Dotcom summit focuses on European ecommerce unity

European leaders met in Lisbon today to set targets for making Europe a united and world-leading market for ecommerce.

The prime minister, Tony Blair, attended the dotcom summit, which officials hoped would address the need for a "consensus on economic reform". Blair's official representative said: "We want this summit to set targets as part of a reform programme to define the economic agenda over the next decade."

The first objective is to create a "single market for ecommerce", said the representative. This includes setting a timetable for pan-European telecoms liberalisation, which is already under way across most of western Europe.

Liberalisation is vital if Europe wants to get ecommerce transaction costs down to US levels, said the representative.

European leaders also want a date for the implementation of the ecommerce legal framework objective, a date for putting all European Union (EU) public procurement online and measures to promote internet literacy in schools. They also intend to strengthen the EU venture capital market - "the backbone of the new knowledge economy" - and encourage job creation.

The aim is to improve European research and development (R&D) performance, allow for faster and cheaper patenting of new technologies, and create better co-ordination of R&D.

John Higgins, director general of the Computer Services and Software Association, does not expect "hard deliverables" from the summit. But he added that if it can create a "shared vision" on ecommerce, "it should seep into the activities of all European governments and departments".

See also:

Ecommerce: where there's a will, there's a way

Although three out of four adults in the UK now use the internet in some shape or form, very few actually take the plunge and buy goods online. Julian Patterson looks at why ecommerce is not taking off in Europe as quickly as might be expected.  12 Jul 2000

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