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e-SEE Task Force |
eSEEurope Business Network Meeting
Conclusions from the Chair
Macedonia
was introduced as the new Co-chair. Croatia was thanked for good
co-operation and input and congratulated to successful efforts
in bringing ICT to the top agenda on the national political scene.
It was highlighted that the CARDS (Community Assistance for Reconstruction,
Development and Stabilisation) programme of the European Commission
at the moment lacks an ICT component. The countries participating
in the work of developing CARDS were asked to, through the national
CARDS committees, encourage an ICT component to reflect ICT as
a priority area of investment and development in the drafting
of the CARDS programme.
The Commission´s Information Society, EBRD and the World Bank
expressed a firm commitment to ICT development in South Eastern
Europe, within their respective frames. As examples it was mentioned,
that the Commission is already financially involved in SEE municipalities
Information System (SEEmunIS) and SE Digital Economy (SEED). EBRD
has a Framework programme of 30 million USD, and the Wold Bank
has Global Distant Learning Centres which could be linked into
SEEurope. The World Bank is also involved in e-procurement and
in the SEEBIN project. However, the EBRD, World Bank and the other
companies under lined that the main condition for supporting a
project is that it is deemed to have business potential. They
are not involved in any pure sponsoring.
The conclusions from Information Society perspectives in SEEurope
sessions 29-30 June 2001 in Thessaloniki will be distributed to
the eSEEurope net work, and the cooperation between Information
Society and eSEEurope was underscored.
Way ahead: The criteria for selection of project proposals are,
as stated, that they must fit the eSEEurope Action Plan: regional
connotation and/or best practise or benchmarking status/value.
(The Action Plan, endorsed at the WT II meeting in Tirana on 23
May, can be found on www.eseeurope.org.)
There are several possibilities to find solutions to project financing
through partnership. Cooperation is encouraged with EU-countries,
other Stability Pact countries, International Financial Institutions
and the Governments in the region as well as the business community
and the civil society in respective countries.
One country in the region is encouraged to take the lead for a
certain project, backed by a EU or other Stabilty Pact country.
The business network is encourage to indicate its preference.
The immediate process aims to screen and consolidate the proposed
projects and identify lead roles.
All project proposals will be circulated in the sub-groups for
comments under the guidance of the Rapporteurs.
The participants at the meeting agreed that already now it seems
clear, that several projects have merits (see annex )
It was noticed that project proposals on development of inter
alia customs services and taxation routines were missing, which
the countries in the region otherwise mention as a priority area
to promote trade and cross border activities.
Countries which have not yet forward their project proposals are
encouraged to do so as soon as possible but not later than 3 August
2001. The eSEEurope Business Network are as well welcome to forward
comments on projects already mentioned or to put forward new ideas,
within the same time frame.
The countries (Macedonia, FRY, Bosnia-Herzegovina) which have
already submitted their project proposals would, of course, also
be able to amend their proposals.
Following the Sub-groups screening process, a new draft will be
presented by Mid August with refined and consolidated projects
proposals and express reference to the eSEE Action Plan. The aim
is to forward this draft to the governments and other Stability
Pact partners well in time for the next eSEEurope Working Group
Meeting 18 September 2001 in Bucharest for discussion and adoption
at the meeting
The Regional Conference, which will be held in Bucharest on 25-26
October, jointly organised by World Bank and the European Commission,
will not consider individual projects, and ideally financially
commitments to support a project would therefore be an integral
part of the immediate process within eSEEurope.
Annex 1 Participants (1 page)
Annex 2. Agenda (1 page)
Annex 3. Summary of projects proposed (2 pages)
Annex 1:
Participants:
Commission: Michel Bosco (michel.bosco@cec.eu.int)
Erik Habers (erik.habers@cec.eu.int)
Croatia Mladen Mauher (mladen.mauher@zg.tel.hr)
Macedonia Ljuben Talev (ljuben@mt.net.mk)
Katica Neceva (kate@korab.mpt.com.mk)
Maja Angelovska (maja@mt.net.mk)
UK Paul Nicolopulo (paul.nicolopulo@fco.gov.uk
and catherine.inglehearn@fco.gov.uk)
US Isabelle Maelcamp (isabelle.maelcamp@mail.doc.gov)
and jonathan_kimball@ita.doc.gov
Steve Alley (steve.alley@mail.doc.gov)
Cisco: Jozek Gruskovnjak (jgruskov@cisco.com)
EBRD: Dan Stefanescu (stefand@ebrd.com)
Ericsson: Sead Kotlo (sead.kotlo@etk.ericsson.se)
IBM: Janez Bencina (bencina@at.ibm.com)
SNC-Lavalin Erik Blanchette (blance@snc-lavalin.com)
Soros Darius Cuplinskas (cuplinsk@osi.hu)
World Bank Gerhard Pohl (gpohl@worldbank.org)
eSEEurope Krister Thelin (kthelin@imcbih.org)
Inga Jönsson (inga.jonsson@foreign.ministry.se)
Stability Pact Ronald Dreyer (ronald.dreyer@stabilitypact.org)
(Unable to attend: Microsoft (gradman@microsoft.com), ICL (dragos.mateescu@icl.com)
Annex 2
Agenda for eSEEurope Business Network Meeting Thursday 5 July
2001
Time: 11.00 (sharp) - 13.00 hrs followed by lunch
Venue: 50, rue Wiertz, 1050 Brussels (premises of the Stabilility
Pact). Room: OHR
Phone: +32 2 4018709
11.00:
* Brief presentation, by the Chair and Outgoing Co-chair of Croatia,
of current situation with regard to the Stability Pact eSEEurope
Initiative. Short welcoming of the Incoming Co-chair of Macedonia
- including follow up from the last Business Network Meeting on
21 March 2001in Zagreb, the Second eSEEurope Working Group Meeting
in Skopje 29 March, Internet-based conference for eSEEurope- Sub
Groups on 18 April and the Stability Pact Working Table II Meeting
23 May in Tirana
* Presentation and discussion on concrete projects where the Governments
in the region, Business Community and the donor community could
work together in order to swiftly widen internet usage in the
region and work towards implementation of eSEEurope Draft Action
Plan. Including:
a) presentation of UK:s Department of International Development
(DfID:s) support to assign a Policy Advicer for eSEEurope-governance.
