INFORMATION SOCIETY : BROADBAND CONNECTIONS GROW BUT GAPS ARE GETTING WIDER.

The actions of the EU in favour of the deployment of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have proven fruitful over the past three years, particularly with regard to broadband: the rate of penetration (number of subscribers per population) increased from 10.5% in July 2005 (EU25) to 18.2% in July 2007 (EU27). The European Commission, which has made ICTs one of its spearheads, welcomes this development in its Annual report on the implementation of the renewed Lisbon Strategy', adopted on 11 December. It nevertheless underlines the "widening gap" between leading European countries, including on an international scale (Denmark, Netherlands and Finland), and those at the bottom of the list (Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Malta and the Central European countries). It blames the situation on a "lack of infrastructure in some member states". In order to resolve this, "greater coherence and a better implementation of...