During a press conference given at Zappion Megaro, the coordinator of the IT Committee and Special Secretary for the Information Society, prof V. Asimakopoulos presented the strategic goals of the digital strategy and the suggested actions for implementation.

According to M. Asimakopoulos “the new digital strategy aims at the realization of a “digital leap” in terms of productivity and quality of life until 2013. Furthermore, according to the new digital strategy, the country’s strategic goal for the next period is the development of IT and Communication Technologies and the upgrading of the skills”.

The new digital strategy sets two major goals: to make the Greek economy more productive and to practically improve the daily lives of the Greek citizens with the use of IT and Communication Technologies.

During the preparation phase of the new strategy, 20 basic reasons responsible for the limited use of new technologies in the last decade were identified. 

M. Asimakopoulos referred to the 20 reasons and stated: “the work of the IT Committee marks a turning point for Greece. It is the first time that an institutional body responsible for the preparation of the policy for IT, decides, in an organized and systematic way, to find the source of the problems and not the consequences”.

During the press conference M. Asimakopoulos presented the “path” for the implementation of the new strategy, which is comprised of more than 65 actions. Particular emphasis was given on actions such as the development of electronic supplies, the continuous development of bandwidth, the campaign for the information and familiarization of the citizens with the new technologies and the development of the 5 certificates most commonly used by the enterprises and of the 20 digital services most commonly used by the citizens, until 2008. These actions are considered vital for the materialization of the digital leap.

As regards the period after 2008, M.Asimakopoulos talked about the proposal of creating one-stop shops for the service of the enterprises, about the reorganization of the public sector and finally about the need to have automated procedures and increased integration of new technologies in the educational system.

The new digital strategy uses and strengthens the existing Operational Program “Information Society” and sets the foundations for the progress of the country in the context of the 4th Operational Period (2007-2013). However, the implementation of the digital strategy is not based only on the Operational Programs but on all the available tools and especially on the possibility of the cooperation between the public and the private sector in projects of e-governance. The new strategy will start to be implemented from the first semester of 2006.

“At the center of this new approach”, stressed M.Asimakopoulos “is the human capital. We believe that the country can have a comparative advantage if it invests in its human capital in an organized way”.

The members of the IT Committee M. Vasilios Andronopoulos – Secretary General of Public Administration and E-Governance, M.Dimosthenis Anagnostopoulos – Secretary General of IT Systems and the President of “Information Society Ltd” M. Konstantinos Doukas talked about the subcategories of the new digital strategy.

In conclusion, M.Asimakopoulos stated that: “the road towards the digital leap should be free of obstacles. Institutions, parties and citizens must agree on the crucial role of the new technologies and must proceed united if we want to accomplish what other countries have accomplished long before us”.

The consultation about the proposal for the digital strategy 2006-2013 will last until the end of October. Based on the results of the consultation the IT Committee will prepare the final text. The Information Society Observatory will contribute to the successful implementation of the digital strategy by providing a system of indicators that measure the result in a practical way. The final proposal will be submitted to the Governmental Committee for approval, at the end of the year.

The following parts participated in the drafting of the digital strategy’s initial plan: the IT Committee, 15 Chief Executive Officers and managers from big enterprises from the fields of IT and communications and from the fields-users of IT (banks, retail and wholesale commerce etc.), organizations such as SEPE and SEV3, as well as members of the Special Secretary for the Information Society.

For more information:
Yiannis Larios - ylarios@infosoc.gr
Yiannis Michas – jmichas@infosoc.gr