Commission proposes eEurope Action Plan

It proposes that Member States and the Commission bind themselves to achieving the following three objectives quickly:

• a cheaper, faster, more secure Internet;
• investing in people's skills and access; and
• stimulating the use of the Internet.

The plan aims to accelerate legislation, roll out infrastructure and services across Europe and open co-ordination between Member States.

President Romano Prodi said: "With this document the Commission sets out a focused strategy to address the key barriers to the further uptake of the internet in Europe and ensure that the framework conditions are established for a decisive move towards the new knowledge based economy."

In December last year, the European Commission launched the eEurope initiative with the aim to accelerate the uptake of the Internet in Europe.