IT business leaders get together in Riga

Oct 04, 2001
Jorgen Johansson

"This business forum has become one of the most significant international e-business events of the year in the Baltic area, bringing together both top executives and government officials," said Erkki Liikanen, the European commissioner for enterprise and information society.

During the forum, representatives of the Council of Baltic Sea States adopted an action plan for further steps toward building an information society in the Baltic Sea region. After the meeting, Latvian Prime Minister Andris Berzins explained that there are seven main goals to be pursued in the action plan.

One of the projects includes developing research networks where information on various topics may be found. Another goal is making information more secure in preparation for the use of electronic signatures.

The third area oversees educating people to meet the requirements of the digital economy.

Representatives of U.S. software giant Microsoft met with the Latvian government last October to sell one of their latest projects, e-government. Berzins said it was possible to introduce e-government to Latvia sometime soon.

E-government is designed to involve citizens in government decisions, to vote and fill out applications. Latvia was offered the project first, according to Microsoft, but dragged its feet. The Estonian government jumped at the chance and is today along with Great Britain the most technologically advanced government in the world and the star of the e-business forum.

"It has been a huge success. The e-government has been working now for more than a year, saving money on paper costs," Estonian Prime Minister Mart Laar said at the forum.

Former Prime Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt who now heads the Nordic Venture Network, told The Baltic Times that Estonia is the most advanced e-government in the world. But Bildt stressed the e-revolution has just begun.

"I hope this conference will lead to a greater awareness of the new economy," Bildt said. "There is a greater need for communication in today's society."

The objective of the e-business forum was to help government and business facilitate the development of an information society and build a harmonized e-business environment in the region.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas said that technology must be in place in governments to make them better, not just more efficient.

"These are the modern requirements and prerequisites of an open and democratic society. An isolated democracy is condemned," he said during the conference. "This means that we need to create a vision for the Baltic region as a whole."

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