The report A Green Knowledge Society is delivered to the Minister for Communications

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The report “A Green Knowledge Society – An ICT policy agenda to 2015 for Europe’s future knowledge society” was delivered today by a study team at SCF Associates Ltd, to the Swedish Minister for Communications Åsa Torstensson.

The report will be a foundation for discussions at a conference 9-10 November, “Visby Agenda – creating impact for an eUnion 2015”. The task for the study team has been to identify which ICT policy issues should be included in an ICT policy agenda for Europe to 2015.

“The Swedish Presidency is now working to lay the foundation for EU’s future ICT policy. 9-10 November we are arranging a conference in Visby that will be a major contribution for the work of the Commission to propose a new ICT-policy agenda for EU. The report is an important foundation for discussions in Visby” said Åsa Torstensson.

In a comment to the report, Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media said, “Europe’s digital economy has tremendous potential to generate huge revenues across all sectors, but to turn this advantage into sustainable growth and new jobs, the EU institutions and national governments must show leadership by adopting coordinated policies that dismantle existing barriers to new services”.

“The ICT sector can lift Europe out of the present economic crisis – if we can agree on an ambitious agenda for a pro-competitive and green European knowledge society and for a single market for digital goods and services.

The Commission is working closely with the Swedish Presidency to achieve such an agenda” said Ms. Reding.

In the report, the study team proposes a list of ten issues as important for a European information society after 2010. The suggestions puts an emphasis
on the need for a future strategy to focus on the support that ICT can deliver for a more environmentally friendly development.

“I hope this report will be thoroughly and publicly debated before the conference in November, and that we will be able to bring with us to Visby important views from this debate, on which issues that are perceived as more important than others” said Åsa Torstensson.

The Swedish Government wishes to make use of new opportunities offered by ICT, and encourage the use of #visbyagenda to tag the debate.

The report is available for download at www.se2009.eu/visbyagenda

The website also offers more information about the conference 9-10 November.