Information Society and Media: At A Glance
The Information Society and Media portfolio represents an economic sector which is crucial for prosperity and quality of life in the European Union.
This portfolio stretches from the underlying communications infrastructures to the content and services they deliver. It encompasses telecommunication networks, broadband internet access and satellite communications, new communications technologies such as ‘3G’ mobile communications and Internet telephony, and digital material as diverse as cinema releases and advanced eHealth services.
A Vital Economic Sector
“ICT is the bedrock of the modern economy, a major source of innovation and an increasingly important sector”
ICT is the bedrock of the modern economy, a major source of innovation and an increasingly important sector. It is, in fact, an essential driver for making Europe more competitive:
- ICT is the bedrock of the modern economy: it is the single most important source of productivity growth, accounting for 40% of EU productivity growth;
- The ICT sector is the major source of new innovations that fuel competitiveness: it represents around 20% of R&D expenditure Europe. Nearly all other sources of technological innovation depend on ICT - nanotechnology and biotechnology, for example, would be unthinkable without ICT.
- The ICT sector is itself an increasingly important sector: during the 1990s it doubled its contribution to the EU economy, rising from 4% to 8% GDP.
This message is not new: the EU competitiveness report and the EU economic review underline the importance of ICT, while the Kok Report (pdf) listed a “knowledge based economy” based on ICT as a top priority for the EU’s competitiveness strategy, and called for a “comprehensive and holistic” EU ICT strategy. And, naturally, ICT retains a central role in the “Growth and Jobs Strategy”.
Inclusion, Improved Services and Quality of Life
All Europeans, irrespective of health, wealth or where they live, should be able to benefit from the Information Society.
But we should not lose sight of the end goal – a better life for everyone in Europe.
While critical to generating the prosperity we need to cope with an ageing population and increasing international competition, ICTs can also directly improve people’s lives in many other ways:
- improving people’s health, both by providing advanced health technologies and by supporting more efficient, personalised health systems;
- offering new educational opportunities;
- improving government services and increasing democratic participation;
- helping us make our economic development sustainable for the sake of future generations;
- offering new cultural opportunities and bridging the barriers dividing Europeans, such as the city-country divide, or barriers of culture or language.
These technologies, in other words, will have a massive impact on our economy and society. It is therefore absolutely crucial that we do not leave anyone behind. All Europeans, irrespective of health, wealth or where they live, should be able to enjoy these benefits. It truly must be an ‘Information Society for All’, which means making ICT products and services more accessible to senior citizens and people with disabilities, to name just two groups.
Policies, Activities and Responsibilities
As Information Society and Media Commissioner, I have a number of important instruments at my disposal to contribute to Europe’s competitiveness, including the regulatory framework for electronic communications, the regulation of audiovisual content and the EU’s ICT research programme - see ‘Policies and Activities: An Overview’ for a more detailed introduction.
Being a coordinator of media affairs in the Commission the competitiveness of the media industry and media freedom are part of my portfolio.