eEurope Advisory Group

Note: eEurope 2005 finished at the end of 2005.

Please note that these pages are archived and no longer updated.

For up to date information, please see the i2010 strategy website.

The Decision of the Council and the European Parliament on the MODINIS programme has allowed the Commission to establish an eEurope Advisory Group, chaired by the Commission and open to participation from all stakeholders (Members States, accession countries, consumer groups, and private sector, etc.).

According to the decision, the role of this Group is to:

Provide a strategic overview of ongoing e-initiatives across sectors and exchange information on progress made and on obstacles encountered;

Offer a forum for strategic discussions and for the exchange of experiences;

Monitor progress of the implementation of the eEurope 2005 Action Plan and give input and advice on possible improvements;

Permit early participation of candidate countries;

Disseminate information about eEurope.

The group is divided into two Sections:

The First Section:

This is composed of up to two high level representatives per participating country (Member States, plus Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey).

The representatives come from the national institution that comes closest to having overall responsibility for the implementation of the actions that fall under the scope of the eEurope initiative.

This Section facilitates political discussions at EU level, and its agendas are scheduled in line with INFSO policy activities. Sub-groups could also be set up as needed on an ad-hoc basis (e.g. Broadband, e-Government) to clarify some specific aspects of the political discussions.

The Second Section:

This is formed by 40 experts competent to express the concerns and interests of all other stakeholders (e.g. industry, consumers, user groups, social partners and other interest groups). The members are not representatives of a body or of an organisation and they are not replaced in case of absence.

The Second Chamber also mainly helps the Commission address technical issues relating to the eEurope Action Plan and to focus more on the wider challenges and perspectives addressed in the eEurope initiative.

Thematic discussions within the Section are organised in the framework of Working Groups. Each theme is led by a designated Rapporteur.

After internal discussion to adopt reports as the official position of the Second Section, Experts report to the First Section with the Commission comments. For these occasions, Joint Working Parties between the two Sections are organised.

The Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council Decision to adopt MODINIS