Letter From the Editor French Caldwell   Andrea Di Maio 7 February 2002 The European Union (EU) has set lofty goals for eEurope: build a digital society and establish a robust net economy. If Europe is to effectively compete in a global economy increasingly dominated by services, which already represent 70 percent of the jobs in the EU, achieving these goals is vital. The advent of the knowledge economy is lifting the esteem, salaries and education levels of services jobs, and the information and communications technology (ICT) sector, on which the knowledge economy depends, has the highest rate of job growth in Europe. Looking ahead, though, there are signs of trouble in the development of eEurope. First, European investment in the ICT sector is barely one-half that of the United States. Second, EU policies to encourage e-commerce have had little noticeable effect on service exports beyond Europe. In our view, the root cause is that eEurope policies have focused too directly on the outward vestiges of e-commerce and e-government, and there remains a need to address the fundamentals if eEurope is to advance.    Read more

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	Still Many Challenges for an Electronic Europe 7 February 2002 Andrea Di Maio Europe has been through the "net economy" excitement and is weathering an uncertain economy. Policymakers and business leaders now need to focus on removing barriers to a digital society and connected economy.

Interview With the President of the European Commission 7 February 2002 Andrea Di Maio After the dramatic events in the United States and at the dawn of the euro as a single, physical currency, Gartner asked Romano Prodi his views about Europe's quest for a digital society and economy.		Making Privacy Laws Work in Practice 5 February 2002 Arabella Hallawell Varying national practices are still the norm for data protection in the EU. Developing consistent and practical approaches for compliance with data protection laws and granular Web security standards should be policy priorities.
The Regulatory Future for Spam and Cookies in the EU 4 February 2002 Arabella Hallawell European institutions and governments have debated the use of unsolicited e-mail (i.e., "spam") and cookies for too long: It's time for this debate to end.		Privacy and Authentication: Is 'Big Brother' Coming? 4 February 2002 Arabella Hallawell   Andrea Di Maio Policy makers must develop practices that balance the privacy needs of the individual against those of business and society. Governments must act to solidify a regulatory framework that addresses new challenges to privacy.
What Should European Governments Do About Security? 1 February 2002 Conal Mannion   Joyce Graff European governments want new laws to deal with Internet crime, terrorism and network vandalism, but have little experience with commercial IT security. Legislation should help improve IT security.		Protection of the Critical Information Infrastructure 30 January 2002 Conal Mannion The current communication networks infrastructure is critical to modern societies, but is potentially vulnerable to attack and failure. Governments should extend their definition of the critical information infrastructure.
Managing VAT in Cyberspace 31 January 2002 French Caldwell VAT compliance for B2C sales of non-EU physical goods is improving, but remains problematic for intangibles. For a cyberspace tax regime, EU policy makers need to consider U.S. developments and disruptive technologies.		European Software Patent Legislation: Don't Waste Time Debating 31 January 2002 Debra Logan In the EU, there are no software patents. There shouldn't be. The EU should focus on the more important issue of the single EU-wide patent.
Unified European Patent Legislation: Act Now Before It's Too Late 31 January 2002 Debra Logan The EU's patenting processes are too complex, expensive and long. An improved EU-wide patent is the only option. Political will at the highest level is needed now.		ICT Skills Shortage: Five Key Areas for European Action 31 January 2002 John Mahoney   Simon Mingay The crisis of ICT skills is not over. The EU should adopt policies now to minimize the impact of this on the European economy and to prepare the European workforce for the connected economy.
Five Truths and Five Myths to Cross the Digital Divide 1 February 2002 Andrea Di Maio   Christopher Baum   Bill Keller As e-commerce and e-government grow, it's important to ensure that all citizens have Internet access and the skills to use it. Best practices are emerging, but governments must be careful to avoid mistakes.		Will Mobile Phones Bridge the EU Digital Divide? 31 January 2002 Nick Jones Mobile phones will be the most numerous Web access technology in Europe. However, bridging the digital divide requires more than a cheap client device.
Make Sure the 'E' in E-Government Means 'Effective' 31 January 2002 Andrea Di Maio   Gregg Kreizman   Massimo Pretali The European Commission benchmarks e-government progress every six months. However, it does not provide member states with enough metrics to truly measure government transformation. Here is what is missing.