Today and tomorrow, the 4th EU-LAC Ministerial Information Society Forum is being held in Lisbon. The aim of the EU-Latin America-Caribbean conference is to discuss and pool the respective measures and strategies in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector. In addition, efforts will be made to inject fresh impetus for the EU-Latin American Summit to be held in Vienna in mid-May. As representative of the Austrian EU Presidency, State Secretary for Finance Alfred Finz delivered the opening speech in Lisbon today.
Finz underlined the need for cooperation between the two regions. “ICT’s enormous potential lies in the cross-border and intercontinental exchange of experience: ICT should benefit all citizens, and help contribute towards better, lower-cost and more easily accessible public services and improve the quality of life. From an economic, social, ethical and political point of view, therefore, it is imperative to strengthen social, economic and territorial cohesion by making access to ICT products and services easier, also in less-developed regions”, he said
He also outlined the EU programme “i2010 – a European Information Society for Growth and Employment”, which provides for the creation of a single European information area, increased innovation and investment in ICT research in order to foster growth and employment and the setting up of an integrative European information society.
During the conference in Lisbon, the individual info society strategies of the two regions will be debated (i2010 in Europe and its counterpart eLAC 2007 in the Latin American and Caribbean countries). In addition, cooperation between the EU and LAC in the areas of e-Education, e-Health, public administration and social development will be discussed.
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