The Digital Agenda committed the EU to carry out 101 specific actions (78 for the Commission, of which 31 are legal proposals, and 23 for Member States) which will together boost investment in, and use of, digital technologies. Overall, almost 10 % of the actions have been completed, 80 % are on track and the remaining 10 % are delayed.
Regarding the 13 key performance targets, the Scoreboard shows good progress in:
- Regular Internet use: This has risen rapidly to 65 % of the EU population (target is 75 % by 2015). Disadvantaged groups like the less well-educated and the elderly are also using the Internet more, up from 42 % to 48 %, bringing within reach the 2015 goal of 60 %. Non-users have fallen from 30 % to 26 % of the population.
- eGovernment: 41 % of citizens use eGovernment services, half of whom have returned completed forms online. The eGovernment Action Plan should help realise the 2015 target of use of eGovernment services by 50 % of citizens and 80 % of businesses.
- Promotion of low-energy lighting: Solid State Lighting increased its market share to 6.2 % in 2010 (up from 1.7 % in 2009), making good progress to reducing the energy use of lighting by 20 % by 2020.
- Online shopping: 40 % of EU citizens now shop online, including 57 % of all Internet users. More than half the population in 8 EU countries now buys online.
Mixed progress in:
- Broadband availability and take up: Basic broadband is increasingly available even in remote areas. However, deployment and uptake of very high-speed broadband is currently concentrated in only a few (mostly urban) areas. The Commission is working with Member States to implement the strategy to give every European access to basic broadband by 2013 and fast and ultra fast broadband by 2020.
Poor progress in:
- Cross-border eCommerce: barely growing, from 8.1-8.8 % in 2010. The Digital Agenda target is 20 % of citizens shopping online across borders by 2015. The Commission intends to address this and other barriers to the development of the Digital Single Market in a forthcoming Communication on the eCommerce Directive.
- Online presence of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): 26 % of SMEs purchase online, a rising proportion, but only 13 % of SMEs sell online, which is up 2 points on a year ago.
- Roaming prices: these fell by 1.5 euro cents in 2010, but are still more than three times as expensive as domestic calls. The Digital Agenda's aim is for the difference between national and roamed calls within the EU to approach zero by 2015.
- Public investment in ICT R&D: expenditure by public authorities did not exceed the €5.7 billion baseline of the previous year. A 6 % annual growth will be needed to reach the target of doubling to €11 billion by 2020.
Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission for the Digital Agenda, said: "A year after the launch of the Digital Agenda I note progress. However, Member States, industry, civil society and the Commission need to do more if we want to maximise the Agenda's potential for retaining Europe's competitiveness, stimulating innovation, and creating jobs and prosperity. I call on everybody to consider the massive long-term benefit of acting decisively now, especially in high-speed broadband."
The implications of the Scoreboard's figures will be discussed in Brussels on 16-17 June 2011 at the 1st Digital Agenda Assembly.
Background information:
The Scoreboard is accompanied by a series of online reports on specific aspects of the Digital Agenda, such as eGovernment or online trust and security. It incorporates data and analysis previously found in the Commission's annual Progress Report on the Single European Electronic Communications. The online publication of the data sets and statistics in the Scoreboard is consistent with the European Commission's commitment to an open data strategy.
Further information:
- Original news article - Europa
- More information - Europa
- Scoreboard website - European Commission Information Society
- Related ePractice publication - EU: A Digital Agenda for Europe - Commission Communication
- Background information - ePractice eGovernment factsheets for EU countries
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Quelle/Source: epractice, 09.06.2011
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