Foreword

Eighteen months ago, at the European Council in Lisbon, the Union set an ambitious goal for itself: to become the most competitive and most dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world. At the core of this ambition lies the need to promote the development and broad adoption of novel technologies and practices for work and business and to help develop and deploy technologies that promote trust and confidence.

 

As it enters its fourth year, the European Initiative in New Methods of Work and Electronic Commerce, also known as Key Action II in the European Information Society Technologies (IST) Programme, has resulted in the launch of close to 400 R&D projects with a total Community contribution of nearly 400 Million Euros. While some of these projects are just starting, others are well on their way to delivering results that will likely transform work and business practices in Europe, as detailed in many of the articles compiled in this Book.

 

The number and quality of the articles received attests to the new vitality of this area in Europe and the impact of our initiative. They also show that the transition to a European knowledge-based economy will not happen over night and that many challenges remain to be addressed, some of a medium to long-term technological nature, others dealing with adoption and policy issues.

As we start planning for the Sixth European Framework Programme for Research, this book is not just an opportunity to reflect on our accomplishments and the challenges ahead. It is also an important instrument to help shape future Community actions in e-Business and e-Work. Enjoy the reading!

 

Rosalie Zobel
Director, New Methods of Work and Electronic Commerce
Information Society Directorate General
European Commission