Toward the European information society

Abstract

This article addresses how European Information Society policy was designed and what measures have been taken by the European Union (EU) since the early 1990's. The idea of European Information Society project was introduced in a meeting of the European Council in Copenhagen in the summer of 1993. It was set in motion by EU inspired by the two factors, the U.S. National Information Infrastructure Initiative and the assumed potential of new information and communication technologies. EU was ready to construct a new agenda and meet the challenge of the emerging information age. Advances in technology were expected to provide a key for economic growth and advantages in global competition. Special attention has been paid to what has happened to the idea of democracy in this policymaking process. The author's main argument is that while focusing on economic growth and competitiveness, problems of democracy in general, the potential of electronic democracy has not become an issue in the EU agenda. He says that Europe may be gradually falling behind in reinventing democratic government for the information age.

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