PDGS
Partnership for Democratic Governance and Security

SUMMARY

TOWARDS THE INFORMATION SOCIETY

New conditions and new opportunities for growth, prosperity and quality of life. Information and telecommunication technologies change rapidly the way we work, play, communicate, and transform the bases of economic competition. They constitute a tool for the modernisation of the state and the competitiveness of enterprises, while creating new ways of work, new skills, and the need for continuing learning and adaptation of the education system. At the same time they allow the provision of better health, welfare, and environmental services, and contribute to the promotion of our cultural heritage and the Greek language. The government's concern is to ensure that the emerging Information Society will be a society for all, without discrimination between information haves and haves-nots, and while safeguarding citizens' rights and the freedom of expression and information.

The overall government strategy for the Information Society is based on some basic principles: equal opportunities and access for all, the creation of an environment that is conducive to enterpreneurship and innovation, and safeguarding of personal freedoms and of the operation of democratic institutions. Based on these principles the following goals are set. Their implementation requires co-operation between the public and the private sector, and citizens actively participating in the formation of the character of Information Society.

* Offering better services to citizens and firms, through the modernisation of the state operation, and greater access and transparency.

* Achieving a better quality of life, through the application of information and communication technologies in health & welfare, the environment and transport.

* Creating an educational system adapted to the digital age, by developing the use of new technologies in education, and the networking of schools and Universities.

* Realising faster economic growth, through fostering the creation of new firms, the emergence of new sectors, and increased productivity and competitiveness.

* Increasing employment, by supporting the creation of new jobs, upgrading skills, and developing of new forms of work such as telework.

* Promoting Greek culture and civilisation, through the documentation of our cultural heritage, protection of the Greek language, and contact with Greeks abroad.

* Encouraging the use of new technologies in mass media, by creating an appropriate regulatory framework, and safeguarding pluralism and free expression.

* Achieving equal participation of all regions of Greece in the Information Society, through decentralisation and the encouragement of regional and local initiatives.

* Developing the national communication infrastructure, through new investments, regulatory reform in telecommunications, and universal service requirements.

* Protecting the rights of citizens and of consumers and upholding democratic institutions and participation in the digital age.

OPEN AND EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT

The new technologies constitute an important tool for the creation of a modern democratic state, via the modernisation of public administration, the improvement of relations between the state and the citizens. Information technology systems are already operational or in their implementation phase in the public administration, with the objective of improving services to citizens and firms. Their further development is aimed at the conversion of existing information into digital format, the creation and maintenance of databases, the provision of information and electronic transactions with citizens and firms. To this end, the departments for the development of IT public projects are being strengthened, implementation procedures are being improved (by awarding contracts on a service level, by establishing common standards), while the creation of a networking environment in public administration is being promoted.

INFORMATION SOCIETY, KNOWLEDGE-BASED SOCIETY

The Information Society is first and foremost a society based on knowledge, and this creates the need for changes in education. In order for the education system to be adapted to the requirements of the 21st century, the government promotes the familiarisation of students with computers and multimedia, in all education levels, and trains teachers in the new technologies. With the active support of local communities, computer labs are being created, schools are being connected to the Internet, while at the same time the production of digital multimedia content for education is being supported. Finally, for the participation of the research community in the global quest for knowledge and the propagation of knowledge sources, the infrastructure for interconnection between universities and research institutes is being enhanced.

TECHNOLOGY FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND COMPETITIVENESS

In the digital age, economic competition is increasingly based on technology and knowledge. A number of initiatives are thus aimed at improving the exploitation and use of new technologies in the economy: interventions in the product, labour and capital markets, initiatives for the upgrading of the IT industry, and support to small and medium size firms are all examples. For the development of electronic commerce, the government is establishing the proper regulatory framework by amending legislation regarding transactions by electronic means, adopting electronic payments and measures creating a climate of trust and protection for consumers. There are also support measures for the introduction of pilot electronic commerce applications in the private sector. Finally, with the aim of fostering industrial innovation, incentives are offered to enterprises and research entities for co-operation in joint programs.

NEW JOBS, NEW SKILLS, NEW WORK ARRANGEMENTS

In the Information Society new jobs are created, new skills are in demand, and new work arrangements develop. In this context a number of government initiatives are aimed at creating an environment which encourages new employment opportunities in emerging sectors and in professions that are in increasing demand. Initiatives are also addressing the decline of job opportunities in specific sectors and professions; they involve redeployment programs, and incentives for the revival of areas and sectors that are in recession. In order to better prepare young people so as to remain competitive in the work environment of the Information Society, there are a number of study programs and programs of life-long training. Interventions are also being planned for the promotion of new work arrangements such as teleworking: diffusion of best practice, amendment of the legislative framework, promotion of pilot projects in the private and public sector, and development of tele-centers in remote areas.

