— Posted by the Going Local Team for Romania

Timisoara, Iasi si Cluj sunt cele trei orasele din Romania care vor gazdui dezbateri, prezentari si mese rotonde pe tema Agendei Digitale. La evenimente vor participa reprezentatii ai Ministerului Tehnologiei Informatiei si Comunicatiilor,  ai Comisiei Europene (Directia Generala Societatea Informationala si Media), dar si ai autoritatilor locale si judetene. Astfel de întilniri au loc si în celelalte State Membre în paralel.

Ideea “Going Local” s-a nascut pentru a promova actiunile Agendei Digitale la nivelul tuturor partenerilor interesati, fie ca este vorba despre autoritati locale, intreprinderi sau consumatori. In fiecare dintre orasele mentionate se vor aborda diferite teme ale initiativei-pilot Agenda Digitala. Cercetare si inovare, competente digitale, e-guvernanta sau banda larga sunt doar cateva dintre temele principale propuse de organizatori.

Esti interesat? Iata programul:

Timisoara, 3 Octombrie, Hotel Timisoara

Iasi, 6 Octombrie, Hotel Unirea

Cluj, 11 Octombrie, Hotel Hotel Golden Tulip Ana Dome.

Detaliile puteti gasi pe site-ul Agendei Digitale.

Number of views: 639

— Posted by Nicole Dewandre & Freddy Dezeure, Digital Agenda ambassadors for Belgium

Although the European Commission is located in Brussels, the Digital Agenda will be going local in Belgium this Autumn!

You may ask: “Why are we going local in Belgium if the European Commission is already based in Brussels?” Well, to meet with the Belgians who are involved in shaping tomorrow’s Belgium and European digital landscape and  learn from them about their progress, their concerns, their expectations from the European Commission regarding the digital transition.

Our first stop will be Brussels next week – the 11^th October! You can also pencil two other dates into your calendar if you want to attend the events that have been scheduled in Namur on the 24^th November and in Antwerp on the 29^th November.

Read the full entry

Number of views: 951

Posted by Paul Timmers,  Director for “ICT addressing societal challenges”, DG Information Society and Media, European Commission

The economic crisis is challenging the European social model.  In his ” State of the Union”  President Barroso pointed out: ” …growth in the future will depend more and more on harnessing information technology… In a competitive world we must be also well-educated with skills to face these new challenges.”

Good points, but how exactly can ICT help to contain the economic crisis and speed up recovery and jobs creation?

This is the central question that will be addressed next week, on October 5^th-7^th, when Gdansk will host the European conference “Innovation for Digital Inclusion”.

The conference includes three intense days of debate on the innovative usage of ICT and its importance  for  e-Inclusion in Europe.  For example… Read the full entry

Number of views: 979

Posted by  the Country Team for Denmark,  DG Information Society and Media, European Commission

Hvordan skal Europa komme i den digitale front i den globale konkurrence med USA og vækstøkonomierne i Asien og Sydamerika? Hvad skal EU gøre for at understøtte erhvervslivets muligheder for IKT-baseret vækst? Hvad har danske virksomheder behov for fra EUs side?

Du inviteres hermed til at deltage i et eller flere af i alt tre regionale møder med udveksling af idéer mellem virksomheder, forskere, offentlige myndigheder og repræsentanter fra Europa-Kommissionen. Møderne afholdes i efteråret 2011 i Sønderborg, Aarhus og København.

Møderne vil give deltagerne mulighed for at påvirke udviklingen af den europæiske IKT-strategi, få mulighed for at høre om de europæiske målsætninger og hvilke konkrete tiltag, der er i støbeskeen.

Det er naturligvis gratis at deltage i møderne, der arrangeres i partnerskab med Dansk Industri (ITEK), it-forum midtjylland, IT-Branchen og IT- og Telestyrelsen.

Der afholdes tre møder i Danmark i løbet af efteråret 2011: Read the full entry

Number of views: 342

Posted by Peteris Zilgalvis, European Commission, Head of Unit at DG Information Society and Media, Digital Agenda ambassador for Latvia

14. oktobrī rīkosim Rīgā semināru par Digitālo programmu Eiropai 2011. Šī programma  ir viena no Eiropas Komisijas ekonomikas stratēģijas “Eiropa 2020″ parauginiciatīvām,  kas pieņemta, lai maksimāli izmantotu  informācijas un komunikācijas tehnoloģiju (IKT) sniegtās iespējas Eiropas ekonomisko un sociālo mērķu īstenošanai līdz 2020. gadam. Digitālā programma aptver 101 konkrētu Eiropas Savienības un dalībvalstu līmenī veicamu pasākumu, lai stiprinātu  digitālo vienoto tirgu, sadarbspēju un standartizāciju, uzticēšanos un drošību, izmantojot jaunās tehnoloģijas, ātru piekļuvi internetam, pētniecību un inovācijas, digitālās prasmes un iekļautību, kā arī IKT pielietojumu dažādās dzīves jomās. Sekmīga Programmas īstenošana veicinās saimniecisko izaugsmi un ikdienišķus uzlabojumus gan privātpersonām, gan uzņēmumiem.

Eiropas Komisijas Informācijas sabiedrības un plašsaziņas lidzekļu ģenerāldirektorāts (DG INFSO) sekmē Digitālās programmas īstenošanu  un rīko ikgadējās sanāksmes katrā dalībvalstī, lai informētu mūsu sadarbības partnerus par jaunām iniciatīvām un iespējām Eiropas Savienībā, piemēram, struktūrfondu un pētniecības projektu ietvaros, kā arī lai iegūtu informāciju no dalībvalstīm saistībā ar Digitālās programmas ieviešanu. Read the full entry

Number of views: 612

Posted by Detlef Eckert,  European Commission, Director at DG Information Society and Media, Digital Agenda ambassador for Poland

According to official Polish statistics, the Polish society is quite polarised when it comes to using the internet – while 93% of Polish citizens between 18 and 24 years old take advantage of the potential of the internet, most of the elderly people do not use it at all.

After the first Going Local event to Poland this year, my feeling is that things are going to change for the better, as far as the e-inclusion and other aspects of the Digital Agenda are concerned.

During a 2-day visit to Warsaw, I had the opportunity to speak to a wide range of stakeholders who perceive the Digital Agenda as one of the key factors for the socio-economic development of Poland:

1. At the meeting with Minister Michal Boni, chief of strategic advisors to the Polish Prime Minister, I learnt about the plans to reform Polish educational system. The objective is to offer more e-skills to pupils and students and therefore, prepare them better to the demands of the labour market of the XXI century… (read more) Read the full entry

Number of views: 464

— Posted by Fred-Arne Odegaard, Policy officer at DG INFSO

In the context of the Going Local 2011 exercise, our Director General Robert Madelin will visit Norway Tuesday and Wednesday 20-21 September.

On Tuesday he will have meetings with the Minister of Administration, Government Reform and Church Affairs, Ms Rigmor Aasrud, meet senior officials from the Norwegian government to discuss Norwegian plans to develop a Digital Agenda for Norway, visit the Simula Research Centre and Seniornett.

On Wednesday he will give the opening key note speech at Nokios, the yearly Norwegian eGovernment Conference.  And he will visit St Olav hospital and see how this modern hospital uses ICT for administration and operations.

If you have an interest in these meetings and in discussing a Digital Agenda in Norway, keep an eye on our website. Follow us on twitter @DigitalAgendaEU and use the hashtag  #daelocal_no & #daelocal 

Robert Madelin is also on twitter @eurohumph

Number of views: 1696