Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-03-16-Speech-4-038"
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"en.20000316.2.4-038"2
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"Mr President, with the
Europe initiative, the Commission is reminding us that Europe is lagging behind in the development of the information society. That means it is lagging behind the United States which, indeed, no one would deny. But having said that, we should evaluate the quality of this backwardness: economic, political and social. How do we measure it?
The Commission says it wants to launch a political initiative, so let us take it at its word. Yes, Europe is backward in terms of access to the information society as a tool, a tool of knowledge, a tool of creativity, a tool for exchanging information. Yes, it is backward in terms of the development of e-commerce made possible by the Internet. But are these two forms of backwardness the same? Some might say ‘no matter’, we must strive for the wholesale development of the magnificent tool of digital information and that is an end in itself. That is the impression the Commission’s initiative could give.
But is it enough to set out a list of objectives, where the development of small enterprises is put on the same footing as the development of the public services, where electronic commerce vies with university education? The question that has not been asked is about the content of the information that is supposed to circulate thanks to this digital tool. Will that content be standardised or will it reflect the cultural and linguistic diversity of Europe? Will it be a social content or purely market-related?
Even now, the information society is creating social networks, giving rise to new cultural experiences, producing sites for political debate and exchanges of view. We need to evaluate them properly. The Commission refers to Europe’s backwardness and the need to make up for it. Between considerations of backwardness and urgency, we must not confine ourselves to speeding up this process but must instead consider the democratic and political conditions under which it takes place.
Technological progress is an all-too familiar slogan. In fact, the transformation we are witnessing is reminiscent of what happened with the invention of printing. We need to reflect very seriously about the challenges and changes it is bringing about. If the objectives are to strengthen employment and improve democratic access, as so clearly elucidated in Mrs Read’s report, it would be a pity to evaluate them solely in terms of the market and of economic development."@en1
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