Running until September 17th 2007, the consultation has been opened to all stakeholders and will help the EC find out more about the barriers to trade and IT business opportunities that exist globally for European firms.
According to the EC, the EU accounts for nearly a third of the global IT market and is home to four of the ten top equipment manufacturers in the world.
'While we have been working hard to create a single telecoms market in Europe, we must not lose sight of the global picture,' commented Viviane Reding, EU information society and media commissioner.
'There are further markets to take abroad for Europe's ICT industry if we strengthen its competitiveness and remove barriers to trade in third countries.'
The consultation comes as part of the EU's i2010 scheme, a strategic policy framework aiming to set out policy guidelines for the development of the information society over the next three years.
Earlier this year, the i2010 annual report for 2007 outlined how European consumers are increasingly turning to converged technologies and the progress of the public sector in offering relevant e-government services.
Quelle/Source: BCS, 03.07.2007
