European Commission

If you would rather look at the full text of my message to the amazing staff of Telecentre Europe, for their summit in Budapest this week, then read on.

Not only does Telecentre Europe do great work – your conference is
bringing to life the most important values of the Digital Agenda for
Europe: inclusion, ambition and partnership!
When I think of the millions of people we need to involve in order to
make the Digital Agenda a success, the 300,000 Telecentre staff are
among the first people I think of.
Firstly – you and your staffs are multipliers. I think it is amazing that you
reach 12 million of the hardest to reach people every year. This shows a
dedication and flexibility that is hard for governments to match.
Secondly – you are essential to this Agenda. We simply can’t tap the full
benefits of ICT if a whole section of society is left behind. So in many
ways your work is the inspiration for my message: “Every European
Digital.”
Thirdly – our dialogue is proof of the value of partnership. The Digital
Agenda won’t work if it is just a set of regulations, or just a series of
cheques. It has to be about millions of overlapping conversations and
millions of us working together. It must range from the grassroots of
teaching an individual about the internet through to building supercomputers
in laboratories.
The fact that Telecentres are European but not funded by the EU is a
powerful indication of the general conviction that this is essential area of
work, all across Europe. We do not need to push; you self-organise and
are a crucial partner to us.
You probably also want to know what I see as your best contribution to
the Digital Agenda. That is indeed a hard question to answer.
I think it is by avoiding that ICT creates new social divides. Thus we
should ensure that all Europeans will have the skills to be able to
participate in the digital society.
I don’t need to convince you of this, however. The legacy of Telecentres
in not that they can help a government reach a target – it is that they can
transform how individuals and communities see themselves; it can set
people onto a better path in life.
Indeed, I saw this year how you got 68,000 people online for the first
time during e-skills week. That is really amazing!
But here is another challenging thought: we have to match that figure
every single week for the next five years to meet my target of halving the
number of European who have never been online.
So I want to congratulate you on your concrete success and your
ongoing passion. But I also want to hear your ideas on how we move to
the next gear.
As with most things in the digital agenda, there will need to be a
comprehensive mix of actions and approaches to really deliver on this
vision of inclusion. The Telecentre system will be very important. In
addition, we need to have role models from all walks of life, we need
national governments to invest in putting more e-skills in their school
curriculums, we should also mobilise family and social structures.
Telecentres therefore also needs to team up with others. Build
partnerships with industry and authorities. Work with those that are
rolling out broadband and those that promote the new digital services for
self-care of the elderly, for lifelong learning, for enjoying government
services online. All of those actors and actions can reinforce each other
and if we do it well, by measuring and showcasing results, we will
amplify each other’s enthusiasm and impact. As European Commission
we can help make the connections.
As we go about doing this, I want you to know that I will be keeping a
keen eye on your work. Like you, I want to equip our people with the
confidence and the experience to go on using ICT throughout life.
Thank you – and I sincerely hope you come up with some innovative
ideas to scale up your activities and find opportunities for collaboration
with the Commission and industry.
I am looking forward to see the results.

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Tags: e-Inclusion, e-Skills, eInclusion, eSkills, Neelie Kroes, Neelie Kroes Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes Telecentre Europe Summit Budapest, Neelie Kroes telecentres, telecentre europe