The EU is investing heavily in e-government to help boost growth while delivering on the benefits of the information society, including greater cross-border collaboration, less fragmented research effort, and access to ICT anywhere, any time and by any one. This report examines how ICT is revolutionising the way citizens, businesses and public administrations interact.

The main objective of the study was to assess the potential contribution of various leading-edge technologies based on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to improve the energy efficiency of the EU economy and reduce green house gas emissions in the timescale of 2020. In order to do so, the team collected evidence from existing sources, built on case studies at company and sector levels, and evaluated the effectiveness of ICTs to increase energy efficiency by reducing both its own footprint and by being instrumental in reducing the footprint of all industrial and business activities.

In a short space of time, high-speed internet (broadband) has become fundamental to modern economies. It has changed the way we access the internet and how we use it. The European broadband market is developing rapidly and some European countries are world leaders. As the market grows, there is a need to assess the EU's readiness to further the development of broadband access. The new Broadband Performance Index (BPI) benchmarks the overall performance of the Member States on a range of factors, which include speeds, rural coverage, affordability, innovation and other socioeconomic dimensions.

This guide provides all stakeholders with user-friendly information on the different funding sources. It includes a description of each fund, advice for policy makers and an innovative Checklist and Scorecard. The Checklist and Scorecard allow potential beneficiaries to quickly identify exactly how they can access European funding at every stage of the development and implementation of a project.

"The Internet has profoundly changed our perception of society and our approach to everyday life. Today with billions of transactions streaming on the web, the Internet has certainly become the most powerful tool to share information" says Viviane Reding, European Commission for Information Society and Media in her preface to a new information brochure about state-of-the-art in research and policy developments on future networks and services. The publication presents the various ongoing European activities and future trends in network and service technologies.

The eris@ Annual Conference 2008 debated issues of vital concern for Europe and its regions - offering a range of perspectives from regional, national European and global levels on the opportunities and challenges that regions will face; offered participants the opportunity to gain understanding of the ways regions can contribute to the Lisbon Agenda and their own development; focused on Innovation and Creativity, the critical success factors in the emerging Knowledge Society.

The EU Roaming Regulation, in force as of July 2007, has lowered charges by up to 60% for consumers using their mobile phones abroad. The Regulation applies for roaming voice calls only - ensuring that those prices are not unjustifiably more expensive than at home. Although consumers today are paying significantly less for roaming voice calls, prices for SMS and data roaming services still continue to cost too much. The Commission is therefore working on proposals to ensure that consumers also benefit from a single market for text messages and data roaming services.

The Competitiveness and Innovation framework Programme (CIP) runs for the years 2007 - 2013. It is organised around three specific multi-annual programmes: 1) The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (EIP); 2) The Information and Communication Technologies Policy Support Programme (ICT PSP); 3)The Intelligent Energy Europe Programme (IEE). This factsheet deals with objective 2.2: ICT for adaptive urban transport management infrastructure and services.

Several barriers to free movement of workers still exist in the EU: for example, it is not easy to access public services while working or living in another country. The European Commission has launched a pilot project to remedy this situation with an EU-wide system for the recognition and authentication of electronic identity (eID via electronic cards or other means). It will enable businesses and citizens to securely use their national electronic identities and get help from public administrations in any Member State they live in or travel to.

The number and range of networked devices that use Internet addresses are still increasing quickly: from PCs and mobile phones to RFID readers and in-car devices. As demand for addresses continues to grow, it is time to start using the next generation Internet Protocol: IPv6 will remedy that situation.

Many EU countries use electronic procurement (eProcurement) to make bidding for public sector contracts simpler and more efficient. However, these national solutions have limited communication across borders.

The i2010 strategy brings together all European Union policies, initiatives and actions that aim to boost the development and the use of digital technologies in every day working and private life. These technologies - also known as information and communication technologies (ICT) – make a positive contribution to economic growth, job creation and the enhancement of the quality of life. i2010 is part of the Lisbon strategy to make Europe a more competitive and dynamic knowledge-driven economy.

The 'Intelligent Car Initiative' provides the policy framework for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions for smarter, safer and cleaner road transport in Europe. It aims to reduce road accidents, congestion and gridlock, and to lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

The 7th Framework Programme provides financial support for transnational research for and by SMEs wishing to innovate and improve their competitiveness, by enhancing their investment in research activities to acquire new knowledge for growth in Europe’s knowledge-based economy. Four specific Programmes comprise the major building blocks of FP7, three of which have direct relevance for SMEs. These are: the Cooperation Programme which will promote collaborative research; the People Programme which will develop human potential; and the Capacities Programme which will strengthen research capacity. This publication is designed as a step-by-step guide showing SMEs exactly where and how they can obtain funding to help their businesses grow.

Europe's telecom sector has grown strong. But if we want to keep up with the changes of a globalizing world, more needs to be done to maintain its strength.

10 Background Factsheets for the Press

The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has become an essential feature of both economic and social activity across Europe. In nearly all European countries and in all age groups, however, men are more regular users of both computers and the internet than women and many more men than women are employed in computing jobs throughout the EU.

The Commission Communication on Intelligent Car proposed twelve specific actions in three domains called pillars: Co-ordination and support of the work of the relevant stakeholders through the eSafety Forum, Research and Technological Development (R&D) and Awareness raising actions.This Communication reports on progress in these actions, proposes new measures, and seeks further support of the Member States and the Industry for their prompt implementation, complementing the other aspects of the integrated approach for achieving safety and environment objectives, notably measures linked to infrastructure and driver behaviour.

MEDIA 2007: €755 million from the European Union to support Europe's film industry from 2007-2013. A clear priority is the distribution and promotion of European films outside their originating country, across Europe and worldwide (almost 65% of the total budget). Under MEDIA Plus and MEDIA Training (2001-2006), more than half a billion euros were injected into 8000 projects from over 30 countries.

The objective of eSafety is to improve road safety through the use of Intelligent Vehicle Safety Systems. It is a cooperation of European industries and the Commission under the umbrella of the Intelligent Car Initiative.