L'UE cherche à définir ses objectifs en matière de TIC pour 2010[en] 

The e-Europe 2005 Action Plan sets the broad objective of bringing every EU citizen and business online, mainly through widespread access to high-speed internet connections (see EurActiv LinksDossier on e-Europe)

An updated version of the e-Europe 2005 Action Plan was agreed upon in February 2004, which identified the key challenges for the years to come (see EurActiv, 24 Feb. 2004).

Since then, several proposals have been made to revise the e-Europe plan for the post-2005 period. These have included proposals to re-direct the EU's e-government strategy (the provision of online public administration services to businesses and citizens) towards economic growth (see EurActiv, 7 Oct. 2004) and a Dutch Presidency proposal for ten bold new "ICT breakthroughs" to boost economic growth in Europe (see EurActiv, 8 Oct. 2004).

In this short, ten-page document, the Commission identifies key issues to gear ICT policy towards meeting citizens' and businesses' expectations for the post-2005 period:

• Content and services: fostering the provision of multimedia content and services over broadband networks.
• E-inclusion and citizenship: avoiding a 'digital divide' whereby some are excluded from modern information and communication technologies (see EurActiv LinksDossier on the Digital divide)
• Public services: improving the quality of online public services delivered to both citizens and businesses (see EurActiv LinksDossier on e-government). This, the Commission insists, also implies back-office re-organisation and the interoperability of applications and services.
• ICT skills and work: improving ICT skills in education and lifelong learning to position the European workforce more effectively on the European and global labour market (see EurActiv LinksDossier on Digital divide and e-learning)
• ICT as a key industrial sector: in 2005, the Commission will analyse the sector's competitiveness and make policy proposals, in particular related to Research and Development policy (see EurActiv, 17 Nov. 2004)
• Interoperability: making equipment, networks and applications compatible with one another (interconnection between networks, services and equipment) through the adoption of appropriate standards.
• Trust and dependability: dealing with network security issues, unsolicited commercial communication (spam), protecting individual's privacy and businesses' intellectual property rights (see EurActiv LinksDossier on Cybercrime)
• Exploitation of ICT by business: widespread adoption of ICT by small and medium-sized businesses in particular remains a challenge, offering untapped potential for growth and competitiveness.

"There are signs that the next wave in the take-up of ICT throughout the economy will have a big beneficial impact on growth, wealth creation and welfare, and we need the right mix to ensure that Europe derives the maximum possible benefit," said Enterprise and Information Society Commissioner Olli Rehn.

"Today what matters most are services provided, not the technology that carries them. Regulation must lead to an investment-friendly environment, and not hold back innovations," said Michael Bartholomew, director of the European Telecommunications Network Operators' Association (ETNO). ETNO calls upon  policymakers to encourage the legitimate flow of digital content over the networks. "With the convergence of platforms, terminals and services, availability of attractive content is increasingly important for the further take-up of broadband," ETNO said.