“We need a Single Market for (on-line) services. We are on the threshold of a new era of electronic network and service business: the Internet of the future. The first phase of this will be an internet of services (in which software-based services will be offered on-line using the internet as a massive transactional infrastructure). SMEs will increasingly have the possibility to rent computer resources instead of committing to expensive purchases of hardware or software upfront. The shift to online software services will place the emphasis on open and interoperable systems that can be upgraded and joined together in networks with other systems. And, although proprietary systems will remain important, Europe should benefit from its SME-based leadership in open source software – 70 % of open source developers are European. Remember also that we are strong in the GRID technologies that provide the tools for managing open systems of computers. These factors give us a pole position to respond to the new era of Internet of Services. It's an opportunity which we must not waste.”

This was one of the core elements of Viviane Reding’s speech which she presented on September 8, 2008 at the 2008 Biennial Conferences of the European Economic and Social Committee in Athens. Viviane Reding is the Member of the European Commission responsible for Information Society and Media. The 2008 Biennial Conference’s main theme is “Entrepreneurship with a human face”.

She also talked about the needed policy actions to overcome Europe’s “structural deficits” in order to catch up with ICT sector leading American and Japanese companies (the top-50 global ICT companies are American or Japanese, and among the 12 most efficient companies, only 2 are from the EU).

“First, we need a more effective Single Market in high speed internet services. European telecoms services are still offered on a narrow national basis. This is true even for mobile services, which as you all know I have been trying to coax in the direction of a real Single Market: where customers are not punished when they cross a border.”

“… we also need to "up our game" as regards commercialising ICT research results.”

"I will present early next year steps towards a systemic revamp of the European ICT innovation system, which will implement concrete steps on:

• reducing the fragmentation of research effort in Europe,

• prioritising European research into key areas,

• strengthening public sector demand for innovative solutions,

• shifting towards the proactive use of standardisation and IPR policies, and

• attracting European capital into early phase and higher risk projects to fund high-tech start-ups."

Viviane Reding closed hers speech with a very optimistic – kind of rallying – picture of her belief:
“I believe that Europe can lead the next phase of the ICT revolution and European SMEs can be the powerhouse of this change. We have the brains, we have the talent and we have the energy. In the Olympic Games this summer, taken together the EU won more Olympic medals than either China or the USA. If we clear away the barriers of doubt and inertia, we can also aspire to the Olympian ideal of becoming the world champions in innovation and entrepreneurship. The prize is there if we reach out and take it.”

Read the entire speech.