Information Society Policies :: Stimulating the Sector
Stimulating the Information Society Sector
Rolling out new technologies, products and services is not just a matter of research and development - policies are required to overcome obstacles ranging from copyright to security.
On this page: Research | Infrastructure | Content & Services | Moreover ...
Research
The 2005-2010
Perspective:
Under i2010's
Investment and Innovation in Research pillar, the Commission is
focusing both on the EU’s research and development instruments and
setting priorities for cooperation with the private sector to
promote innovation and technological leadership - see the
Research & Innovation
Theme for more details.
Infrastructure
Europe's electronic communications regulatory framework stimulates the development of Europe's infrastructure by promoting competition and growth across the communications sector (see Policies > Regulation for more).
Additional policies stimulate the development of specific aspects of Europe's digital infrastructure:
- Bridging the Broadband Gap: Europe is ensuring that all regions of Europe benefit from Broadband internet access;
- Space policy: the Information Society is a major user of space-based applications, from satellite positioning systems to broadband communications.
Content & Services
Stimulating the sector is also a question of stimulating the supply of content and services which make the Information Society valuable:
- Copyright: while policies exist to stimulate digital content (see next points) and manage copyright in a digital age (see Regulating > Content), the correct approach to Digital Rights Management technologies must also be found if the sector is to grow.
- The public sector is the single biggest producer of information in Europe, producing data on topics as diverse as economics, traffic flow and demographics. The EU’s Public Sector Information Directive therefore stimulates the sector by making it easier for companies to access and add value to this valuable raw material.
- Europe's cultural heritage is another potentially massive source of content. Digitising it would both stimulate the development of the Information Society and make this unique cultural heritage available to more people - see the Digital Libraries Initiative and the Lund Principles and Action Plan.
- RFID: developing policies on the opportunities and challenges posed by Radio Frequency IDentification technology;
- Europe's VAT arrangements for electronic services, applying to radio and television broadcasting services and certain electronically supplied services, ensure they are taxed in the country where the customer resides rather than where the supplier is located. This means EU suppliers do not have to levy VAT when selling outside the EU, removing a significant competitive handicap.
- Security: Finally, the Information Society cannot grow to its full potential unless users, companies and governments enjoy reliable networks; high levels of protection for personal data and from malicious attacks - see the Strategy for a Secure European Information Society.
Moreover ...
- See Policies > Exploiting the Benefits: exploiting the benefits of the Information Society will also stimulate growth in the sector by stimulating demand and removing barriers to adopting ICTs;
- Complementary Activities: The above policies are complemented by a range of European Activities designed to:
More Policies: Overview | Regulating the Market | Stimulating the Sector | Exploiting the Benefits | A-Z
Last Updated March 2007