A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE: HEALTH AND WELFARE, THE ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT

A main goal of the use of the new technologies in Information Society is the improvement of the quality of life. In the health sector, initiatives are aimed at the introduction of IT systems in hospitals, their interconnection with the national communication infrastructure, the training of health personnel in new technologies, and the provision of incentives for tele-medicine applications. The development of a unified electronic patient file will is being promoted while measures are being taken for the safety, confidentiality and reliability of tele-medicine services. For the environment, initiatives encourage the production of goods using fewer raw materials, while actions are aimed at the use of telematic services for the documentation and protection of the natural environment. Initiatives in transport aim at a better management of road traffic, the upgrading of the air traffic control system and the development of a unified system for the electronic bookings in coastal navigation.

PROMOTING GREEK CULTURE

Actions for the promotion of Greek culture are very important in the framework of the Information Society, especially in view of the 2004 Olympic Games to be held in Athens. The relevant policies take advantage of the capabilities of information and communication technologies and multimedia for protecting the cultural heritage (through document/monument documentation), promoting Greek cultural content, supporting artistic creation and the use of new ways of expression, reinforcing and cultivating the Greek language in the new globalisation environment. Current initiatives are also using the new network technologies for maintaining substantial contact with Greeks abroad (through the provision of information, language teaching, common initiatives) and for the preservation of the Greek identity in the digital age.

MASS MEDIA IN THE INFORMATION SOCIETY

The provision and the concept itself of information and entertainment change radically as a result of the development of digital cable television, the increase in the number of channels and the ability for interactive communication, the Internet, electronic newspapers, the exchange of information in networks and open access. In response, the government is creating a regulatory framework, which encourages entrepreneurial activity in a competitive environment, while at the same time safeguarding pluralism, the freedom of expression and the rights of citizens. In this context, legislative and regulatory provisions are being formulated for the provision of subscription-based TV and the role and operation of independent regulatory entities is being strengthened.

EQUAL PARTICIPATION OF THE REGIONS IN THE GLOBAL INFORMATION SOCIETY

Greece's geographical particularities constitute a challenge for the exploitation of the opportunities afforded by new technology for achieving a balanced development. With the prerequisite of universal telecoms service and broadcasting coverage, actions focus on strengthening the communication infrastructure, promoting new tele-services (for work, medicine, education, transactions), strengthening local firms (active in information science, telecommunications, education), developing on-site services to the public (electronic service centres), encouraging the use of information banks, and locally implementing centrally planned initiatives (e.g. forest register, land use register, property register). Actions will be implemented with the support and participation of local communities and the respect of local particularities.

DEVELOPING THE NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE

The national telecommunications infrastructure constitutes the backbone of the Information Society. Its development will allow fast, friendly and cost-effective storage, handling and processing of digitised information. The goal is the widespread provision of advanced telecommunication and audio-visual services by the public and private sector at low cost. In achieving this goal, the investment plans of the Greek PTO and of other telecommunication companies will be of particular importance, as will be the ongoing regulatory reform of the telecoms sector and its alignment to an environment of technological convergence between broadcasting and telecommunications. In this context, the government is undertaking initiatives for the costing, financing and implementation of universal service, as well as for the formulation of competition rules (as to interconnection, numbering, licensing and spectrum management) and supervision of their implementation in deregulated telecommunications.

PROTECTING THE RIGHTS OF CITIZENS

The changes that technology brings with it put to the test the adequacy of existing laws and impose their re-orientation from the institutions of the industrial society to those of the Information Society. In this context, legislative and regulatory initiatives undertaken or contemplated cover a broad range: the protection of the rights of citizens (access to information, protection of information of a private nature), the protection of consumer rights, intellectual property issues (copyright, digital exploitation of works), legal aspects in electronic transactions (validity of transactions, identification of digital signature, encoding framework), labour and insurance legislation for telework, as well as penal matters (crime in cyberspace, unlawful/unethical Internet content, the protection of minors).

FROM GOALS TO RESULTS: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACTION PLAN

For the implementation of the strategy, interventions are foreseen on many levels: organisational (restructuring of IT services in the public sector, improvement of the legal framework for public IT projects), regulatory (reinforcement of regulatory bodies, reviewing of support mechanisms, improvement of evaluation procedures), and interventions for executive planning and follow-up (Governmental Committee for the Information Society under the Prime Minister, establishment of an Informatics Board with public and private sector representatives). In a medium-term perspective, it is foreseen that actions be financed in the context of the third EU Community Support Framework, so that an appropriate planning and implementation mechanism will be of vital importance. Finally, for the enhancement of the knowledge base for decision-making, the establishment of an Observatory for the Information Society is foreseen.

The future shape of the Information Society takes will depend on how actively citizens are involved in its development. In order to both inform and engage them, a campaign is scheduled during the "Year for the Information Society" in 1999/2000. It will use all communication media (meetings, presentations, dialogue forum on Internet) and will involve the participation of bodies representing firms and professions active in this domain, as well as the other social partners.