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• Incorporating awareness as clear strategy for motivating participants

• Ensure clear leadership and the high motivation of promoters and the commitment of key players

• Integrating the project in a general strategy for change (e.g. administrative reform, political re-engineering etc.). It is clear that there is a need for an integrated strategy for change and that high levels of awareness and clear leadership is needed in order to generate motivated participation and commitment.

• Long term commitment (e.g. contractual commitments between partners)

• Inertia and resistance to change

• Lack of awareness among potential end users and decision makers which causes weak demand for services

• Access costs for certain types of applications are prohibiting to certain categories of users

• Infrastructure constraints are particularly important for applications with a social dimension

• Tendency to opt for a competitive approach between projects where collaboration between players would provide better results for all concerned

• Low of consumer confidence in the use of the Internet as users particularly with respect to security, privacy, uses and product quality

• Low of availability of information to consumers in their own languages

• Lack of guidance on their rights of consumers in the information society

• Multi-disciplinary applications should be favoured
• Involvement of policy makers, researchers, industry and users as early as possible in the design of the projects
• Promote the availability of public information on-line
• Open and flexible approach - e.g. by Memoranda of understanding between relevant players - should be promoted
• Guidance tools should be incorporated (e.g. mapping the net, catalogues, information brokers, search engines)
• Design of applications to include as wide access features as possible
• Public sector procurement of IS applications should include a "design-for-all" clause (e.g. to take into consideration persons with disabilities)
• Actively promote inter-operable, user friendly systems with multilingual facilities
• Promote the development of new business practices and the promotion of standards
• Promote the exchange of information and findings between different initiatives/projects across Europe
• Enhance the catalyst role of local and regional players particularly for applications targeting SMEs
• Promote the development of a clear, easy to understand and neutral tax environment
• Actively promote the participation of consumer organisations
• Promote the learning opportunities offered by the creative use of ICTs
• Where appropriate, promote common structures and guidelines for access to the information
• Involve the traditional media in the awareness plans
• Promote the participation of multiplier groups (e.g. associations, fora etc)
• Development of clear strategies and incentives for the development of public/private partnerships
• Constant review of evolving consumer and citizens needs
• Ensure that sufficient funding is available from the start of the projects

• Continue to monitor the information society activities at local/regional and national level.

• Continue to put considerable effort into increasing public awareness but also in highlighting the relevance of information society for the way we work, live and are educated. The Information Society Forum will continue to play an important role and will be organising a major awareness event in 1999 - the Information Society Day.

• The importance of the development of public - private partnerships for the launching of initiatives was evident and the Commission and the Member States, regional and local authorities need to further promote this aspect.

• On the basis of the work done so far within ESIS, other related activities at Member State level and internationally, there is a need to launch a global discussion at appropriate fora on the methodological aspects of monitoring developments in the information society.

• Further promote the development of synergies between projects and initiatives and to minimise any effort being wasted on "rediscovering the wheel". To this aim, a workshop will be organised by ISPO in 1998 in order to further discuss the development of synergies between inventories, as well as discuss the methodological aspects of monitoring information society developments.

• Promote the development of suitable content which reflects the needs and values of the European citizens

• Support the launching of the proposed measures to help disadvantaged social groups actively participate in the Information Society developments in order to promote social inclusion.

• Promote further projects which focus on enhancing the democratic rights and participatory mechanisms for citizens, traditional manufacturing and SME’s.

• Promote the better understanding of the optimal use of information society technologies for environmental impact reduction and the promotion of a wider business and public awareness of the sustainability options for a "Model Europe" approach.

• Provide a good example by the commitment of the European Union Institutions and Member State governments to use the new ICT tools as much as possible in their everyday management procedures.

• Promote the development of a European standard for Internet content selection which will reflect European values.

• Provide guidance on the interactive use of the Internet for minors

• It is clear that the Information Society poses a communication challenge for all concerned and in particular for the media. This conference ended with a Round Table bringing together members of the media and it was clear that the media should fulfil their role as communicators in awaking the general public and motivating people to actively participate in the developments of the information society. Additional activities focused on journalists and the media should therefore be organised in order to highlight this communication challenge.