The Information Society is strongly on its way. Within an open world economy private companies, administrations and national economies have to continuously pursue productivity, competitiveness and high quality services. The renewal process requires a desire and ability for change. Awareness of this process and the pressure to respond actively are still vague.

Business and trade opportunities have greatly expanded as Internet and other information networks for common use have emerged. Information networks accelerate the shift of production, marketing and service activities to specific units and collaborators, such as subcontractors, cooperative clusters and distance workers. Information networks open new local, regional and global markets and new means to find business partners. Electronic commerce is here to stay. These new opportunities and their economic impacts are still unsatisfactorily understood.

Governments consider the role of information technology in reforming services offered by public administrations and agencies. The main objective is to take full advantage of public information resources and make them easily accessible to all citizens through public information networks. Fair and equal access to open networks is a prerequisite to ensure that the potential and benefits of free information flow are gained. There is a need for best practices identification and for showing evidence of new high-quality services well received.

For individuals, whether in role of a consumer or a citizen, Information Society opportunities provide new challenges and benefits.It has to be ensured that everybody has the basic skills to use services offered by the networked Information Society. Electronic mail, information services, entertainment, electronic marketplaces and new services provided for citizens by administrations will be available. So far only a limited number of citizens have network connections and knowledge of the growing service supply.

The political, economic and social impacts of the Information Society are manyfold and in many respects still unforeseen. Concrete actions to increase public awareness and understanding of the opportunities, benefits and possible risks are needed in Europe.

The ISPO office of the European Commission has an important role to play in making these Information Society opportunities to come true in Europe.

Mission and objectives of ISPO

ISPO (Information Society Project Office) is a service unit established by the European Commission and jointly managed by DGIII (Industry) and DGXIII (Telecommunications, Information Market and Exploitation of Research). ISPO operates as part of Information Society Activity Center (ISAC) of the European Commission.

The mission of ISPO is to promote the process towards Information Society in Europe. As a service unit ISPO acts as a bridgebuilder between the European Commission Services and external counterparts, public and private, active in Information Society issues.

The main objectives of ISPO are derived from the Multiannual Community Programme for stimulating the Information Society development and are the following:

1. To increase public awareness and understanding of the opportunities, benefits and risks of Information Society development.

2. To optimise socio-economic benefits of Information Society development by promoting synergy and cooperation for widespread access and familiarity in the use of services provided by Information Society services and applications.

3. To enhance the role of Europeans and the European visibility within the emerging global Information Society.

The scope and aims of ISPO services are especially focused on the objective to reach a strong penetration of Information Society services usage in everyday life in Europe. The Information Society is powered by new and renewed services available through information networks. Strong emphasis is given to the issues concerning service production, distribution and usage. Understanding the factors and their interrelations behind succesfull service production, either on commercial basis or in form of free public service, is crucial and best practices in this area need to be identified. An interdisciplionary approach is necessary covering issues of technology, economy, social and societal aspects, education and training and people’s patterns of behavior, values and motivation.

ISPO activities and services aim to avoid polarisation to those fully equipped and skilled to benefit from the Information Society services and those lacking these facilities and abilities. The rapid speed of change within the community increases the risks of social exclusion. Especially elderly people, disabled, unemployed, and people living in rural sparsely populated regions are in danger. Social cohesion and sustainable development should be encouraged when putting Information Society opportunities in action. The opportunities and services of Information Society should be accessible to all Europeans.

The Information Society is strongly a global concept and phenomenon. The competitiveness and success of Europeans is measured in the global context and a constructive European visibility is a must. Exchange of information with developing countries and to encourage their access to the potential of global Information Society is justified. ISPO services provide information to assist Europeans to build their active global presence.

As a small unit ISPO has to take full advantage of the existing and evolving networking possibilities to establish effective platforms for its awareness raising, best practices dissemination and brokerage actions.

The site has achieved the position of one of the most popular servers within the European Institutions with a usage frequency of more than one million hits per month (December 1997). The site offers network visibility to Information Society related actions all over Europe and with a growing global approach. The site is the basic information source to cover EU actions and their results concerning the various aspects and dimensions of Information Society development.

The newsletter covers main Information Society news, projects, programmes and other actions with a European Commission relation. The newsletter is available as a leaflet and in electronic format.

The information desk service can be addressed through freephone, payphone, fax, email, Internet and traditional mail for making enquiries and for ordering information packages.

ESIS (European Survey of Information Society) as an ISPO led project provides an inventory of European actions launched to promote Information Society development, country by country profiles and Europe level summaries based on selected, formatted and organised information collected by ISPO and its subcontractors. (http://www.ispo.cec.be/esis/)

In cooperation with other ISAC activities ISPO is able to provide financial support for selected European Information Society projects and actions. The initiatives supported should meet the criteria of good return in terms of direct impact on awareness raising of Information Society opportunities and in optimising the socio-economic benefits of Information Society development in Europe.

These services are especially aimed for awareness raising, disseminating information, brokerage of ideas, applications and services, and for providing visibility for best practices through information services, seminars, conferences and workshops.