Digital Agenda: Scoreboard shows progress

Brussels, 31 May 2011 - A Scoreboard has been published by the European Commission showing the performance of the EU and Member States in delivering on the agreed targets of the Digital Agenda for Europe after the first year of its existence (see IP/10/581, MEMO/10/199 and MEMO/10/200). In line with its commitment to an open data strategy the European Commission has made its data sets and statistics in the Scoreboard publicly available online enabling anyone to carry out their own analysis and come to their own conclusions.

Overall progress over the first year of the Digital Agenda has been good, especially on the use of Internet (65% of EU population). But progress in some areas is disappointing, in particular roll-out of new super fast Broadband networks, which is one of the key Digital Agenda goals, even if there is some progress in upgrading existing cable and copper networks.

Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission for the Digital Agenda said: "A year after the launch of the Digital Agenda I note progress. However, Member States, industry, civil society and the Commission need to do more if we want to maximise the Agenda's potential for retaining Europe's competitiveness, stimulating innovation, and creating jobs and prosperity. I call on everybody to consider the massive long term benefit of acting decisively now, especially in high speed broadband."

The Digital Agenda committed the EU to carry out 101 specific actions (78 for the Commission, of which 31 are legal proposals, and 23 for Member States) which will together boost investment in, and use of, digital technologies. Overall, 11 DAE actions have been completed, 6 actions due in 2010 are delayed and the remaining actions are largely on track.

On the 13 key performance targets (see MEMO/10/200):

• - 

  Good progress on regular Internet use, online shopping, eGovernment and low energy lighting

• - 

  Mixed progress in broadband availability and take up

• - 

  Insufficient progress in cross-border eCommerce, online presence of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), roaming prices and public research.

The implications of the scoreboard will be discussed in Brussels on June 16-17 at the Digital Agenda Assembly.

The Scoreboard shows good progress in:

• - 

  Regular Internet use. This has risen rapidly to 65% of the EU population (target 75% by 2015). Disadvantaged groups like the less well-educated and the elderly are also using the Internet more, up from 42% to 48%. This brings within reach of the 2015 goal of 60%.Non-users have fallen from 30% to 26% of the population.

• - 

  Online shopping. 40% of EU citizens now shop online, including 57% of all Internet users. More than half of the population in 8 EU countries buys online.

• - 

  eGovernment: 41% of citizens use eGovernment services, half of whom have return completed forms online. The eGovernment Action Plan (IP/10/1718) should help realise the 2015 target of use of eGovernment services by 50 % of citizens and 80% of businesses.

• - 

  Promotion of low energy lighting: Solid State Lighting increased its market share to 6.2% in 2010 (up from 1.7% in 2009), making good progress to reducing the energy use of lighting by 20% by 2020.

Mixed progress in:

• - 

  Broadband availability and take up: Basic broadband is increasingly available even in remote areas. However, deployment and uptake of very high-speed broadband is currently concentrated in only a few (mostly urban) areas. The Commission is working with Member States to implement the strategy to give every European access to basic broadband by 2013 and fast and ultra fast broadband by 2020 (IP/10/1142).

Insufficient progress in:

• - 

  Cross-border eCommerce: barely growing, from 8.1-8.8% in 2010. The Digital Agenda target is 20% of citizens shopping online across borders by 2015. The Commission intends to address this and other barriers to the development of the Digital Single Market in a forthcoming Communication on the eCommerce Directive

• - 

  Online presence of Small and Medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): 26% of SMEs purchase online, a rising share, but only 13% of SMEs sell online, (up 2 points on last year)

• - 

  Roaming prices: they fell by 1.5 € cents in 2010, but are still more than three times as expensive as domestic calls. The Digital Agenda's aim is for thedifference between national and roamed calls within the EU to approach zero by 2015.

• - 

  Public investment in ICT R&D: expenditure by public authorities did not exceed the € 5.7 billion baseline of the previous year. A 6% annual growth will be needed to reach the target of doubling to € 11 billion by 2020.

Is the Commission on target?

Overall, progress on implementing the 101 Digital Agenda actions has been quite good. Almost 10% of the actions have been completed, 80% are on track and the remaining 10% are delayed.

Background

The Scoreboard covers the period May 2010 to May 2011. It is accompanied by a series of online reports on specific aspects of the Digital Agenda, such as eGovernment or online trust and security. The Scoreboard incorporates data and analysis previously found in the Commission's annual Progress Report on the Single European Electronic Communications (IP/10/602).

For more information

MEMO/11/361

Scoreboard website:

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/digital-agenda/scoreboard/index_en.htm

A profile of each EU Member State, with details of broadband, internet use, eGovernment and telecoms regulatory trends, is available on the Digital Agenda website:

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/digital-agenda/scoreboard/countries/index_en.htm

Digital Agenda website:

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/digital-agenda/index_en.htm

Neelie Kroes' website: http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/kroes/

Follow Neelie Kroes on Twitter: http://twitter.com/neeliekroeseu

Annex

How the EU scores on the Digital Agenda targets

Yellow = 2010, blue = 2011. Labels refer to targets; outer line is 100% achievement; targets refer to 2015 unless otherwise stated. 20% reduction in energy use not included¹