b) executive summaries of concrete projects presented to eSEEurope
for consideration:
1. Telehouses-project,
2. SEEmunIS ("City Halls without walls", capitols in co-operation),
3. The business portal: "SEEBIN= SEE business information network",
4. Stability Pact Distant Learning Initiative,
5. US School Connectivity Project
6. Projects suggested by Macedonia
7. Projects suggested by FRY
8. Projects suggested by Bosnia-Herzegovina
9. Other projects with regional connotation
(The SEEurope-countries have been asked to hand in concrete project
proposals which fit into the Action Plan - have regional connotation
and/or have bench marking/best practise value/status)
* Presentation and discussion by EBRD, World Bank, the Commission
and others on their involvement in Information and Communications
Technology (ICT)-programmes/projects in the region
* Additional information by the companies and organisations attending,
on their activities in the region.
* Any other business (AOB)
13.00 Close of Meeting
Annex 3: Unofficial Working Paper Version: 9 July 2001
DRAFT ONLY
Preliminary summary of some Project Proposals for eSEEurope
eSEE-projects covering more than one area
1. Telehouse Programme (similar project in Hungary, IBM, 1 000
telehouses, 15 Million USD, could be run by local NGOs)
2. Deregulation and liberalisation in Communication markets in
SEEurope (institution building, support for independence of (de)-regulators
in each country, best practise, 1 year project, 0.8 MEURO, proposed
by Bosnia-H.)
3. Political applications of Internet (conduct survey in SEEurope,
set standard and code of conduct for political use)
4. e-procurement (adviser on eSEE-procurement, promote transparency,
anti-corruption and good governance, proposed by Albania. Contact
World Bank´s e-procurement project)
eSEE-government
1. Policy Adviser to eSEE-governance. Funded by United Kingdom:s
DfID
(screening in process. Start Summer 2001, one year)
2.Public Administration Intranet
(Best practise regional conference suggested, infrastructure investment.
Contact other eSEEurope countries and/or SEEmunIS for cooperation
in some areas, proposed by F.R. Yugoslavia)
3. National Agency for IT & eSEE initiative Regional Center “ICT
Tower” in FRY (need to establish a national agency for IT,
support the goal of government to take the lead, institution building
in FRY, Could be linked to a regional programme)
4. Government information and communication. (Workshops and Handbook,
supported by OECD)
eSEE-local government
1.SEEmunIS:”City halls without walls”, municipalities
in cooperation,
(Ongoing projects with shown results. Parts already funded by
the Commission with 1.4 million Euro and by German National Centre
for Reseach)
2. Improving Municipal services in Southeastern Europe (Cost estimation
included. This FRY proposal has similar targets as SEEmunIS –
Project initiator could other eSEEurope countries and/or contact
SEEmunIS)
eSEE-education
1. US School Connectivity Project. 40-60 schools in SEEurope with
8-10 computers with Internet connection, each school to be paried
with another school in SEEurope plus one in US or Western Europe.
Congressional approval pending, if approved, start end of 2001.
Supported by US within eSEEurope-Initiative.
2. Stability Pact Distant Learning Project – Project by
World Bank
3. Networked School Project – proposed by Macedonia. (Contact
US Connectivity Project since it seems to fit their goals well)
4.Train the teachers + comuters & internet in schools in FRY (Contact
US Connectivity Project)
5. Scientific Information Network Yugoslavia
(Improving overloaded and poor Internet access at university.
Contact other eSEEurope countries or/and the academic and reseach
network programme GEANT to explore possibilities)
eSEE-business
1. The business portal SEEBIN (=SEE Business Information Network),
regional web-based information system “one-stop-shop”,
will integrate existing systems in the region, World Bank proves
software through its Global Development Gateway OECD
2. SEED (=SEE Digital Economy), aims to develop and promote digital
business and e-commerce, services to SMEs, supported by governments,
chambers of commerce and Trade Associations. Started 1999.
3. Information Network of Chamber System in FRY (Contact other
eSEEurope countries or/and SEEBIN and SEED for regional cooperation
)
4. Yugoslav Business Portal (B2B)(Contact SEEBIN project or other
regional projects for regional cooperation)
5. South-East Europe Web Portal (B2C)(Contact SEEBIN Project or
other regional project for regional cooperation)
6. Establishing the Registration Authority for Business Entities
in FRY (project initiator could contact SEEBIN and Bulgarian Industrial
Association for input and cooperation)
7. Teach SME managers in FRY (for example: Contact other eSEEurope
countries or SEED)
Others(telemedicine, infrastructure)
1. Providing telemedical Environment in FRY (improving administration
routines in health care by using IT. )
2. Multigigabit network for all countries in SEEurope
(proposed by Macedonia. Infrastructure improvement, connection
to EU countries. Could be presented to Working Table II Infrastructure
programmes, Contact for example GEANT programme or other regional
programme.)
3. National Backbone Project in FRY (could be cordinated with
Multigigabit network proposal, Contact for example GEANT)
4. Optical infrastructure for e-government and academic and research
network in FRY (2500 km fiber optic cables), Contact GEANT or
other regional programme
compiled by: inga.jonsson@foreign.ministry.se
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