The EU-China information society project aims to help China improve its regulatory and legal environment in this area. Launched in August 2005, the project seeks in particular to assist Chinese government in copyright, telecommunications law and information security issues as well as in access to e-government.The four-year project receives 15 million euros from the EU and around 700,000 euros from China.
"Participation of people in decision-making is the real goal of e-government. Governments have to do more than just release information to the public," said the EU commissioner responsible for information society and media, Viviane Reding, in an interview with Chinese news agency Xinhua.
Reding also stated that "they [China] are not ashamed of censorship", referring to international criticism about China blocking or removing politically critical information about the Beijing government on websites.
Links:
EU official documents:
Press articles:
- People's Daily Online: EU official hopes European experience in e-government can help China
- Monsters and Critics.com: E.U. commissioner: China won't talk about Internet censorship
- Xinhua: EU to help China bridge digital gap
- Forbes: EU, China jointly launch 15.7 mln eur information society project
- Xinhua: Une officielle de l'UE souhaite que les expériences européennes dans le cadre de l'é-gouvernement puissent profiter à la Chine
- Die Welt: EU-Kommissarin Reding kritisiert Chinas Pressezensur
- Handelsblatt: EU: China ignoriert Kritik an Internet-Zensur
Quelle: EurActiv, 16.01.2006
