Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are transforming dramatically many aspects of economic and social life, such as working methods and relations, the organization of companies, the focus of training and education, and the way people communicate with each other. They are resulting in major gains in productivity in industry, and in the quality and performance of services. A new "information society" is emerging, in which management, quality and speed of information are key factors for competitiveness: as an input to industry as a whole and as a service provided to ultimate consumers, information and communication technologies influence the economy at all stages.
Comparable changes in productivity will be achieved by further progress in life sciences - biotechnology - through the creation of innovation in highly competitive areas of industry and agriculture.
The competitiveness of the European economy will to a great extent depend both on the conditions of utilization and on the development and application of these technologies. Since they are amongst the highest growth activities in industrialized countries, and they are also highly skilled labour activities, their potential for employment creation is considerable, in particular for the creation of new services. At the same time, potential drawbacks of widespread use of these new technologies, such as the risk of non-skilled people being left behind by progress in information technologies, should be combated through positive policies.
Various obstacles to an optimum exploitation of these technologies have been encountered in Europe, and they should be removed. The diffusion of best practice aimed at business should be promoted and the development of Community-wide applications favoured. To this end, an appropriate regulatory and political environment should be created and the implementation of trans-European telecommunication services stimulated. Training systems should foster the application of these technologies. Europe should create the conditions that will allow it to maintain a sufficient level of mastery over technology and benefit from an innovative and competitive ICT industry, within an open and competitive environment.
The Member States' contributions on this subject place the emphasis on cooperation between the Community and the Member States to promote economies of scale; the Community could focus its efforts on facilitating the development of market forces, while ensuring free competition and promoting systems compatibility.