Update July 2000: Lithuania

The general context of Promotion actions in the period April–June 2000 is the evidence of actions at the highest State authorities, aimed to set the strategic Information Society development goals in Lithuania.

1. Annual Address to the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania

Lithuania’s President Mr Valdas Adamkus in his Annual Address (April 2000) to Seimas reported about ideas of the new Lithuania policy, the orientation of Lithuanian economy towards new information technologies. The new policy intends to follow the practise of Western and Central European economies and revitalise and expand business consulting and information systems. Special attention was paid to the development of Information Society in Lithuania, computerisation of Lithuanian schools, and Science and Education reforms. More information can be found at http://www.president.lt.

2. Lithuanian Conservatives TS(LK) Conference on May 13^th 2000

The Lithuanian Conservatives is Lithuanian Parliament (Seimas) majority party. The Prime Minister Mr Andrius Kubilius, in line with the Lithuanian President Annual Address, reported about the main principles of the new Conservatives Program ("Naujas vejas" - "New Wind"). The Program declares the importance of the development of new modern Lithuania ("e-Lithuania"), IT based modernisation of Lithuanian economy, and the development of Information society. The main tasks of the program are:

• creation of modern, competitive industry and energetic production;
• fast integration in the European market;
• modern State administration.

Planed actions of the Program:

• to prepare long term "e-Lithuania" development plans;
• to train and prepare citizens for IS possibilities;
• to create possibilities for business and citizens to use advanced communications and services;
• public administration should be ahead of IS development;
• to pay more attention to e-commerce;
• to computerise the schools, universities, research institutes should be a state priority.

More information can be found at http://www.tslk.lt/laikrastis/kubilius.html.

On the 27^th June 2000, Mr Andrius Kubilius presented the Project of Development of Information Society in Lithuania "e-Vejas". The report of Mr Kubilius was broadcasted on Internet. "E-Vejas" should be part of the new "Naujas vejas" Conservatives Program. More information can be found at http://www.tslk.lt/evejas/.

3. Programs

3.1. The Ministry of Science and Education had prepared a Draft on "Strategy of Development of Information and Communications for Lithuanian Education". Several Commissions are reviewing currently the Draft. Until now the computerisation of Lithuanian schools was being carried out without a future vision and strategy. It was being done based on spontaneous support. The "Strategy of Development of Information and Communications for Lithuanian Education" plans to connect all schools in a single Educational Network, and to increase by a large amount the number of computers in schools.

3.2. The Department of Information and Informatics under the Ministry of Public Administration Reforms and Local Authorities prepared the "Information Society Development Strategy". This three years Program was approved by the high level (inter-ministerial) State Information Policy Development Advisory Commission in June. According to this Program, the Lithuanian Government will support IS projects only in strategic areas and after approval by the Department of Information and Informatics.

Main information sources:

• Lithuanian Prime Minister office, http://www.lrvk.lt
• Lithuanian Seimas (Parliament), http://www.lrs.lt
• European Committee under the Government, http://www.euro.lt
• Department of Information and Informatics, http://www.iid.lt
• Ministry of Economy, http://www.ekm.lt
• Kaunas University of Technology, http://www.ktu.lt
• INFOBALT Association, http://www.infobalt.lt
• Lithuanian Computer Society, http://www.liks.lt