The total budget of Axis 3 is 537.6 m€. The invitations of the Axis covered all the Measures with 451.5 m€ or a percentage of 84% of the budget until 31/12/2003.

Contents

Analysis of the status and the progress perspectives of the Axis: financial scope

Conclusions - proposals

 

Analysis of the status and the progress perspectives of the Axis: financial scope

The status of Axis on 31/12/2003 is briefly presented in the following table while the progress perspectives of the Axis, counting in the Acceleration Programme, are briefly presented in the next table.

THE STATUS OF THE AXIS ON 31/12/2003

Axis/ Measure	Budget		Invitations (%)	Integrations (%)	Contracts (%)	Expenditure (%)
	Μ€	%
Axis 3. Development and employment in digital economy	537,6	100,0	84,0	43,8	13,8	7,5
Measure 3.1. Creation of a favourable environment for economic activity	68,0	12,6	107,7	34,4	4,3	1,4
Measure 3.2 Strengthening of SMEs for their introduction in digital economy	162,7	30,3	106,8	33,0	0,0	7,0
Measure 3.3. Research and technological development for the Information Society	52,0	9,7	88,7	78,6	31,0	21,7
Measure 3.4. Upgrading of the skills of the human resources	154,0	28,6	74,7	64,3	31,4	7,5
Measure 3.5. Promotion of employment in the Information Society	100,9	18,8	42,9	18,2	6,7	5,3

The integrations cover all the measures of the Axis with 235 m€ or a percentage of 43.8% of the budget. The contracts and expenditure are limited to percentages of 13.8% and 7.5 respectively.

THE PROGRESS OVER TIME AND THE PERSPECTIVES OF THE AXIS ON 29/02/2004

Axis/ Measure	Integrations 31/12/2003 (%)	Integrations 31/12/2003 & Acceleration Programme (%)	Invitations (%)	Budget (Μ€)
Axis 3. Development and employment in digital economy	60,2	72,9	84,0	537,6
Measure 3.1. Creation of a favourable environment for economic activity	22,1	82,6	107,7	68,0
Measure 3.2 Strengthening of SMEs for their introduction in digital economy	87,2	96,2	106,8	162,7
Measure 3.3. Research and technological development for the Information Society	54,0	113,6	88,7	52,0
Measure 3.4. Upgrading of the skills of the human resources	33,1	64,3	74,7	154,0
Measure 3.5. Promotion of employment in the Information Society	18,22	33,0	42,9	100,9

Until 31/12/2003, the integrations came up to 323.5 m€  or a percentage of 60.2% of the budget. Counting in the Acceleration Programme, the activated budget of the Axis came up to 391.7 m€ reaching a percentage of 72.9% of the budget.

Among the measures of the Axis, Measure 3.2 “Strengthening of SMEs for their introduction in digital economy” has the best place. Until 31/12/2003, it covered a percentage of 33.02% of the budget of the Axis with integrations which came up to 156.5 m€ or a percentage of 96.2% of the budget of the Measure.

Measures 3.4 and 3.3 follow being at a good place. Until 31/12/2003, Measure 3.4 “Upgrading of the skills of human resources”, counting in the Acceleration Programme, had integrations reaching 99 m€ or a percentage of 64.3%. Measure 3.3 “Research and technological development in the Information Society” had integrations reaching 40.9 m€ or a percentage of 78.6% of the budget of the Measure and activated budget fully covering the available budget of the Measure.

Measure 3.5 “Promotion of employment in the Information Society” is at the lowest place. Until 31/12/2003, the integrations had a percentage of 18.2% of the budget and the activated budget a percentage of 42.9% of the budget of the Measure.

Measure 3.1 “Creation of a favourable environment for economic activity” is at an intermediate place. It covered 22.1% of the budget of the Measure with integrations, until 31/12/2003, reaching a percentage of 22.1%.

Conclusions – Proposals

More specific conclusions and proposals are presented in the analyses that follow for each of the Measures of the Axis and are summed up as follows:

• Measure 3.1 Creation of a favourable environment for economic activity
  • Planning and activation of actions for the full coverage of the objectives which have been set in the Operational Programme in the categories of actions included in the Measure.
  • Audit of the progress of the chambers’ projects which delay unjustifiably and confirmation that there is really the perspective of contracting within a reasonable period of time.
• Measure 3.2 Strengthening of SMEs for their introduction in digital economy
  • Strengthening of the resources of the Measure so that the “Go-Online” project will continue at the current pace.
  • Expansion of the role of the “Educate” project so that it supports the mobilization and the preparation of small enterprises for their participation in the strengthening programmes of enterprises.
  • Activation of the Measure in fields of small financial size but of strategic importance, such as tele-work and tele-training, which are explicitly included in the categories of actions of the Measure but have been inactive, as well as of objectives set in the Operational Programme, such as the creation of new businesses with technological content which are not covered by categories of actions.
• Measure 3.3 Research and technological development for the Information Society
  • Direct activation of the actions which concern the process of picture, sound and language and ICT applications in specific fields.
• Measure 3.4 Upgrading of the skills of human resources
  • Securing the objective set by the Operational Programme for vulnerable social population groups and elderly people in practice.
  • Activation of the Measure in categories of actions 3 and 4 with a small financial size but of strategic importance (training of educators, development of training tools, promotion of the use of flexible forms of employment).
  • Strengthening of the resources of the Measure for the actions of basic skills and specialized skills training.
  • Regional targeting of the training actions of the Measure depending on the needs of the regions.
• Measure 3.5 Promotion of employment to the Information Society
  • Activation of the Categories of the Actions of Measure 2,3,4 which are financially small but of strategic importance.