The European Commission has always been an enthusiastic supporter
of ICT-based working and the development of a "knowledge economy".
As well as developing policy, adopted in due course by he European
Union, the Commission has also supported an extensive research
programme and developed new methods for measuring and monitoring
the progress of the Information Society.eEurope 2005 - an
Action plan
In June this year the EU Heads of State endorsed a new "eEurope
Action Plan" at the Seville European Council. By doing this the EU
member states agree objectives in information Society development,
and commit themselves to an action programme.
The eEurope Plan succeeds the 2002 Action plan, which focused
on extending Internet connectivity. The goals have largely been
achieved, it is felt, and the focus for the 2005 plan is to
generate economic growth.
European policies are committed to continuing economic growth
and increased mobility on the one hand, and to social and
environmental sustainability on the other. The development of a
knowledge economy is vital in this context as it offers the
possibility of achieving economic growth, increase in productivity
and improve the quality of life while at the same time at the cost
of (relatively) lower consumption of resources.
The Action Plan aims to "stimulate secure services,
applications and content based on a widely available broadband
infrastructure". The building of the infrastructure is seen as
largely the role of the private sector. Yet a crucial stimulating
role is envisaged for the public sector, in creating demand
through the development of e-government, e-health, e-learning and
e-business.
The proposals for e-government are challenging in terms of
timescale. These include:
- Broadband connection for all public administrations by 2005
- interoperability agreement to support the delivery of
pan-European e-government services by end of 2003
- EU member states should have ensured that public services
are interactive, accessible to all on a multi-platform basis,
and have reorganised back-office processes accordingly - by the
end of 2004
- by the end of 2005 EU sates should carry out "a significant
part" of public procurement online
- All citizens should have access to Public Internet Access
Points with broadband connections
- e-services to promote culture and tourism should be
available throughout Europe by 2005.
While some of this is in line with existing national
e-government targets, there are some major challenges here - not
least the wholesale modernisation of business processes in the
public sector!
Telework Framework Agreement
A "Framework Agreement" has also been reached outlining model
telework conditions. Essentially this consists of the following
principles:
- voluntary participation and the right of return to work at
the employer's premises, unless telework is required in an
initial job description
- maintenance of employee status
- equality of treatment with workers remaining at employer's
premises
- the employer should cover any costs incurred by the
teleworking employee
- training rights and opportunities should be guaranteed
- working time should be respected
- the employer is responsible for health and safety in the
teleworking environment
- teleworkers should have the same collective rights as
workers at the employers premises, and no obstacles are
put to communicating with workers representatives.
- personal privacy and data should be protected.
This agreement was negotiated between employers' and workers'
representative organisations, and brokered by the European
Commission. It doesn't have the force of a Directive (like the
Working Time Directive), but is meant to be a model for use across
member states. Some states, like Denmark, already have such
national agreements, while some governments like the UK are
unlikely to adopt it in any regulatory sense.
eWork Status Report
Each year the Commission
publishes a "state-of-the-art" report on European developments in this
field. The latest edition, eWork 2002 -
Status Report on New Ways to Work in the Knowledge Economy,
provides a comprehensive overview of all the changes in working methods made possible
by ICT, and provides updates on research, policy and the events it
has supported to share experience and promote awareness.
The report was officially launched at the eWork 2002 conference
in Paris at the end of September.
The report highlights significant changes in
the labour market and the nature of work as the knowledge economy
develops, and associates increased ICT-based work with higher
rates of job creation, increased participation by women, and the
improved quality and higher skills requirements of many jobs.
There is a country by country analysis
(including candidate states and also the US and Japan for
comparison) of significant developments, and a digest of recent
EC-sponsored research.
There is a mine of intriguing information
here - well worth the read.
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