Bangemann's Vision Of A
Competitive & Sustainable Europe
| For more than four years, the European
Commission has been actively pursuing a comprehensive policy designed to build the
Information Society in Europe. Telecommunications policy, together with Social policy,
naturally constitutes central pillars of these efforts. Creating appropriate conditions
for new business, providing continuous support for technology development and pilot
projects, and raising public awareness have been other elements of this policy. Telework
has from the start been recognised as one of the main applications around which Europe
should focus major activities to exploit the changes confronting us. By making the best
possible use of technology in our working lives and in business we can create a
competitive edge in today’s global market. Making the best use of technology to avoid
unnecessary travel can contribute to a more sustainable world.
European Thrust
In order to ensure strong outreach to Europe’s citizens, the services of the
Commission are working to a common European Telework Agenda : a series of key events
spanning the spectrum of telework issues. These include social, technology and policy
areas, academic research, and events aimed at telework activists and practitioners. Taken
as a whole, the synergy of these complementary events provides a coherent European thrust
and character to the new ways of working debate and the development of appropriate
technology and services. In a world changing with an ever-increasing speed, we need to
co-operate in order to build a society we want to live in.
In this "Agenda", European Telework Week has
become a major element with the theme of "a Sustainable and Competitive Europe",
it has become one of the most successful European awareness activities, providing a
framework for many events all around Europe. |
European Commissioner
Martin Bangemann
|
Since 1995, each year’s events have been more
numerous. In 1997, 147 events were registered and over 300 actually took place; attended
by at least 10,000 people. In addition there were over 400 articles about Telework in the
European press with a readership of around 14 million readers, as well as coverage on
local and national radio and television with a combined audience of 18 million Europeans.
European Telework Week focuses on local needs, and is fed by world-best practice
examples and updates on the most recent developments in Europe; it contributes to the
introduction of new, faster, user-friendly technologies and services, stimulated by media
attention and strengthened by the unique partnership with industry.
The Future Is Upon Us
To better understand the issues raised by the emergence of the Information Society, it
is important that all Europeans get involved. It is the responsibility of all actors on
all levels of society to ensure that the information society will be an inclusive society,
for the benefit of us all.
The future is upon us. Now is the time to act, in order to create a future society we
would want our children to live in.
French Translation
German Translation
Italian Translation |
|
What Is Telework Week
An explanation of the rationale behind, history of and aims of European Telework
Week 
ETW 1998
The agenda for this year's event
ETW 98 Activities
Co-ordinator Ian Culpin explains what's happening in the 1998 event
An Invitation To Participate
All you need to know how to participate in the telework event of the
year
ETW Awards
Who is driving telework technology forwards, who is using innovative technologies
and strategies
Competing In The
Information Society
A preview of the conference being held in Genoa -
June 24 - 26
Work In A Changing World
Maarten Botterman of DG XIII -
Telecommunications, Information Market and Exploitation of Research - gives a personal
perspective
Telework Outlook
European Commission initiatives to drive telework forwards with social partners
Faces To Remember
Profiles of some of the individuals who are driving telework in Europe
forward
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Contents