The original Lisbon strategy for growth and jobs for the period 2005 – 2010 continues in a new European strategy „Europe 2020 – Strategy for intelligent and sustainable growth supporting inclusion“ with a goal to overcome a crisis and get the economy of EU ready for next decade’s challenges. The Europe 2020 strategy determines a vision for achievement of a high level of employment, economy with low carbon production, productivity and social solidarity; this vision has to be pursued by concrete actions at EU and national level.

 

The Digital Agenda for Europe is one of the seven flagship initiatives of the Europe 2020 which has been worked out with an objective to define a key role that using of ICT will have to play if Europe wants to succeed in its ambitions set by 2020. The strategy addresses to seven main obstacles which impede full development of information society or threaten fully use of ICT in Europe. These obstacles are fragmented digital markets, lack of interoperability; rising cybercrime and risk of low trust in networks; lack of investments in networks; insufficient research and innovation efforts; lack of digital literacy and skills; missed opportunities in addressing social challenges.

 

The Ministry of the Interior is responsible for the strategy implementation at national level but the strategy itself is significantly cross-sectoral and covers also other areas with co-responsibility of other ministries (e. g. the Ministry of Industry and Trade in the field of high-speed internet, the Ministry of Culture in the field of copyrights, the Ministry of Health in the field of e-Health, the Government Office in the field of e-Skills etc.). The Ministry of the Interior is particularly responsible only for some of the main actions, especially e-Government services, including support for interoperability, fight against cyber crime and the review of the e-Signature directive).  

 

Objectives set in The Europe 2020 Strategy are realized by the EC communications, action plans for individual issues and the Council’s conclusions. The European eGovernment Action Plan aims to increase the share of citizens and firms using electronic public administration (eGovernment) or a possibility of processing of formalities with study, establishment of a business or moving online from any EU place regardless of original place of residence. For reducing the red tape the European Commission relies on the idea used during the development of basic registers in the Czech Republic that information are required from citizens only once and then it will be shared by different public administration authorities. There are other priorities of the Action Plan, e. g. support for users’ involvement in the design of eGovernment services, improvement of public administration transparency and involvement of citizens into decision making on public matters. eGovernment ministerial conference , held once in two years by the country that actually holds the EU Presidency is already established tradition. In pursuit of the goals of The European Strategy there is also an emerging tradition of a ministerial conference in an e-Inclusion fieldwhich supports integration of disadvantaged citizens into the society through modern ICT. The Council plays a significant role in the approval of community programmes in ICT field as well.

 

The new multi-annual Community programme on protecting children using the internet and other communication technologies, so called Safer Internet, came into force at the beginning of 2009. During the period 2009 – 2013 it aims internet to become safer place for children who enter the internet and mobile technologies’ world already in early age and become quickly young people who perfectly manage technologies and surf on the internet. In relation to new technological development and stronger ties between on-line and real world the Safer Internet programme will newly focus on phenomena, such as grooming (a situation when an adult seeks to friend with a child with the intention to abuse him/her sexually) or cyber bullying.