EU Sets Digital Agenda

The European Commission announced the Digital Agenda for Europe, a long-term plan to boost economic growth and extend benefits of the digital age to every person in Europe. The Digital Agenda contains seven goals to achieve:

1.Create The Single Market, which would unify legal online content by simplifying copyright clearance and manage cross-boarder licensing. Under The Single Market electronic payments and invoicing and online dispute resolution would be made easier.

2. Improve interoperability and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) standards by making software, products and services open.

3. Improved trust through enhanced security. This step requires better coordination between European response to cyber attacks and improved personal data protection. This step might require websites to inform their users of security breaches.

4. Improved internet speed and access. The 2020 target for internet speed is 30 Mbps or faster for all European citizens, with half of European homes receiving speeds in excess of 100 Mbps. Growing access and speed means the increased adoption of fiber-based networks.

5. Increase ICT research and innovation. The European Commission plans to accomplish this goal through investments of both private capital and European regional funding.

6. Educate all Europeans on how to use and access online services.

7. Use ICT breakthroughs to benefit society. Improvements that arise from ICT breakthroughs, such as improved energy consumption or digitized, online medical records will be reintroduced back into the society at large.

These seven goals generate another 100 follow-up actions, 31 of are legislative. The seven initiatives fall under the EC's Europe 2020 strategy. There is no definitive start date for this initiative.