With the 2006 European Recommendation on Key Competences, Digital Competence has been acknowledged as one of the 8 key competences for Lifelong Learning by the European Union. Digital Competence is a transversal key competence which enables acquiring other key competences (e.g. language, mathematics, learning to learn, cultural awareness). This report is part of a project on Digital Competence (DIGCOMP), launched by JRC-IPTS IS Unit under an Administrative Agreement for DG Education and Culture with an objective to contribute to better understand and develop Digital Competence in Europe. The report also contributes to the second work package of the project, by mapping and analyzing case studies where Digital Competence is being developed, acquired, and assessed or certified.

Thanks to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)it will be possible in the future to provide all citizens, regardless of their location, with better and personalised healthcare, achieving at the same time relevant cost savings for patients and the society at large. Citizens and business’ interactions with public authorities will be faster and more effective, also across the borders. A greater number of people will be able to live safely and independently, and those from disadvantaged groups will be able to get fully involved in society. Last but not least, ICT will help tackling environmental issues, such as energy saving, in the perspective of a sustainable growth. This booklet lists projects that illustrate these benefits and show the strong potential in addressing and solving societal challenges.

The present report contains the final results for the study SMART 2009/0021 on “Enterprise 2.0 in Europe”, produced by Tech4i2, IDC and Headshift for the European Commission. The report is addresses 4 main issues: What is Enterprise 2.0? Why it matters? How is it implemented? So what should the European Commission do? The key novelty lies not so much in technological developments, but in the values of web 2.0: emergent approach, open innovation, no hierarchy, many-to-many, rapid development. In particular, we consider E20 as a key enabler of open innovation and innovative working practices (results driven, employee centered, based on open communication).

EU eInclusion policy goals reinforced in the flagship initiative ‘A Digital Agenda for Europe (2010)’ aim to both develop digital skills and competence for empowerment and emancipation and use ICT in support of social inclusion processes. The vast majority of the eInclusion initiatives in the field are carried out by the third sector and public sector organisations. In order to better understand how EU-third sector synergies could be strengthened in favour of the eInclusion process and, given the scarcity of data available about the structure, characteristics, needs and challenges of the civil society and the Third Sector Organisations (TSO), the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) has carried out an exploratory research study to shed some light on the above questions. The study, on which this report is based, starts by analysing the European policy framework for the third sector, and clarifies the nature and specificities of civil society and TSO activities and their contribution to social innovation. It analyses TSOs’ contribution to eInclusion objectives and makes an attempt to classify the different types of TSO from this perspective, providing many inspiring examples of TSO actions. Finally, it proposes some policy options to support and further develop the role that this sector plays in achieving eInclusion goals.

This report looks at how information and communication technology (ICT) is playing a key role in the education and training of European citizens. ICT offers far more than a convenient way to deliver educational content. Today, researchers are demonstrating how ICT can actually enhance the learning process for all Europeans and make lifelong learning part of everyday activity.

As a follow-up of the report of the High Level Group on Multilingualism, the European Commission initiated a study with the aim to investigate the impact on language learning of ICT and new media. The research deals with innovative learning methods as a complement to traditional face-to-face learning and teaching, both within and beyond the framework of formal education systems. The research presents an overview of formal and informal language learning in eight different European countries. In spite of differences in the take-up of new technologies for language learning, there are some universal tendencies that are demonstrated by the research. Through increased awareness about the benefits of innovative methods and concerted measures on national and regional levels, more people could be involved in language learning and make faster progress with the help of tailor-made technology support.

Evidence shows that social computing is already affecting the ways in which people find, create, share and learn knowledge, through rich media opportunities and in collaboration with each other. These practices are at the core of Education and Training, as they promote the competences needed for future jobs and enable new tools for educational institutions.

As part of its the commitment made in the Ministerial Riga Declaration on eInclusion, the Commission has carried out a review of 470 digital literacy initiatives in Europe. It finds that Member States have invested heavily in digital literacy and much has been achieved with increasing internet use by all sections of the population. However it warns that much remains to be done, particularly for the elderly, and finds evidence of a possible secondary digital divide in terms of quality of use. As part of the Review, the Commission invited a High-Level Expert Group to propose Recommendations based on its findings.

A short (16 page) brochure on how Information and Communication Technologies can drive innovation in education and contribute to Europe's policy for a learning society. Available in English.

The eContentplus programme focuses on stimulating the development of digital content for services in areas of public interest - geographic information, cultural, scientific and educational content.

In this working document of the High Level Group on the Employment and Social Dimension of the Information Society (ESDIS) the health impact of the introduction of ICT in the workplace and its potential for an ageing society is analysed.

Multimedia and internet technologies are opening new pathways to lifelong learning in universities, schools and workplaces. E-learning promises to enrich Europe’s skills base by giving individuals control over what, where, when and how to study.

The EQUAL Initiative, supporting the European Employment Strategy and the Social inclusion process, has selected some thirty "Success Stories", unfolding the experimental and innovative activities of pilot projects. The accessible and downloadable pages allow to search in the EQUAL results, and have now been enriched with new criteria relating to the European Employment Strategy and to the Social Inclusion process.

The final year of the eEurope 2005 Action Plan will provide a good opportunity to consider how European Information Society policy should evolve over the next five years if the EU is to reach its "Lisbon Goal" of higher growth, more and better jobs and greater social inclusion by 2010.

The Commission's Action Plan on Skills and Mobility (COM(2002)72) is designed to further the principle of the freedom of movement for workers, underscore the importance of labour market mobility in advancing the Employment Strategy, and open up the European labour markets so that they are accessible for all by 2005. Points of particular attention are ICT skills, eLearning and lifelong learning.