eEurope initiatives contribution to Hungarian Information Society

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eEurope initiatives -contribution to Hungarian
Information Society

• Dr. István Erényi
• Ministry of Information Technology and
  Communication, Hungary
• erenyii_at_ikb.meh.hu

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Motto
With joined efforts of many of us we mayprogress
much further than anybody alone. (Descartes)

• Have you plans for one year do farming
• plans for a decade plant trees
• plans for a century educate
  people, invest in knowledge.
• Ancient Chinese proverb

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On EMCIS and Lisbon agenda

• This conference and initiatives of the EU15 and
  CCs manifest joint awareness
• CCs face both challenges IS-KE and EU
  enlargement essential for their economic and
  social reforms and progress
• Enlargement the largest single market in
  the Globe
• For its success - modernisation and social
  cohesion are crucial

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On Information Age

• Communication-eTransactions bring closer
  businesses, people and governments
• Open wide gates to effective and cheap usage of
  common data, and knowledge
• thus contribute to the effectiveness of the
  single market and European cohesion
• CCs fully share the ambitious goals set in Lisbon
  in March 2000.

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eEurope and eEurope

• CCs have the same joint commitment to KE in order
  to modernise their economies
• The two eEurope initiatives help to narrow/close
  digital divide and strengthen social cohesion
  throughout Europe
• Beyond beneficial effects of exchanging best
  practices, an other important pillar is the set
  of common indicators

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Present situation in Hungary

• Telcom sector privatised and then liberalised
• Legal framework basically harmonised
• Basically both legal-institutional framework and
  market competition conditions exist
• YET
• that is not enough for further fast progress

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On risk factors, obstacles

• In general new, unknown technology, yet high
  expectations
• Capital market fast market, lot of money to
  invest risky investments,
  leading to frequent failures
• Competitive economy high pressure for quick
  results many wrong decisions
• Consumers habits big differences in national
  habits, so European consumers habits much differ
  from the Americans
• IT technology e-World is not secure, safe and
  user friendly enough lack of confidence
• World progress though lot of promises and
  expectation, yet the divide is widening
• General human nature communicative, gambling
  firstly requests for communication
  services, games -- later e-Commerce

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IS and KE

• More than simple HW manufacturing, design, SW
  development, service provision
• Not anymore the matter of HW and SW manufacturers
  and service providers
• Not anymore the matter of IT and network
  specialists, or academics-researchers

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IS and KE

• It is common business for all of us
• That is the beauty and also difficulty and the
  challenge we all are facing
• Hence joint efforts, common global policy are
  needed at national, international arena
• Hence following EU-15 - eErope2002, Candidate
  countries are co-operating toward modernising
  their economy and society

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State responsibility for IS and KE in Hungary

• Realising the cross economic and cross-society
  effects of ICT
• Ministry of ICT has recently been set up - in
  short Ministry with full attention to IS
• Widening co-operation efforts like eEurope and
  hopefully eEurope2005, UN, WB,V4 for KE, etc.

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First results of co-operation are already
apparent in Hungary

• First time more-or-less objective measurements
  have been achieved - showing weaknesses
  (household penetration! broadband)
• More attention, awareness is paid to crucial
  issues
• Lots of public access points have been
  established
• eContent development efforts raising
• Fast growing eCommerce, eBanking
• More attention to secure networks
• Looking forward to best practice projects

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Future of co-operation

• Deepening co-operation
• First year result will show where more joint
  efforts are needed
• First best practices are to be identified
• Exchange of best practices
• If eligible - joining eEurope2005

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Messages


On IS Joint efforts are a must, pure
participation is not enough, commitment of all
of us is needed. On KE Investment into
knowledge returns the greatest benefits (Benjamin
Franklin)


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Thank you for your kind attention