurship
    This working group will seek to identify the optimal business environment for ICT/SME success. Issues to be addressed will include entrepreneurial capacity, e-skills, access to finances, start-up and innovation support, the role of patents, the vertical and horizontal clustering within industries and between larger and smaller companies, cooperation with academia and necessary improvements to the regulatory environment, all as they relate to SMEs.
  • Skills and employability
    This working group will focus on three closely inter-related issues in this context: (1) how best to interest future generations in the process of technology innovation; (2) how to apply ICTs to transform the way these generations learn and work (i.e. how they obtain, manage and share knowledge); and (3) how to create an environment that attracts and retains the highly-skilled.
  • Achieving a truly single market
    This working group will consider how to promote ICT innovation in Europe’s internal market. Recommendations will be made with the aim of making the European market more attractive for competitors, for enhancing effective competition and for developing further incentives to encourage ICT companies. Background

The ICT sector contributes 5.3% of EU's GDP and 3.6% of its jobs. It also accounts for 20% of economy-wide labour productivity growth. Despite the burst of the Internet bubble in 2001, the ICT sector continues to achieve above-average growth and is still the EU's most innovative and research-intensive sector, accounting for 25% of the total EU research effort in the business sector.

The setting up of the Task Force was announced in the Communication on Industrial Policy from October 2005, which aims to address the competitiveness of the EU manufacturing sector and to create a more favourable business environment.

The recommendations by the ICT Task Force areas will reinforce the activities undertaken under the umbrella of the i2010 initiative – a European Information Society for Growth and Employment, launched by the Commission in July 2005.

The Task Force is co-chaired by Heinz Zourek, the Director-General for DG Enterprise & Industry, and Fabio Colasanti, the Director-General for DG Information Society & Media.

Task Force membership reflects a balance between industry and civil society. The Commission in addition invites all interested parties to take part in the debate via online contributions. For further information, please visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/ict/taskforce.htm

Most Popular Now

AI Model can Read ECGs to Identify Femal…

A new AI model can flag female patients who are at higher risk of heart disease based on an electrocardiogram (ECG). The researchers say the algorithm, designed specifically for female patients...

Researchers Find Telemedicine may Help R…

Low-value care - medical tests and procedures that provide little to no benefit to patients - contributes to excess medical spending and both direct and cascading harms to patients. A...

AI Revolutionizes Glaucoma Care

Imagine walking into a supermarket, train station, or shopping mall and having your eyes screened for glaucoma within seconds - no appointment needed. With the AI-based Glaucoma Screening (AI-GS) network...

North Cumbria Integrated Care Signs 10-Y…

North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (NCIC) has signed a long-term agreement for use of the Alcidion Miya Precision platform, to provide an electronic patient record (EPR) for the...

AI Accelerates Discovery of Neurodevelop…

Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) approach that accelerates the identification of genes that contribute to neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy and developmental delay. This new...

AI may Help Clinicians Personalize Treat…

Individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), a condition characterized by daily excessive worry lasting at least six months, have a high relapse rate even after receiving treatment. Artificial intelligence (AI)...

AI can Open Up Beds in the ICU

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals frequently ran short of beds in intensive care units. But even earlier, ICUs faced challenges in keeping beds available. With an aging...

AI Model Predicting Two-Year Risk of Com…

AFib (short for atrial fibrillation), a common heart rhythm disorder in adults, can have disastrous consequences including life-threatening blood clots and stroke if left undetected or untreated. A new study...

Accelerating NHS Digital Maturity: Paper…

Digitised clinical noting at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is creating efficiencies for busy doctors and nurses. The trust’s CCIO Dr Andrew Adair, deputy CCIO Dr John Greenaway, and...

Can AI Help Detect Cognitive Impairment?

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can be an early indicator of Alzheimer's disease or dementia, so identifying those with cognitive issues early could lead to interventions and better outcomes. But diagnosing...

Mobile App Tracking Blood Pressure Helps…

The AHOMKA platform, an innovative mobile app for patient-to-provider communication that developed through a collaboration between the School of Engineering and leading medical institutions in Ghana, has yielded positive results...

Customized Smartphone App Shows Promise …

A growing body of research indicates that older adults in assisted living facilities can delay or even prevent cognitive decline through interventions that combine multiple activities, such as improving diet...