Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-06-11-Speech-1-102"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20010611.6.1-102"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Europe goes online. E-europe, e-learning, e-commerce, e-business are on everyone's lips, and are increasingly setting the political agenda. But what about ‘e-development’? There is no doubt that the targeted use of modern electronic information and communication technologies can open up completely new perspectives for developing countries in particular. Of course, it would be wrong to raise false hopes by presenting ICT as a panacea. However, there is no disputing that in many countries of the Southern hemisphere, there is the potential – and the will – to bridge the digital divide. The developing countries themselves have an urgent interest in doing so, and I can only say that the response to my general report on this issue in the ACP/EU Assembly was extremely positive.
The task is to put the developing countries on the net as they move towards the knowledge and information society. This requires a targeted strategy. Our question is this: where is the European Dot-Force – similar to the agreement adopted at the G8 Summit – to promote the developing countries' access to global communications? The European Commission gives its admittedly rather tentative support to one or two projects, but this cannot obscure the fact that there is still no targeted strategy to support the developing countries moving towards the knowledge and information society.
The purpose of the report before us is to remedy this situation. I am confident that we will be able to engage in fruitful dialogue with the Commission on these issues.
Let me underline the following points. ICT must take on a key role in development cooperation as well. We have therefore proposed to the Commission that an appropriately staffed ‘development unit’ be set up to undertake continuous work in this area. It is the Commission's responsibility to ensure that qualified personnel are available so that we are equipped to deal with all future challenges. Our aim must be to enable the developing countries to share fully in the opportunities afforded by the information society and utilise all available technical options for this purpose. We have already moved closer to this goal: mobile telephony, for example, is ideally suited to cover Africa's vast open spaces. Solar powered telephone transmission cells on village squares, like Internet access, no longer need to be grid-bound and dependent on electricity.
New information technologies can also strengthen the links between the people and the state. They can help to improve healthcare, training and education, culture and the environment. They are certainly capable of conveying detailed information on these issues. However, this also requires rules, and I wish to conclude by making that quite clear. Here, too, we must work together with the developing countries to ensure that rules are adopted which enhance the social benefits of the new technologies and are not simply targeted to commercial gain."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples