Information Society Germany 2006 Action Programme by the Federal Government Published by: Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour Division LP4 – Communication, Internet – 10119 Berlin and Federal Ministry of Education and Research Division LS 15 – Publications, Internet editorial team – 10115 Berlin Graphic planning and design: Ines Wegge-Schatz, DesignLevel 2, Neuss Printed by: Mintzel-Druck GmbH, Hof/Saale March 2004 Printed on environmentally-friendly chlorine-free bleached paper Information Society Germany 2006 Action Programme by the Federal Government Content Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Section A: Current Situation and Future Prospects in the German Information Society. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 I. The German information society today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 ICT usage and penetration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Significance of ICT for growth and employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Education/training and research. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 ICT in public administration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 II. Future prospects and challenges for policy-makers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 A digital economy aimed at growth and competitiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Education, training and equal opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 E-government, confidence and security in the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Health. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Section B: Areas of activity in ICT policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 B.I. A digital economy aimed at growth and competitiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Next generation of networks and services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 E-business and SMEs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Legal environment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Innovation driven by research policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 B.II. Education, training and equal opportunities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Education and training for the employment market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Equal opportunities and gender mainstreaming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 B.III.E-government; trust and security on the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 E-government – The key to modern administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Trust and security on the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 B. IV.Health care system and other services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 eHealth for improved health care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Other innovative services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Section C: Annex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 5Information Society Germany 2006 “Information Society Germany 2006” Action Programme A Master Plan for Germany's Road to the Information Society Summary I. The information society in Germany today December 2003 saw the first UN summit to discuss issues pertaining to the global information society. That the international community should stage such a summit is a powerful testimony to the importance of knowledge and innovation for global development and prosperity. Modern information and communication technologies (ICT) are crucial to harnessing knowledge and innovation in order to raise growth, competitiveness and employment in today's networked world – especially in such a highly developed country as Germany. Key indicators of the “maturity” of the global information society show that Germany has made significant progress in the last few years. According to the World Economic Forum's “Global Information Technology Report 2002-2003”, for instance, Germany has considerably improved its IT ranking compared to other countries, jumping from number 17 last year to number 10 this year. Our businesses are leading the way, particularly when it comes to innovation, online marketing and Internet/intranet use. No other country has as many websites per capita as Germany. At around 85 per 1,000 inhabitants (compared to the US figure of 60), the website rate in Germany is an impressive indication of the country's Internet users' desire to play an active role in shaping the world's most important data network. In Germany, the information society has been a reality for some time. Since 2001 we have had more mobile telephone lines than fixed-network lines. At almost 80%, the country's mobile-phone density is already high and is set to carry on rising. Innovative applications (e.g. MMS) and the move to UMTS are opening up potential for further growth in mobile communication services. Demand for fixed-line and mobile broadband applications continues to grow and a boom can be expected in the next few years. Almost all German companies are now online. Computers and the Internet are now part of everyday life for the lion's share of the population. Most administrations are online – local and State governments and Federal agencies provide information and services around the clock via more than 700 administration portals. 6 Information Society Germany 2006 II. New “Information Society Germany 2006” master plan developed Germany must continue to improve its good ranking for ICT penetration and use in the next few years. It is imperative that we are among the frontrunners in the global information society if we want to strengthen growth, bolster the employment market and further the Federal Government's main projects aimed at modernising the job market and the social welfare systems. The “Innovation and Jobs in the Information Society of the 21st Century” programme adopted by the current government in 1999 was the first strategic master plan for Germany's road to the information society. The new master plan continues the policy of cooperation with all of the major players in industry and society as well as setting new, ambitious targets. The Federal Government will create an environment that nurtures competition in order to step up development and use of innovative services in the public and private spheres and to shape the transition to a mobile information society. Along with most experts from companies and business associations, the Federal Government sees the major challenges for the next few years in the following areas: . a digital economy aimed at growth and competitiveness, . education, research and equal opportunities, . e-government, security and confidence in the Internet, and . eHealth. III. A digital economy aimed at growth and competitiveness 2003 is expected to be the first year in which German business tops the 100 billion euro mark in e-commerce takings. This figure proves how important the Internet is for the economy and makes Germany by far the most important e-commerce market in Europe. With a turnover of around 130 billion euros and some 750,000 employees, ICT is now one of the largest sectors in Germany's economy. Following the bursting of the Internet bubble and falls in turnover and jobs in 2002, the sector has now bottomed out and is set to start growing again in 2004. The liberalisation of the telecommunication market, the sharp rise in the number of broadband Internet lines and the rapid increase in digital broadcasting have paved the way for further progress in all fields of digital communication. Cooperation between industry and government is continuing and being intensified in activities such as the “D21 Initiative”, the “German Broadband Initiative” and the “Digital Broadcasting Initiative”. With nearly 5 million broadband Internet lines already installed, our aim, in line with the EU's “eEurope 2005” information society programme, is to make broadband the dominant access technology by 2005 and ensure that more than half of German homes have a broadband Internet line by 2010. Mobile broadband applications open up new market opportunities and generate demand. In addition, the process of public infrastructure modernisation will be given an extra boost in the run-up to Germany's hosting of the 2006 World Cup football championship. Increasing digitisation is providing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and craft-based firms with new ways to rationalise and optimise 7Information Society Germany 2006 their business processes. The Federal Government is lending a helping hand with numerous advisory activities and assistance for companies seeking to implement standardised business processes. Our aim is for 40% of enterprises to be using integrated e- business solutions for the entire value chain by 2008. A modern information society needs appropriate legislation. Important laws, such as the Act on Electronic Commerce and the Signatures Act, have already been put into force. They will be followed by the revision of the Telecommunications Act in spring 2004 and the second stage in the reform of the copyright law, a process which will continue until 2006. Other chief areas of legislative activity in the next few years will be the EU's directive on the patentability of computer-implemented inventions, the Federal and State governments' drafting of simplified media regulations and measures to harmonise data protection. The Federal Government's sponsorship of technology is intended to help German business make its mark on the global market, to assist in maintaining and building on economic strengths and to take on board new developments in technology, business and society. Funding of ICT research is focussed on developments and processes that can give real leverage to Germany's economy by way of creating jobs (especially in the SME sector), securing existing and expanded technology leadership and supporting German “system leader” companies on the global market. Media convergence is changing the face of the entire economy and opening up potential for new products and services, e.g. multimedia in mechanical engineering or telematics in the automotive sector. Future innovation will primarily take place in the areas of mobile Internet/ambient intelligence, IT system reliability and security, nanoelectronics (including displays) and knowledge management. IV. Education, research and equal opportunities Education and training lay the foundation for innovative and competitive business. The “New Media in Education” programme established the basis for Germany to become a global leader in the field of educational software. All of Germany's schools have been online since 2001 and now we need to make the new media part of everyday school life too. We have also set up a new system of further IT training a modern professional development approach that gives IT workers the possibility to train at their workplace and offers them a vast array of prospects. Education is also about equal opportunities. That means guaranteeing all groups in society unrestricted, barrier-free access to the Internet. In particular, with disabilities person, socially disadvantaged young people and unemployed persons can increase their chances in society and on the job market by acquiring Internet skills. The Federal Employment Agency's “Virtual Employment Market” project, in which it will completely revamp its web site to make it more customer-oriented, aims to bump up the figure for Internet usage by unemployed persons, which already stands at 50%. The proportion of Internet users in the over-14 population is planned to increase to 75% by 2005. In order to put men and women on a more equal footing, the Federal Government is looking to ensure an even male/female share of Internet use on an equality basis. In addition to this short-term goal, its medium- term target is to bring the proportion of women in IT training and computer studies courses up to 40%. The findings of the ICT research supported by the Federal Government act as economic catalysts and a basis for innovation in the sectors where ICT is used, e.g. automotive or mechanical engineering. Last year the Federal Government presented its “IT Research 2006” support programme, which will run until 2006 and invest three billion euros in research development in the field of ICT. 8 Information Society Germany 2006 V. Modernising administration and reducing bureaucracy by means of e-government Online public administration services are a significant cornerstone of the information society. The Federal Government launched an initiative entitled “Federal Government OnLine 2005” back in September 2000 in a systematic move to modernise government services and reduce red tape with the help of IT. 232 of the more than 440 services suitable for online use can now be accessed via the Internet. On its road to e-government, the Federal Government has already passed the milestones of electronic tax declarations, the virtual employment market, a statistics portal and a payment platform. 2002 saw the beginning of the era of Internet-based public procurement when the “E-Tendering” platform was completed and the Government awarded contracts electronically for the first time. By the end of 2005, the Federal Government's contract-awarding procedure will be run exclusively via a secure Internet-based e-tendering system that meets the legal requirements. Now that the “E-Government” and “Reduction of Bureaucracy” initiatives have been combined, the next task is to systematically optimise the key public administration business processes in line with the concept of “service”. Collaboration between the Federal, State and local levels will be crucial to this work. In June 2003, Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and the heads of the State governments adopted the “Germany OnLine” initiative, a joint strategy for integrated e-government in Germany. Through this initiative, the Federal, State and local governments will provide joint online administration services, network their portals and develop common infrastructures and standards. Pilot projects and partnerships will make e-government part of everyday public life. The experience gained in the “MEDIA@Komm” programme will play a major role as will the 300+ e-government solutions developed in the programme, which cover almost the entire range of services provided by local government. The Federal, State and local governments will make use of electronic signatures for their “Federal Government OnLine” and “Germany OnLine” services. The Federal Government will base its e-signature procedure on the standards being drawn up by the public-private “signature alliance” founded in April 2003. The Signatures Act will be amended to make it easier to roll out signature cards through the usual market channels. The Federal Government will promote the use of signature cards by means of an e-card initiative to synchronise card projects and appropriate applications, e.g. bank cards, “job cards”, identity cards for members of the healing occupations and health cards (the latter with optional signature) as well as electronic certification of wage-tax deductions. The next generation of ID cards will also be digital. 9Information Society Germany 2006 VI. eHealth for better provision of health care Health care is one of the areas of infrastructure and service which are being restructured with the help of IT. As well as facilitating better services for the public, telematics is also opening up huge potential for rationalisation in the health care sector since 20 to 40% of health care services involve communication and data management. The aim is to bring about a permanent improvement in German health care services, compared to the current level and the international situation, by stepping up implementation of ICT and quality management. The electronic health card will be introduced by 1.1.2006. It will act as an electronic bridge between all institutions involved in the health care system and will play a leading role in the development of a telematics infrastructure. Further objectives are the realisation of electronic trade in medicines as of 2004 and the introduction of electronic prescriptions from 2006. VII. IT security If IT and the Internet are to be used intensively, it is essential to build confidence in the security and reliability offered by modern ICT. Promotion of open- source software, use of biometrics and measures to raise public awareness of the security risks involved with the Internet are fundamental elements of the Federal Government's IT security strategy. The Federal IT Security Agency (BSI, see www.bsi.bund.de) has become firmly established as the Federal Government's service provider for IT security. The BSI's extensive expertise on all aspects of IT security makes it unique in Europe, which is why it is serving as the model for the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA). A pivotal area of IT security is protection of IT- dependent critical infrastructure. Consequently, a national plan for the protection of critical infrastructure will be drafted in 2004, following analyses of critical infrastructure in Germany and its IT dependency. A priority activity in the field of IT security is the development and expansion of the national CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) system. This work entails establishing joint periodical assessments of the current IT security situation (statistics and reporting) as well as developing early-warning and advance-warning capacity. In addition to efforts to prevent damage, provisions are also necessary to deal with damage if it does occur. The residual financial risk in such cases can be minimised by an insurance policy. Special policies for SMEs and domestic users are being devised in collaboration with our partners as part of the “D21 Initiative” and will be made available by the beginning of 2005. Widespread spamming is also increasingly posing a problem. The Federal Government is planning various public-private partnership projects to stem the flow of spam mail effectively and permanently by the end of 2005. The BSI will join forces with industry and business partners to develop better protective measures in order to reduce the volume of spam. In addition, the BSI will produce special information on IT security for young people by the end of 2004. 10 Information Society Germany 2006 VIII. Specific objectives of the “Information Society Germany 2006” programme Objective When? Digital economy Internet use: Increase to 75% of population plus further increase of proportion of female users By 2005 Broadband: Approx. 7 million broadband lines Dominant form of Internet access, in line with EU eEurope 2005 programme > 20 million broadband lines (> 50% of all homes) By 2004 By 2005 By 2010 Mobile telecommunication: GSM/GPRS: 65 million subscribers (> 80% of population) UMTS: Launch of services Expansion of network provision to 50% By 2004 By spring 2004 By end 2005 Total digitisation of broadcasting services via aerial, cable and satellite: TV Radio By 2010 By 2015 E-business and SMEs: Extensive use of e-business by 40% of SMEs By 2008 Legal environment, revision of key legislation Telecommunications Act Simplification of media regulations Modernisation of copyright law Spring 2004 2004 By 2006 Research and development of technology Further expansion of leading role in field of mobile information and communication systems As of 2004 Germany leading the way in development of reliable software and IT systems By 2006 Increased networking of research establishments and companies to ensure that research findings are quickly translated into marketable products As of 2004 Development of worldwide standards for the networks of the future As of 2004 Education and training Increased penetration of new media in schools, vocational training institutions and universities By 2006 Development of strategies for use of computers in full-time schools By 2006 Establishment of a network of excellence and a technical grid infrastructure for German research and business As of 2004 Development and enhancement of e-science applications As of 2004 Further increase of proportion of women in IT training and computer studies courses to 40% By 2006 11Information Society Germany 2006 Objective When? E-government “Germany Online”: Launch of 15 implementation projects Implementation of 50% of the “Germany Online” projects by the Federal, State and local governments End 2003 By end 2005 “Federal Government Online” – Online provision of all 440 Internet-capable services By 2005 Establishment of 20 model local e-governments (“transfer governments”) as part of the “MEDIA@Komm-Transfer” As of spring 2004 Federal Government's contract-awarding procedure exclusively via a secure e-tendering system in line with legal requirements By 2005 Launch of the virtual employment market End 2003 Provision of a virtual post room for all Federal agencies Beginning 2004 Phased installation of a form management system for “Federal Government Online” 2004 to 2005 Expansion of IVBB (Informationsverbund Berlin-Bonn) to create the Federal Administration Information Association, which any Federal agency may join Beginning 2004 E-card initiative/digital signatures 40 million “job cards” Creation of necessary legislation in 2004, implementation by end 2005 80 million health cards Launch in 2004, completion end 2005 Bank cards with digital signature function As of 2004 Backed up by amendment to Signatures Act Beginning 2004 Electronic certification of wage tax deductions By 2005 Digital identity card Legislative process in 2004 eHealth In conjunction with the health card (see above), issue of approx. 300,000 identity cards for members of the healing occupations plus establishment of a telematics infrastructure and medical documentation which can be accessed by all institutions involved in health care By 2006 As of 2004 Electronic trade in medicines As of 2004 Electronic prescriptions As of 2006 IT security Launch of operations at the IT Security Centre M-Cert for SMEs Launch end 2003 National plan for protection of IT-dependent, critical infrastructure 2004 Internet insurance policy: insurance for Internet users Beginning 2005 Special IT security information for young people End 2004 12 Information Society Germany 2006 Section A: Current Situation and Future Prospects in the German Information Society I. The German information society today Germany is well on the way to becoming a fully-fledged information society. ICT, especially the Internet, has become much more widespread both in domestic and business use. As well as serving as an information and advertising tool, the Internet is increasingly being used for communication and transactions. Many of the new services are currently in a state of metamorphosis, moving from being considered of no benefit to being seen as an economic asset – a transition which is not always plain sailing. In the medium and long term, the main challenge is to make the Internet even more economically valuable and transform Germany into a predominantly digiti- sed service society. Despite striking progress in recent years, there is still considerable development potential, especially in the major areas of administration, education/training and health, and it is up to the government to help harness it. All the same, of a good 80 countries examined in the Global Information Technology Report 2002-2003, Germany managed to come in tenth (as opposed to seventeenth last year) in the “network readiness” index. This ranking shows clearly that Germany has the potential to become one of the world's leading ICT locations – a goal which business, politicians and society must work hand in hand to achieve. Finland US Singapore Sweden Iceland Canada UK Denmark Taiwan Germany NL Israel Switzerland Korea Australia Austria Norway Hong Kong NRI - Networked Readiness Index Source: Global Information Technology Report 2002 to 2003 13Information Society Germany 2006 ICT usage and penetration 2003 was the first time that more than half of over14s in Germany were online (according to the “Online Study” by the German ARD/ZDF television stations, the figure was 34.4 million or 53.5% of over-14s). In times past, the typical Internet user was a “high-income, young male”. Now, the Internet is in widespread use in almost all sections of the population. In a number of sections, particularly pupils and students, only a small minority are offline. Despite this extremely high level of penetration, the number of users can be expected to carry on growing in the future. The past few years have witnessed a sharp rise not only in the number of users but also in frequency and duration of use. Whereas the average Internet user surfed on 3.3 days per week back in 1997, by 2002 the figure had already jumped to 5 and the average time spent on the Internet per month was just under 16 hours. This trend has also been bolstered by the explosive growth in broadband Internet lines in the last two years. Today there are already almost 5 million Internet lines using broadband access. Overall, ICT infrastructure has developed positively. This year there are 30 million PCs installed in Germany, that means (not quite) 4 computers per 10 inhabitants. Having said that, the US and the Scandinavian countries have a much higher PC density rate. Internet users aged 14+ in Germany 1997-2003 Source: ARD/ZDF Online Study 2003 in % in millions 14 Information Society Germany 2006 PCs per 100 inhabitants in 2002 US Norway Sweden Denmark CH Netherlands Japan Finland Great Britain Germany France W. Europe Ireland Austria Belgium Italy Portugal Spain Greece Source: BITKOM, 2003 Since 2001 Germany has had more mobile telephone lines than fixed-network lines. At just under 80%, mobile phone density in Germany has reached a level where only a negligible rise in the number of subscribers can be expected. Nonetheless, demand Previous year in brackets for mobile telephone services could be boosted on the basis of innovative applications – such as MMS – and UMTS. With new networks, devices and services being developed and implemented, there is huge potential for growth in the future too. Fixed-network lines and mobile-line subscribers in Germany (millions) 2000-2003 Analogue + ISDN Mobile subscribers Source: The Regulatory Authority for Telecommunications and Posts 2003; BMWA 2003 values estimated 2000 2001 2002 2003 15Information Society Germany 2006 Significance of ICT for growth and employment International studies show that investment in ICT has a positive impact on economic growth. An OECD study concludes, for example, that ICT investment contributed more than 0.8% to growth in the US in the period 1995-2001 – the figure for Germany was just under 0.4%. The exact amount of growth attributable to ICT depends greatly on the methods and assessment criteria used in the study concerned as well as the period it covers. However, one thing is clear - Germany does not number amongst the international vanguard. We still have some catching up to do as can be seen in the following chart for ICT expenditure per capita in 2002. How much ICT helps to raise labour productivity, competitiveness and growth does not only depend on ICT expenditure or investment. Integrating the possi bilities resulting from ICT into value chains is of equal if not greater importance but it requires experience and therefore takes several years. That may also be one of the reasons why labour productivity keeps on growing in some countries, especially the US, irrespective of what is happening in the economy. Essentially, that's good news for German business. As we finish off catching up in ICT use, we can learn from the pioneers and raise productivity even higher in the future. In most areas of business, life without ICT is unthinkable. Almost all German companies are online and over half of the workforce uses a PC on a regular basis. This very advanced diffusion of ICT in companies means that they can rationalise and improve value chains and create innovative new products and processes. ICT expenditure per capita, 2002, in euros CH US Sweden Denmark Norway Japan Great Britain Netherlands Finland Austria Belgium/Luxembourg Germany Ireland W. Europe France Italy Spain Portugal Greece 1,116Source: BITKOM; Basis: EITO 16 Information Society Germany 2006 The Internet is already a significant economic factor today. With 2003 expected to be the first year in which German business tops the 100 billion euro mark in e-commerce takings, Germany is by far the most important e-commerce market in Europe. With domestic sales of around 130 billion euros and some 750,000 employees, ICT is now one of the largest sectors in Germany's economy. However, 2002 was an extremely tough year for the ICT sector worldwide. In Germany there was even a fall in turnover and employment. But both the sector and the overall economy have now bottomed out and the majority of market players and experts believe that the ICT sector will be back on course for growth from 2004. The trend visible in the ICT sector – and the whole economy – points to services continuing to gain in significance. ICT market volume in EUR billions and growth in percent 2000-2004 20002001200220032004* Telephones, network infrastructure, telecommunication services ** Computer hardware, office equipment, data communication hardware, software, IT services Information technology ** Telecommunication * Source: BITKOM, Sep. 2003 17Information Society Germany 2006 Education/training and research All of Germany's schools have been online since 2001, which means that a chief objective of the “Innovation and Jobs in the Information Society of the 21st Century” programme has been met. The “New Media in Education” programme established the basis for Germany to become a global leader in the field of educational software. The Federal Government has also set up a new system of further IT training in collaboration with the “social partners”. The system provides a modern professional development approach that gives IT workers the possibility to train at their workplace and offers them a vast array of prospects. As a result, those who have completed one of the new programmes of IT vocational training and the numerous people who move to IT from other branches of industry can gain further qualifications which are now, for the first time, recognised, meet the needs of business and are accepted by industry as proof of acquired skills. This system of further IT training will enhance employment and growth opportunities in companies. As a result of the “Immediate Action Programme of the Federal Government and the ICT Sector to Meet the Demand for IT Specialists in Germany”, coupled with the bleak economy, the lack of ICT specialists has become less acute. However, in view of the requirements expected in the medium and long term and in light of demographic development, effort is still needed in education and training. Controlled immigration is also being used to meet the need. The Federal Government has renewed the green cards up to the end of 2004 in order to prevent a legal loophole from forming in the period up to the final introduction of the Immigration Act. Our research policy must be geared to helping German business make its mark on the global market and to assisting in maintaining and expanding economic strengths. The 30 nm wafer project, for example, has established the basis for the chip factory of the future in Germany. Thanks to government support in the field of semi-conductor development, 16,000 excellent jobs have been created in Germany, with 11,000 of them in the Dresden region alone. Over the past few years, Dresden has become one of Europe's most state-of-the-art microelectronics regions. The findings of ICT research continue to act as economic catalysts. Last year the Federal Government presented its “IT Research 2006” support programme, which will run until 2006 and invest three billion euros in research development in the field of ICT. ICT in public administration Ours is a largely networked, mobile society and its citizens expect government services to reflect that. With its long-term e-government strategy, “Federal Government Online 2005”, Germany has acquired an international reputation of having built a robust infrastructure for the provision of online services – despite a slow start. A clear schedule, central coordination for the entire Federal Government and a focus on secure Internet use are ensuring widespread acceptance of and confidence in the new technologies. Now, three years on from the launch of the initiative, more than half of the Federal Government's 440 Internet-capable services are now offered online. 18 Information Society Germany 2006 Services by year of online launch Year Statistics correct as of: 7.11.2003 Promising State-level projects are bringing e-government to the masses. At the local government level, the solutions developed during the “MEDIA@Komm” project will be of particular benefit. In June 2003, the Federal, State and local governments combined their projects in a joint e-government strategy, entitled “Germany Online”. The modernisation of the Signatures Act in the previous legislative period already opened up a range of fields of application for electronic transactions and communication. We now need an offensive strategy to bring together the plethora of signature projects in the business and administration sectors to promote widespread use of electronic signatures. To do this, the Federal Government formed an Alliance for Electronic Signatures, with partners from both sectors, on 3 April 2003. Comprising members from a wide variety of institutions and industries, the alliance is intended to generate a climate that encourages investment in electronic signature applications. Health Health care is also one of the sectors in which comprehensive ICT deployment is driving the necessary process of modernisation. As well as facilitating better services for the public, telematics is also opening up huge potential for rationalisation in the health- care sector since 20 to 40% of health care services involve communication and data management. This high figure demonstrates the extent of the rationalisation potential which is currently going to waste. In some areas of the health care sector, especially general practitioners' (GPs) use of the Internet, Germany still has a lot of catching up to do2. Although Germany's health care system is highly advanced in terms of technology, this sector, which looks after human beings' most important asset – their health – is prone to overlapping activity, media incompatibility and non-compatible types of documentation. The sectoral structure of our care system is reflected in its IT too. In the German system, each institution, though it may have a totally state-of-the-art solution, stands alone. At the moment, the “IT boundary” often begins where the institution's boundaries end. The Federal Government is concentrating on setting up a suitable infrastructure, establishing reliable patient information systems and evolving the health insurance card into the health card. 2) Note: The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians has banned general practitioners in Germany from exchanging patient data via the Internet because the infrastructure is not totally secure. 19Information Society Germany 2006 PC use by general practitioners, 2002, in % n GPs who have a PC with Internet access or access to a special doctors' network n GPs who have a PC with Internet access or access to a special doctors' network and use PC for exchanging patient data UK Sweden Finland Denmark France Italy EU Netherlands Austria Ireland Belgium Luxemburg Spain Portugal Greece Germany Source: BITKOM; Basis: Eurobarometer, May/June 2002 II. Future prospects and challenges for policy-makers Information and communication technologies drastically alter business and society. They make new structures possible and drive improvement in our education and health systems. They render scientific work more effective, enable innovative products and services to be developed and help make public administration more efficient and transparent. The possibilities offered by digital technology have by no means been fully exploited yet. So Germany has a great opportunity to expand its expertise and tap into new markets. As well as giving birth to new markets, ICT innovations stimulate conventional industrial sectors such as automotive or mechanical engineering. Evolving the information society in Germany thus remains an important policy-making task. The aim is to maintain and augment our good ranking for ICT penetration and use in the next few years. Placing Germany among the frontrunners in the global information society will go a long way towards strengthening growth, bolstering the employment market and thus furthering the Federal Government's main projects aimed at modernising the job market and the social welfare systems. Whilst the focus in the previous legislative period (1998-2002) was on access to the new media (in the “Internet for All” programme, for example), the Federal Government's policy is now aimed at ensuring refined use of the new technologies – as well as continued promotion of equal rights to participation by all groups in society. 20 Information Society Germany 2006 Enhancement of infrastructure and service is primarily a market process. The government's tasks are: . to provide a legal and regulatory environment in line with market requirements, . to generate stimuli in selected areas by means of partnership with business and strategic promotion of technology, . to create security for and confidence in information and communication networks and . to increase the digitisation of its own value chain, particularly in the following areas: e-government, use of ICT in and for education/ training/equal opportunities and e-Health. As in the past, the Federal Government sets verifiable targets for its ICT policy. On top of that, it has already successfully employed benchmarking to assess policy, in the “Monitoring the Information Economy” programme, and will continue to use it in the future. It also participates in the pan-Europe benchmarking process within the EU's eEurope programme. The Federal Government is eager to form its policy for the information society in consultation and, if possible, synchronisation with all major economic and social players. In addition to representatives of civil society and the trade unions, companies and business associations will play a central role. One example of this, apart from cooperation with the umbrella associations, is the collaboration with the associations that cover specific areas of business, especially BITKOM (German Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media). The Government believes that cooperation within inter-sector public-private partnerships (PPPs) is a particularly promising approach. The D21 Initiative is an excellent example of a PPP concerned with the information society. The initiative is a non-competitive platform encompassing all parties and sectors. The States are represented in its working groups and on its advisory council. At the beginning of 2003, the initiative was restructured so that it can concentrate better on the main challenges coming our way in the next few years. In the new structure, D21 now consists of the following four areas: . growth and competitiveness, . IT in the health care system, . education, training and equal opportunities and . e-government, security and trust on the Internet. Along with this new structure, in which the subjects largely correspond to the fields of activity in this programme, Federal Chancellor Schröder agreed to act as chairman of the initiative's advisory council for another three years. www.initiatived21.de At the international level, the Federal Government is actively involved in the implementation of the eEurope 2005 action plan. With eEurope 2005, the EU states are endeavouring to create an environment which fosters private investment and job creation, leads to more modern public administration and health care and gives everyone the possibility to participate in the global information society. One of the action plan's goals is to promote more secure services, applications and content on the basis of a widely accessible broadband infrastructure. The progress made with eEurope 2005 is regularly checked – partly by means of the above-mentioned benchmarking procedure. 21Information Society Germany 2006 Beyond the realms of the EU, the Federal Government plays an active part in the entire range of relevant international forums, both conventional and new. The former include international mechanisms such as the United Nations, including the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) – a government organisation – and the Information and Communication Technologies Task Force (ICTTF) set up within the framework of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and, outside of the UN, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The new forums, most of which take in a range of sectors, have evolved partly by virtue of the innovative character of ICT. Examples are the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the Development Gateway Foundation (DGF) and the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information (OASIS). In the period 2003 to 2005, the two-phase World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) will play a key role, starting in December 2003 when the international community will adopt a political declaration and an action plan for political activity. For the Federal Government, it is important that such activities pursue an inclusive approach since the transition to the information society will only be successful and accepted by the public if all groups in society are involved. The government's policy on the information society will focus on the following fields of activity over the next few years: A digital economy aimed at growth and competitiveness Next generation of networks and services The boom in broadband Internet access will continue over the next few years. New Internet lines and upgrades will bring the proportion of domestic Internet users with broadband access up to around 70% by 2015. The present dominance of the ASDL service offered by Deutsche Telekom will give way to other suppliers and access technologies. Mobile data services (e.g. messaging, information services, chatting and mobile-office solutions) will also gain in significance – a trend that will be considerably accelerated by the introduction of UMTS and further expansion of the WLAN infrastructure. The establishment of the next generation of networks in the ICT sector must go hand in hand with development of high-quality services. The task of the government is to install, where necessary, market regulations that promote competition, and to ensure that they are adhered to. Priority must be given to implementing the EU’s package of telecommunication directives. Equally important are the government’s measures to bolster demand for broadband Internet lines and digital broadcasting within its partnerships with companies and associations, especially the D21 Initiative and the IDR initiative (Digital Broadcasting Initiative). E-business and SMEs E-business applications provide SMEs with a great opportunity to improve their market position and competitiveness. Often, small and medium-sized suppliers to industry have no other choice than to respond to the demands of the large production companies and move over to e-business. 22 Information Society Germany 2006 We need to help SMEs and craft-based firms make that move to new business applications. They have to be given the possibility to maintain their important economic role even when the economy has gone digital. E-business solutions in line with the specific requirements and situation of each company are needed so that they can stay competitive and gain an even greater competitive edge. To do this, they also need to provide their workers with ongoing training and organise the “archiving”, use and expansion of the company’s knowledge. The aim for the next five years is to significantly lift the quality of e-business in the SME and crafts & trades sector and work towards integrated value chains and comprehensive e-commerce applications. Legal environment The widespread use of ICT and, in particular, the growth in the number of broadband Internet lines are posing copious challenges for legislators. In recent years there has been a sharp increase in economic damage resulting from the use and distribution of illegal copies, especially software and audio/ video products. The legislature responded to this situation with the Act Governing Copyright Law in the Information Society of 10 September 2003. A further stage of the reform, to be concluded by the end of this legislative period, is especially intended to redraw the lines of the copyright fee system and the scope of the right to private copies and to assess the pros and cons of digital rights management. Clear legal provisions are also required to deal with the patentability of “computer-implemented inventions”. Users are increasingly being confronted with irritating, and sometimes criminal, phenomena such as dialler programs or spamming. In addition to national legislation, international rules and cooperation are needed – especially to cope with spamming. The media and data-protection regulations will also have to be harmonised in the next few years. Innovation driven by research policy The Federal Government's sponsorship of technology is intended to help German business make its mark on the global market, to assist in maintaining and expanding economic strengths and to take on board new developments in technology, business and society. It follows, then, that our funding of ICT research is focussed on developments and processes that can give real leverage to Germany's economy by way of creating jobs (especially in the SME sector), securing existing and expanded technology leadership and supporting German “system-leader” companies on the global market. It is to this end that the government is identifying key areas of innovation, i.e. projects in which it works with the spheres of research and business to combine and integrate technologies. The projects are accompanied by pooled research capacity and funding and trigger value chains with a large potential benefit for the overall economy. Future innovation will primarily take place in the areas of ä mobile Internet, ä IT system reliability and ä nanoelectronics. As a result of broadband, growing mobility, continued networking and digitisation of audio-visual media, media convergence is moving into a new phase of development that will be felt by the masses. The boundaries between many applications (e.g. television, radio and the Internet) are blurring as new technologies provide quicker means of transmitting images and sound, be it wire-bound or wireless, powerful terminals enable multimedia content to be presented and edited and as it becomes possible to integrate these systems in all-encompassing networks. In the future, it will be possible to use one and the same system for an array of purposes. For the first time, domestic users will have access to special applications which previously involved such effort and cost that they were the exclusive domain of a select few experts. Totally new electronic services can also be expected. 23Information Society Germany 2006 The new developments we might be seeing include smart homes/buildings, telematics applications in health care and transport as well as knowledge and education management. To be successful, these new or modernised products will not only have to offer good value for money but also be mobile and easy- to-use and, above all, the applications and devices will have to be compatible. Cooperation projects aimed at developing binding standards will play a dominant strategic role, especially for software and Internet development. Only companies which are successful in their R&D will be able to influence and define standards on the rapidly-changing ICT market. Education, training and equal opportunities Education and training lay the foundation for innovative and competitive business, and employing state-of-the-art ICT is key to achieving that. Only countries which champion the development and use of powerful ICT and invest in individuals’ knowledge will successfully make the move to the information and knowledge society. As globalisation increases, knowledge-based innovations will determine where the economy goes. With knowledge being an economic factor, how society handles it in the future will be a central question. The need to generate, pass on, impart and acquire knowledge and translate it into practice is confronting education and research with completely new challenges. As well as determining how an individual’s personality develops and to what extent he or she participates in society, access to education will provide the basis for a modern, democratically constituted society with a bright future. All this will require innovative infrastructure for distributed, cooperative work in networks plus use and diffusion of digital teaching and learning software in schools, vocational training and higher education. Participation based on equal opportunities All in all, the rate of Internet use in Germany is already well advanced. Nonetheless, there are still differences between the various groups in society. The Federal Government needs to provide support to overcome these differences, especially since the social and professional disadvantages for “offliners” are escalating all the time. In particular, socially disadvantaged young people and unemployed persons can increase their chances in society, as job-seekers and at work, by acquiring Internet skills. The Federal Government is pursuing the goal of implementing the gender mainstreaming strategy, as laid down in the European Union’s Amsterdam Treaty, by seeking to ensure gender equality in all areas of policy, programmes and measures. The proportion of women who use the Internet has increased from approximately 30% in 1998 to 45% today. Despite this significant rise and the exceptional increases in the number of female students commencing IT training programmes and engineering courses, the figures achieved so far are not satisfactory. To remedy the situation, the Federal Government is looking to ensure even male/female proportions and equal rights in Internet use as quickly as possible and to bring the share of women in IT training and computer studies courses up to 40% in the medium term. In order to provide equal opportunities for participation, it is particularly important that computer and Internet applications be barrier-free. With this in mind, the government has set out to ensure that public access points are barrier-free. 24 Information Society Germany 2006 E-government, confidence and security in the Internet E-government In recognition of the fact that Germany needs a networked e-government landscape, the Federal, State and local governments agreed on a common e- government strategy, entitled “Germany Online”, in summer 2003. “Germany Online” will link up the various projects at the individual levels of government. The Federal Government’s objective is that the most important public administration services offered by the different levels of government should be processed via the Internet without users having to approach different agencies or use different media. By implementing the “Germany Online” project and thus reviewing and modernising the administration, the Federal Government is making a significant contribution to the dismantling of bureaucracy. Wage tax handling will also benefit since the “ElsterLohn” project, to be launched in 2005, will enable the data on employees’ wage tax certificates to be transmitted to the tax office electronically. This will considerably simplify and accelerate the procedure and the final curtain will fall on the conventional, paper “wage tax card” in a later phase. The “E-Tendering” project, one of the most important projects in the “Federal Government Online 2005” initiative, will lend greater transparency, quality and efficiency to the process of awarding public contracts. From the bidding stage through to the signing of the contract, the process can be conducted securely and in a legally binding manner, via one Internet-based platform. In view of the weighty role played by public procurement in the national economy and the more transparent competitive environment, new methods for obtaining government contracts are being born – especially for SMEs. The plan is to provide this Federal-level solution to the State and local-government levels too. The Federal Government's programme to optimise public procurement, announced by the Federal Chancellor, will make its procurement activities more efficient. As of the middle of 2004, all of the Federal Government’s invitations to tender will be published at www.bund.de. By the end of 2005, its contract- awarding procedure will be run exclusively via a secure Internet-based e-tendering system that meets the legal requirements. The electronic contract-awarding system developed within the Federal ad-ministration (“E-Tendering” – www.evergabe-online.de) must be used for this procedure unless there are key economic or technical reasons not to do so in specific cases. Some 175 contract awards have already been electronically processed using the E-Tendering system in 2003. 25Information Society Germany 2006 Confidence and security in the Internet As guarantor of internal security, the government must also help to establish a secure, trustworthy Internet infrastructure. Nowadays, internal security and IT/Internet security are inextricably linked. The Federal Government is conscious of its responsibility in this political sphere and has committed itself to a range of actions and programmes specifically designed to continue and intensify the measures already initiated in the past to promote Internet security. They will aim to protect IT-dependent infrastructure, raise awareness of IT security issues and promote and deploy new security technology. The fact that a separate agency – the Federal IT Security Agency (BSI) – is responsible for Internet and IT security emphasises how important these topics are. As well as dealing with Internet security, protection against computer viruses, certification and user advice, the BSI runs the “CERT” alliance – a 24-hour “emergency service” for IT security problems. Health Health care is one of the areas of infrastructure and service which are being restructured with the help of IT but which themselves also generate impetus for technical, economic and social developments on the road to the information society. We are expecting a surge of investment in ICT in Germany with positive repercussions for export – as in the case of the Taiwanese health card designed by German industry. In a government policy statement on 14 March 2003, Federal Chancellor Schröder made it clear that “the reserves inherent in modernisation of communication technologies in the health care system have by no means been exhausted.” Health care telematics and eHealth are key to the necessary paradigm change in the health care system and to more economical, better-quality and more transparent health care provision in Germany. The Federal Government’s goal is to make increasing use of IT in health care in order to achieve a standard of service that will give German health care the (international) standing attainable by means of quality management and pushing ahead with implementation of ICT. Consequently, it is seeking to introduce digital communication technology throughout the health care system. The electronic health card will be introduced by 1 January 2006 at the latest. It will act as an electronic bridge between all institutions involved in health- care and will be an important “lever” in the development of a telematics infrastructure. 26 Information Society Germany 2006 Objectives Concerted efforts by the political sphere, business and society, based on the specific objectives listed below, will be undertaken in the next few years in order to expand the information society and secure Germany's ability to innovate. Digital economy aimed at growth and competitiveness . Broadband to be the dominant Internet access technology by 2005 and over 20 million broadband lines in Germany by 2010. . Continued growth in the mobile telecommunications market: over 65 million GSM users by 2004, over 50% UMTS network provision by end of 2005. . Rapid introduction of digital broadcasting. Swift expansion until TV broadcasting via aerial, cable and satellite is completely digitised. The target for the move from VHF to digital radio, depending on the market response, is 2015. . Considerable boost to e-business in SMEs and the craft/trade sector in the next five years. 40% of all companies should be using totally integrated value chains and e-commerce solutions by 2008. . Modernisation of the legal environment in a way that facilitates competition and takes account of the various interests involved; in particular, revision of the Telecommunications Act, further modernisation of copyright law and simplification of the media regulations. . Promotion of research aimed at development of new products and methods, especially for “anytime, anywhere” networking (smart building, smart car, etc.). . Further expansion of the leading role in field of mobile information and communication systems, as of 2004. . Germany leading the way in development of reliable software and IT systems by 2006. . Increased networking of research establishments and companies to ensure that research findings are quickly translated into marketable products, as of 2004. . Development of worldwide standards for the networks of the future, as of 2004. Education, training and equal opportunities . Use and increased availability of new media in schools, vocational training institutions and universities, by 2006. . Development of strategies for use of computers in full-time schools, by 2006. . Establishment of a network of excellence and a technical grid infrastructure for German research and business, as of 2004. . Development and enhancement of e-science applications, as of 2004. . Further significant increase in Internet penetration and use. The Federal Government has set itself the goal of raising the proportion of Internet users amongst the over-14s to 75% by 2005. . Launch of the virtual employment market in December 2003. . Even male/female proportions and equal rights in Internet use as quickly as possible and further increase of proportion of women in IT training and computer studies courses to 40% in the medium term. E-government; confidence and security on the Internet . Creation of a totally integrated e-government landscape, taking in the Federal, State and local levels of government, through “Germany Online”. . Launch of 15 implementation projects in 2003; implementation of 50% of the “Germany Online” projects by the Federal, State and local governments by the end of 2005. . All of the Federal Government's Internet-capable services will be online by the end of 2005 thanks to “Federal Government Online”. 27Information Society Germany 2006 . Establishment of 20 model local e-governments (“transfer governments”) as part of the transfer of MEDIA@Komm experience, as of spring 2004. . Common business models to enable Federal, State and local governments to use each others' e-government solutions. . The Federal Government will complete the following e-government solutions within that framework by 2005: form-management system, payment platform, content-management system and a visual post room. . “One for all” services, e.g. for project funding, electronic legal transactions or HR recruitment/ training, will also be available. . Federal Government's contract-awarding procedure exclusively via a secure, Internet-based e- tendering system in line with legal requirements, by 2005. . Conventional “wage-tax card” (for tax assessment purposes) to be replaced by an electronic wage tax certificate, by 2005. . Launch of operations at the IT Security Centre M-Cert for SMEs, by December 2003. . National plan for protection of IT-dependent critical infrastructure, 2004. . Insurance against risks involved in Internet use (Internet insurance policy) will be made available at beginning of 2005. . Mass roll-out of electronic signatures in the banking industry, in labour and tax administration and in the health care sector using normal business processes (beginning of 2004); strategic orientation for projects provided by Federal Government's “E-Card” initiative and backed up by amendment to Signatures Act at beginning of 2004. . Creation, with the members of the Signature Alliance, of the conditions necessary for processing all electronic legal and commercial transactions, on the basis of a common technical standard, using electronic signatures, by the end of 2005. Health . Testing of the electronic health card from 2004, nationwide use by 1.1.2006 at latest; issue of approx. 300,000 identity cards for members of the healing occupations, also by 2006. . On that basis, creation of the conditions necessary for patient medical documentation which can be accessed by all institutions involved in health care. . Electronic prescriptions as of 2006, thus increa sed efficiency; plus, medicine documentation will lead to safer use of medicines; combined, these measures will save billions of euros. . Realisation of electronic trade in medicines in Germany and other countries in the European Economic Area as of 1.1.2004. . Creation of the work structures for ongoing standardisation of ICT in the health care sector, based on an agreed framework telematics architecture, as of 2004. . Support for networking of market players (especially doctors, hospitals and pharmacies) until 2006. 28 Information Society Germany 2006 Section B: Areas of activity in ICT policy B.I. A digital economy aimed at growth and competitiveness Next generation of networks and services How bright an economy's future is depends partly on the power of its data networks and the speed of its services compared to the international market. Apart from mobile communication, the most successful innovation in this field is the Internet. The Internet generates a broad array of possible uses for a variety of technologies. All market players believe that interesting content and applications will be the pivotal catalysts for continued successful development of new technologies. However, the extent to which those technologies can penetrate the market depends on the degree to which potential customers recognise the advantages of the new services and the availability of sufficient transmission capacity. Telecommunication policy A good five years after total market liberalisation, the telecommunication sector has become a model of success. There are now some 500 enterprises operating in the former monopoly segments (voice telephony and transmission paths). The new providers account for a good 40% of the market for long- distance calls and their market share in telephone and broadband lines has increased considerably though it remains at a relatively low level over all. All things considered, the employment situation is positive – at 230,000, the number of people employed in the segment at the end of 2002 was around 10,000 higher than in 1998. The consumers are feeling the benefits too. Price decreases (up to 95% lower in the case of long-distance calls), innovations and wider choice have really stimulated the market. Compared to the international market, Germany gets a “good” to “very good” for prices (Internet, mobile communication, fixed network) and variety. These positive market developments are based on the Federal Government's regulatory policy, which encourages competition. This approach has involved removing restrictions to market participation, introducing cost-oriented flat-rates and ensuring extensive access rights for competitors, all secured by an independent regulatory authority. The long-term objective is to establish structurally stable competition, and the simplest way to meet that objective is through infrastructure-based competition. Consequently, the regulatory activities will focus on promoting efficient infrastructure investments in future. Nonetheless, service-based competition must remain possible provided it is beneficial to competition and consumers. The new European “Regulatory Framework for Electronic Communications Networks and Services” (comprising five separate directives) backs up the Federal Government's stance on these issues. The framework is currently being transposed into national law and requires thorough revision of the Telecommunications Act as well as affecting other areas such as competition law (Act against Restraints on Competition) and media law (Inter-State Agreement on Broadcasting). The Federal Government is using the revision of the Telecommunications Act as an opportunity – where permitted by EU legislation – to abolish superfluous regulation. Sector-specific control of restrictive practices is sufficient, especially with regard to final customer charges. We do not intend to expand regulation to take in previously low-regulation markets (e.g. mobile communication or the Internet). All in all, the Federal Government believes that the telecommunication sector continues to offer good 29Information Society Germany 2006 potential for competition, particularly for rapid ä development of broadband content, services and Internet access (broadband Internet). In the next few applications plus effective stimulation of demand years, competition among the different telecommuby increasing consumers' and companies' awarenications infrastructures, such as broadband cable, ness, e.g. via the D21 Initiative. Examples of these W-LAN, satellite or mobile communications (UMTS), activities include the support being given to mea- as well as DSL products, will ensure sustained grosures to set up broadband infrastructure as part wth. of the implementation of the health card and the job card and measures to connect schools to the Internet by broadband; Broadband Internet ä continuation of work to establish and expand the necessary infrastructure, always demand-driven, Today, almost 90% of Germany's large companies are by private investors; connected to the Internet by broadband. Small and ä activities to increase customer value and accepmedium-sized enterprises are lagging some way tance, development of viable business models; behind, as are the public. DSL and W-LAN technolosupport and information by institutions such as gy have developed at a terrific pace. By contrast, the centres of excellence for small and medium-sized huge potential offered by cable has only been utili-enterprises; sed to a small extent so far. More than 90% of the ä continued development of an investment-friendly just under five million broadband lines currently regulatory environment which provides an ideal installed use DSL technology. framework for competition based on infrastructure and services; New applications and services such as video on ä efforts to guarantee equal opportunities for all demand or modern e-government services will boost citizens in their use of broadband Internet; demand for broadband data transmission even furä promotion of security and confidence in broadther. It is expected that band widths of up to 10 band communication networks and services. Gbit/s for business communication and up to 150 Apart from the development of the legislative fra- Mbit/s for private consumers will be on offer by the mework, one example is development of trade- year 2010. Demand and supply are also constantly marks and quality marks for broadband-capable on the rise in the area of mobile communication. terminals and the content and applications used on them; and The aim of the “German Broadband Initiative”, ä organisation of a round table to improve the set up by the Federal Government and the D21 legislative environment further. Initiative in March 2002, is to create an open platform, in a dialogue involving business, researchers For the initiative to be successful, it is important that and the government, to enable broadband infra-infrastructure providers and service providers work structures such as DSL, cable, satellite or UMTS to hand in hand. Their activities have to focus more on become the dominant form of accessing sophisticathe customer/user since broadband applications and ted Internet services by the year 2005. It is also business models will only be successful on the market, important that these efforts achieve a broad range and thus ultimately trigger infrastructure investments, of types of access and use. if there is an appropriate level of demand and customer acceptance for them. A Germany-wide The next step was an action plan, adopted at the “Broadband Day” and a broadband quality mark will first German Broadband Summit in June 2003, be used to back the initiative. www.breitbandinitiawhich lists the most important points of action for tive.de the coming months, i.e.: 30 Information Society Germany 2006 In the Federal Government's opinion, subsidies for broadband infrastructure are unnecessary and have a tendency to distort competition. The only exception is the financial support given by the EU Structural Fund. The States themselves, being most familiar with the local situation, will identify possibilities for such funding. Structural Fund aid is awarded on the basis of strict criteria – the project must not suppress private investments or favour any particular technology. The Federal Government is conducting projects such as “MobilMedia” to promote development and testing of new multimedia value-added services which can be accessed from wireless, mobile systems. The aim is to develop mobile applications which can serve as a model for others and thus accelerate the creation of further applications. Digitisation of broadcasting services Digitising broadcasting services will provide the necessary platform for broadcasting to evolve and information, communication and broadcasting technologies to integrate. By considerably increasing transmission capacity, digitisation will facilitate a whole range of new forms of information, entertainment and services, thus also generating growth and employment. Furthermore, it will help consolidate and expand the European lead in the field. Digital transmission methods are also more cost-effective than analogue methods, so consumers will get more for their money in future – new services and new functions. The Federal Government and the States – together with all areas of industry and administration concerned – support the move from analogue to digital broadcasting. Since 1997, the “Digital Broadcasting” Initiative, headed jointly by the Federal Government and the States, has been working on the strategy for the move from analogue to digital radio and television broadcasting via cable, satellite and terrestrial transmitters. The “Launch Scenario 2000 – Embracing a New World of Radio and Television” specifies the time frame for the change-over. Analogue television is planned to be replaced by digital television by the year 2010 and analogue radio (VHF) by digital radio between 2010 and 2015. Driven by the market, digital TV has been available on cable since 1997 and via satellite since 1996. Now it is beginning to be provided in the area of terrestrial broadcasting too. The change-over started on 1 November 2002 in the Berlin-Potsdam region. All channels have been available there in digital terrestrial form since spring 2003. The project was successfully completed in August 2003 when the previous analogue TV broadcasting service was shut down. Further projects will follow in 2004 and 2005 in other regions in North Germany, Central Germany, West Germany, Southwest Germany and Bavaria. The introduction of digital radio in Germany began in 1999 and will have covered the whole country by the end of 2004. E-business and SMEs In recent years, companies have become very aware of the economic potential offered by digital technology. It can cut costs, increase productivity, ensure flexibility, accelerate communication and business processes, lead to new markets and products and help optimise procurement and sales. This trend has not passed by SMEs and craft-based firms either. In the space of just a few years, they have begun using key Internet-based tools - e-mail, web sites and web searches have become a matter of course. However, all companies now have new challenges to deal with. They have to move on to the next stage and ensure extensive use of those tools in all business processes and implement comprehensive, interconnected solutions instead of separate stand-alone applications. 31Information Society Germany 2006 The Federal Government has for several years been implementing various schemes to support this move. The regional and sector-related Centres of Excellence in Electronic Commerce, for instance, offer neutral consulting and training. In addition, the German Internet Prize and the Internet Prize for the German Crafts and Trades Sector are awarded every year for exemplary best practice in innovative Internet applications for SMEs and the crafts and trades sector. Our attention is now turning to the transformation of the entire value chain, an extremely complex task not only with regard to the technical aspects, but also the preconditions and impacts. This transformation will lead to the following changes in business: . there will be more Internet-based virtual collaboration between companies (resource-sharing, collaborative business) and optimisation of processes (e-processes, supply chain management) and logistics chains (e-logistics) via Internet information alliances; . in the past few years, employees' training has become even more crucial for companies' competitiveness and survival, and is thus now one of the major tasks in the area of personnel development. Companies need to employ new forms of knowledge delivery in order to master the challenges of innovation cycles becoming shorter and knowledge becoming outdated. Increased use of innovative e-learning applications is one of the key opportunities here; . knowledge management is increasingly becoming a key factor for successful business policy. An abundance of electronically available sources and the dynamism of ever-progressing development are constantly enlarging the knowledge pool. At the same time, when employees leave, they take knowledge and experience with them. In addition, time pressure and workload pressure make it difficult to diffuse and make efficient use of knowledge in companies. Various studies show that German industry is doing well in this process compared to the rest of the world. Nonetheless, one cannot fail to recognise that it is mainly the large companies which have been tackling complex applications so far. There are significant obstacles which prevent SMEs from doing so, i.e. lack of expertise, no access to the application solutions, uncertainty regarding costs, benefits and impacts and high investment costs. We need to help SMEs and craft-based firms make that move to new business applications. They have to be given the possibility to maintain their important economic role even when the economy has gone digital. E-business solutions in line with the specific requirements and situation of each company are needed so that they can stay competitive and gain an even greater competitive edge. To do this, they also need to provide their workers with ongoing training and organise the “archiving”, use and expansion of the company’s knowledge. The aim for the next five years is to significantly lift the quality of e-business in the SME and crafts & trades sectors and work towards comprehensive applications and integration within more comprehensive value-added structures. The objective behind these measures is to maintain Germany's competitiveness as a business location and to guarantee it for the long term. Above all, we will be seeking to boost Germany's performance in the area of research and application-oriented development still further and, mindful of its importance in attracting high-tech companies, to expand our capabilities in these areas. We also need to leverage innovation, particularly in young companies and many SMEs, in order to lend new impetus to the development of the multimedia sector. 32 Information Society Germany 2006 We intend to achieve these goals by means of various measures, as described below. . Continued consulting and training - tailored to the specific situation and needs of SMEs l The activities of the nationwide network of regional and sector-related Centres of Excellence for Electronic Commerce, created as advice centres for SMEs and craft-based firms as part of the Federal Government's package for SMEs, will be continued until the end of 2005. In addition to the basic consulting already available, consulting on more sophisticated forms of e-business will be introduced. To this end, subject-based networks have been developing between the different regional centres since 2001. The networks are dedicated to subjects such as electronic marketplaces, visualisation, e-logistics or network and information security. l A consulting drive is currently being prepared to create conditions that will permit more SME involvement in public electronic procurement. . Activities to shed more light on the E-business potential in SMEs and the crafts and trades sector, with regard to technical aspects, company needs and impacts as well as possibilities for consulting services and financial support; highlighting of best-practice applications (e.g. through the German Internet Prize and the Internet Prize for the German Crafts and Trades Sector); digital cooperation between companies l We are seeking to work with the D21 Initiative to prevent a digital divide in German industry and to improve German SMEs' competitiveness in global online business; D21 is preparing an “Action plan for SMEs” to this end. l Although efficient virtual forms of business organisation offer many opportunities for SMEs in particular, development of virtual companies has been negligible so far. Consequently, we intend to provide a publicly available guide to describe the possibilities, applicable conditions (e.g. legal and contractual conditions), technical requirements and other relevant factors. l In addition to network infrastructure and the relevant technology, industry needs qualified staff and scientifically sound methods in order to be able to develop and manage network- based business processes. The Federal Government is therefore supporting the establishment of Centres of Excellence on the Internet Economy at universities. . Expansion of in-company training; highlighting of e-learning potential The Federal Government is promoting the development of innovative, viable learning solutions for SMEs and public administration. These solutions must provide new approaches for delivering knowledge quickly, economically and in line with needs since current e-learning solutions on a small scale are often too expensive and the development effort required is still too high. . New business initiative The Federal Government's “Making a successful start with multimedia” new business competition is a clear call for more business start-ups in the multimedia segment. Founders of new companies are being given more support than before, especially in the difficult start-up phase. . IT security On the one hand, SMEs' security awareness needs to be raised and, on the other, more information and a larger range of technical and organisational solutions tailored to SMEs are required. The security infrastructure for SMEs also needs to be enhanced. The Mcert computer-security team – which works with BITKOM – is one example of efforts in this area. 33Information Society Germany 2006 . Development of innovative electronic business processes; measures to strengthen confidence in e-business The Federal Government's activities in the area include support for development and testing of new security technologies for Internet-based services as well as Internet-based collaboration between companies. . Standardisation l Two very complex issues specific to the SME sector are the necessity for intensive consulting and the need for them to participate actively or have their interests given more consideration in industry's standardisation activities (product identification and classification, transmission standards, etc. ). l The effects of the convergence of electronic media must also be examined and made a bigger part of activities in the field of technology and economic policy. Particular support will be given to the efforts of the SME sector to initiate standards which can help to increase performance and innovative potential. . Knowledge management l The Internet has considerably augmented the information supply. Companies' ability to utilise that information quickly and efficiently for business processes and to meet business aims has not increased by the same measure. This is particularly true of small and medium-sized enterprises. SMEs need to be made aware (by means of basic information, consulting and best-practice examples) of the possibilities offered by information and knowledge management. Technical solutions tailored to the specific information- and knowledge-processing needs of SMEs and the crafts and trades sector are required. l The Federal Government's “Knowledge Media” flagship project promotes innovative solutions for knowledge management in small and medium-sized enterprises and public administration. The solutions considered are chiefly economical, practicable methods of creating a suitable knowledge base in companies, providing knowledge in line with needs and ensuring appropriate use of knowledge. Legal environment Evolving the legal environment for the new services in Germany's information society will play a pivotal part in guaranteeing its growth and competitiveness. The list of tasks to be dealt with in the next few years is extremely long. In particular, the copyright law needs to be modernised further, clarity needs to be established with regard to patentability of computer-implemented inventions, and market players need to be protected from unfair conduct. In addition, the media and data-protection regulations will be harmonised and EC directives revised to reflect new developments. In the 14th legislative period (1998-2002), progress was made on important provisions aimed at creating a modern, reliable legal environment for electronic commerce. Chief amongst them are the Act on Legal Framework Conditions for Electronic Commerce with its amendments to the Teleservices Act and the Teleservices Data Protection Act, plus the new Signatures Act and the ordinance relating to it. 34 Information Society Germany 2006 Copyright law The far-reaching technical developments of recent years have resulted in many more diverse possibilities not only for creativity but also for marketing that creativity. The legislature responded to this situation with the Act Governing Copyright Law in the Information Society of 10 September 2003, which implements the European Directive on Harmonising Copyright in the Information Society. The provisions of the Act on the Protection of Technical Measures, which enable creators and marketers – both in online and offline media – to protect their work/products and control its use, are of central importance. In future, the Act will back up the protective measures with sweeping circumvention bans. This will act as an incentive to use new technologies, such as digital rights management, and thus promote investment in creativity and innovation. The adoption of the Act Governing Copyright Law in the Information Society is not the end of the reform of Germany's copyright law. In particular, the copyright fee system needs to be revised and adapted as a result of technological development. The main issue is how to achieve a balance in future between the legitimate interests of the copyright holders, the providers and users of content disseminated electronically via teleservices, media services and TV/radio and the equipment industry as technology continues to develop. Important questions in this area concern the scope of the restriction on private copies and the pros and cons of digital rights management. We intend to discuss these issues and other as yet unanswered questions regarding copyright law in the information society in detail with all parties concerned, the States, legal theoreticians and legal practitioners, and identify a legislative solution before the end of the 15th legislative period (2002-2006). Patentability of computer-implemented inventions Clear legal provisions are required to deal with the patentability of “computer-implemented inventions”. Though frequently used, the term “software patents” is misleading in this context because the patents are issued on technical inventions realised with the aid of software, not on the actual software itself. Source code, for example, can only be protected by copyright law. The Federal Government's IT and software strategy is primarily based on its belief in open standards and diversity in the software landscape. IT security and the innovative and competitive momentum triggered by SMEs are two of the main reasons to shun software monocultures and promote an independent developer market. At the same time, however, patents must not be called into question as a means of protecting technical innovations involving software. The European Commission's draft Directive on the Patentability of Computer-Implemented Inventions of 20 February 2002 aims to clearly define the requirements for patenting and thus to harmonise patent law and practice in the EU member states and at the European Patent Organisation. Rather than creating a special field of law for computer-implemented inventions, the directive is intended to adapt the general patent requirements to the specific needs of this sphere. It will still not be possible to patent pure software. In addition, clearly defined rules are to be introduced to avoid trivial patents, e.g. patents on business methods, being issued. 35Information Society Germany 2006 Fears have been expressed, especially by small and medium-sized software companies and members of the Open Source movement, that patent protection for technical applications in the area of information and communication systems and the associated licence-related obligations could have a detrimental effect on further development of services in the information society. Germany is an important centre for the growing IT industry. Numerous independent developers as well as large, international companies operate here. The Open Source movement is also continuously gaining in significance, as reflected in the German Bundestag's decision to use Linux programmes for some of the planned applications. A balanced solution is therefore required. The above-mentioned EC directive is intended to achieve a balance between two objectives. Firstly, the aim of providing continued patent protection for “conventional” inventions which involve computers and are of a technical nature and, secondly, the aim of preventing a software monoculture arising due to patenting practice having too broad a scope. Both of these aims will benefit Germany in its role as a centre for research and development. The legislative measures have to be supplemented by information and support that help companies, especially SMEs and independent developers, to acquire the knowledge they need regarding the patent system and enable them to counter any phenomena detrimental to competition. Protection of market players against unfair conduct in electronic communication As ICT services become more widespread, so does misuse of those services. Predominantly, this misuse involves unwanted commercial e-mail (spam), which increases the burden on network capacity and irritates market players (companies and consumers), and misuse of value-added call numbers. The Federal Government is conscious of the problem caused by the worldwide communication networks – particularly the Internet – increasingly being misused to send unwanted commercial e-mail (an activity known as “spamming”). As well as causing considerable irritation to consumers, this behaviour also leads to significant detrimental effects in companies because discarding unwanted e-mails, in particular, has now become a very time-consuming job. It should also be pointed out that sending of unwanted advertising material is not only damaging but is also prohibited for the most part in Germany, and has been for some time, by legal provisions concerning unfair competition. In view of this fact and having implemented the provisions of directives such as those on distance selling, electronic commerce and data protection in telecommunication, the Federal Government has not considered it necessary so far to take any more action to implement any of the European guidelines on unwanted advertising material. Directive 97/66/EC, the Telecoms Data Protection Directive, was replaced last year by a new directive, Directive 2002/58/EC on Privacy and Electronic Communications. In the new directive, the provision relating to unwanted advertising material now explicitly includes the use of e-mail. The Federal Government has used this new directive as an opportunity to incorporate a provision aimed at clarifying the legal evaluation of unwanted (irritating) advertising material in the new Act 36 Information Society Germany 2006 against Unfair Competition. The Act contains an explicit provision which concerns unwanted advertising material, unsolicited e-mails, faxes and telephone calls and is intended to demonstrate the anti-competitive nature of such practices. It also establishes the legal basis for confiscating profits which a company generates by means of wilful unfair practice so that there is no incentive to send such advertisements. The new Act against Unfair Competition will make clearer legal evaluation of unwanted advertising material possible in Germany. However, it cannot be forgotten that, in particular, unwanted commercial e-mail cannot be effectively combated by national legislative measures alone. The senders are often based outside Europe, which means that the bans which apply in Europe either do not cover them or it is more difficult to enforce the laws. International collaboration is thus required on this subject. The Federal Government greatly welcomes the fact that the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has now also turned its attention to this issue. The Federal Government will take an active role in the OECD's work to develop effective measures. The subject of anti-spamming measures was also incorporated into the action plan drawn up at the UN World Summit on the Information Society. On 15 August 2003, the Act to Combat Misuse of 0190/0900 Value-Added Call Numbers came into force. It comprises elements such as the right of every citizen to obtain information from the Regulatory Authority for Telecommunications and Posts (RegTP) on providers' names and addresses for service, the obligation to specify rates before charges become due for the value-added call, maximum rates, the obligation to automatically cut off the connection after one hour, a registration procedure for dialler programmes, which have to fulfil minimum consumer-protection requirements, and permission for the RegTP to withdraw numbers in the event of unlawful misuse. The Act makes the services more transparent, strengthens consumers' legal position and also promotes fair competition amongst the reputable providers. Harmonisation of media regulations The regulatory framework relating to media needs to be updated constantly in order to keep up with economic and technological development. A coherent legislative framework needs to be established. This will affect the various regulations on teleservices and media services applicable at the Federal and State levels. They need to be harmonised, though the fundamental distinction between radio/television and new services must remain. Steps should be taken to abolish the current regulatory practice whereby the Federal Government and the States create different regulations with the same provisions for teleservices and media services (particularly with regard to freedom of access, providers' duties to supply information and their responsibility as specified in the E-Commerce Directive). The division of jurisdiction set forth in Germany's Constitution must be taken into account in this process. The Federal Government and States will have to hold more talks on these subjects and possibly put forward proposals for new legislation. This also applies to improved collaboration between the Federal Government's supervisory agencies (Federal Cartel Office and Regulatory Authority for Telecommunications and Posts) and the State media authorities. Such improvement has already been achieved in the law on protection of young people by implementing common strategy points at the Federal and State levels. The Federal Government's new Act on the Protection of Young People and the Inter-state Treaty on Protecting Minors from Unsuitable Media Content (between the States) came into force on 1 April 2003. These provide the basis for uniform regulation at the State and Federal Government levels for the protection of young people from unsuitable content in all electronic media (teleservices, media services and radio/TV). 37Information Society Germany 2006 Harmonisation of data protection The Federal Government and States are in agreement on the issue of data protection in the electronic media. In future, the Federal Government will manage data protection both for teleservices and media services. A draft bill is set to bring about a further improvement in how this subject is handled by clearly defining the relationship between data protection in teleservices/media services and the area of telecommunication. At the same time, data protection for teleservices and media services will be deregulated. A further key point will be the establishment in law of structures for voluntary self-regulation by the respective industry. These are to be built on existing models which industry is already using to help boost consumer confidence in the new services. In addition, sector-specific data protection provisions are planned to support the new information and communication systems in the world of work. The aim is to create a suitable balance between the legitimate information requirements of employers and the protection of employees' personal rights, to establish legal clarity for employers and employees and to foster employees' acceptance of the technologies. Revision of EC directives At the European level, the Television Directive, E- Commerce Directive and Signature Directive require evaluation and, potentially, revision. The European Commission has now consulted the member states with regard to the form the Television Directive should take in the future. Germany advocates the approach chosen by the European Commission whereby audiovisual services will be regulated on the basis of their content and not the form of transmission. Only by assessing such services on the basis of their content and function can we safeguard important quality standards in the protection of young people, human dignity and consumers. Germany is also working to ensure that the special features of the different types of service are catered for by means of staggered regulation. Another point which Germany considers important is the abolition of the rules on advertising times since they no longer fit in with today's media landscape. There are also important issues to be resolved in the planned reviews of the E-Commerce Directive and Signature Directive. As well as having the biggest market in these fields, Germany has the most extensive experience and will thus work to make sure that these directives are revised in a beneficial manner, geared to adding value. Innovation driven by research policy Creating employment with a secure future is the main task in Germany's policy on home affairs. Ensuring that research and technology sponsorship is geared to innovation is key in that task since innovation provides the foundations for Germany's competitiveness on the international market and thus for growth and employment in our country. In the evolving knowledge society, the cornerstone of innovation is the information and communication technology that shapes that society, the increasing convergence of those technologies and their fusion with other new technologies. Those new technologies include, for example, material technologies, optical technologies and biotechnology. Today, more than half of Germany's industrial production and over 80% of its exports already depend on the use of state-of-the-art ICT systems. In the near future, the proportion of car production costs spent on electronics will climb to over 30%. ICT and the technologies fusing with it have a considerable influence on growth and employment. In Germany, annual growth rates in research-intensive sectors, such as the information industry or car production, were on average five times higher than growth in the overall economy in the years running up to the millennium. Around 50% of gross value added and jobs in the manufacturing sector, and more than half of German export business, are linked to the development of these 38 Information Society Germany 2006 technologies and innovations based on them. Growth and employment are also affected by the sector of knowledge-intensive services, which is increasingly becoming more important for the overall economy and is also significantly influenced by the development of these technologies. Over the past few years, our research and technology policy has helped Germany maintain its position as one of the world's major centres of innovation. The proportion of German industrial enterprises' turnover generated by market innovations has doubled since the middle of the 1990s. Germany is the second biggest exporter of research-intensive goods and ranks amongst the world leaders in key research- intensive sectors, especially car production and mechanical engineering. Convergence of electronic media will cause far- reaching change in many areas of the economy in the next few years. The fusion of mobile telephony and the Internet will give birth to totally new services, new methods and multi-media devices. Other main challenges for modern ICT systems include the explosive growth in knowledge and the significantly increasing abundance of electronically available sources. New, easy-to-use knowledge-intensive services based on modern ICT systems will come into being and lead to new markets and opportunities for growth and employment. They will also help solve problems in the areas of health, environment, transport and energy and thus lend new impetus to sustainable development. This will have a far-reaching influence on innovation in the sectors in which Germany has its core competence, e.g. mechanical engineering, vehicle production, chemicals and electrical engineering/electronics. Manufacturers of IT equipment, component suppliers, the software industry and users must assess and take advantage of the opportunities this trend will bring for Germany as a centre for business. It will be more important than ever to look at innovation processes along value chains and to promote technology and innovation at the points where they can be expected to provide most leverage to the economy. The fundamental point is where (in which segments) and how (under what conditions) Germany will be able to maintain (or develop) its competitiveness as a business location and secure it in the long term. The field of research and innovation policy is faced with the challenge of contributing to new innovation in business and society. As well as helping to maintain and expand economic strengths, it must take on board new developments in technology, business and society. The foreseeable structural change that will ensue has to be implemented in line with the notion of sustainable development. In view of these facts, the uppermost goals are to help create jobs with a secure future and ensure sustainable development. With regard to ICT and media convergence, it is important that we have a hand in future worldwide standards, consolidate and expand Germany's position and competitiveness on worldwide markets and thus make a lasting contribution to economic growth and employment in Germany in the medium term. We aim to do this by securing and broadening technological expertise in Germany's “core-competence segments”, e.g. mobile Internet, display technology, optical connections and software, as well as integrating ICT into machinery and vehicles. In order to achieve these goals, research efforts will be concentrated on key areas of innovation, i.e. strategic technology developments in which it works with the spheres of research and business and pools research capacity and funding for a range of technologies. These key areas of innovation along the value chains are intended to give real leverage to growth and employment, and thus create a large potential benefit for the overall economy. The aim is to strengthen ICT in its role as the underlying technology and growth driver in many sectors, increasingly combine it with other technologies and integrate it into applications (cars, machinery and services). More effort must also be made to align research activities with technological and economic trends. These include mobile use of IT, the desire for reliable software and secure IT systems and the trend towards ever smaller microchips, which makes new lithography methods necessary. 39Information Society Germany 2006 One of German business' greatest strengths is its leadership in the development of new mobile communication systems. Almost all of the world's leading companies have set up R&D centres and, in some cases, production facilities for mobile communication systems, in Germany. We need to utilise this capacity in the development of the mobile Internet of the future. By giving priority to “Mobile Internet” innovation, we intend to develop the conditions required for technologies and services which enable users to obtain the information they require, any time, anywhere (for information on application- oriented funding, see “MobilMedia” in the section on “Broadband Internet”). Despite the ever-increasing use of electronics in security-relevant areas, there is still no standard method that guarantees error-free technology. It is thus crucial that industry knows how to use verification technology. This technology saves money and time when developing new systems and avoids money having to be spent on fixing bugs in the electronics. The Federal Government is therefore sponsoring work on “integrated proof of correctness” using verification methods. The aim of this work is to identify and correct bugs in autonomous or integrated computer systems at the actual design stage. To start off, the mathematical principles will be developed, completely formalised and tailored for IT in the areas of embedded systems, communication and application software. Taking this as their starting point, the project partners will seek to develop applications which can serve as examples, and will work with them to test computer systems for chip cards, telecommunication and automotive electronics, from the hardware right through to the application software. Microelectronics are increasingly evolving into nanoelectronics, with even higher capacity in even smaller components. This poses new challenges for the lithography process. A central aspect of the collaboration between chip makers and mask producers is the task of patterning the structures needed on the chip in a clever way so that they can be efficiently translated into structures on the mask and then into photolithographic patterns again. Three top semi-conductor companies have joined forces to create one of the world's most sophisticated mask-technology centres, the “Advanced Mask Technology Center (AMTC)” in Dresden, in order to find answers to all the unsolved details of mask production. To begin with, the centre will design mask technology for structures with widths of around 90 nm and later 65 nm, before then turning to what is currently the most promising technology – for even smaller structures. In the priority innovation area of nanoelectronics, the Federal Government will be sponsoring the development of mask technology and alternative lithography methods over the next few years. New approaches need to be developed to accommodate the altered and ever more important role of small and medium-sized enterprises in the innovation, production and sales process. In view of this objective, an important task in research and innovation policy is to provide support for technology- based business start-ups in new fields of technology where there is growth and considerable economic potential, and to ensure that education and research are dovetailed in all areas. Education and training determine how well business can innovate and compete but also the extent to which individuals accept and adopt new technological developments. All of the Federal Government's support activities will include ongoing measures to train and recruit young scientists (e.g. IT further training system, support for young scientists in the field of nanotechnology). We will also be seeking solutions which promote successful knowledge management and the creative combinations of knowledge which are necessary for innovation. 40 Information Society Germany 2006 The Federal Government's support for applied research and experimental development focuses on boosting the wave of new businesses induced by multimedia and the Internet. In keeping with this objective and based on the experiences of the “Multimedia” competition for new businesses, we are launching a new competition for business ideas, the “New Business Competition – Making a Successful Start with Multimedia” initiative. We are also spurring the development and testing of new technologies in strategic fields through a series of technology competitions. The Federal Government initiated new invitations for project tenders in the areas of mobile value- added services and knowledge management, based on the above-mentioned central challenges. There was a very good response to the invitations, and the projects are now being implemented. We are also exploring the possibility of a competition in the sphere of “anytime, anywhere networking” (ambient intelligence). In addition, development and piloting of flat screens based on organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are the pivotal to Germany's success as a centre of business. The Federal Government is therefore backing the development of an engineering process for this new generation of flat screens. Projects on digital video and audio processing, such as MPEG-7, and digital cinema chains are also being piloted. B.II.Education, training and equal opportunities Education and training for the employment market The education sector will face special challenges in the knowledge society. If it is to meet these challenges, investment in education needs to be increased, and the education system needs to be reformed, both in terms of curricular and structure, since education shapes the development of individual personalities and their ability to participate in society – and since it is vital to the viability of a modern, democratically- constituted society. In the information society, in which the value of acquired knowledge continually diminishes, as a result of technical development and skill-building, qualification inside and outside of companies, and lifelong learning, acquire special importance. Every investment in skill-building is also an investment in the future. Only with this perspective in mind can the requirements arising via globalization of markets and pertinent structural changes be met, and only with this perspective can companies remain internationally competitive and achieve top positions and build on them. New media are considered to hold special potential for achieving such aims in education. The Federal Government is thus seeking to achieve broad use of modern information and communications technologies (ICT) in education, including electronic and multimedia information resources. In the action programme “Innovation and jobs in the information society of the 21st Century”, which the Federal Government presented in 1999, special priority was placed on the development of multimedia forms of teaching and communication in education. 41Information Society Germany 2006 Access to education Currently, use of new media in the education sector – which is often mistakenly seen as being restriced to eLearning – is undergoing major pedagogical, technical and economic changes. Pedagogically, use of new media – like conventional “distance learning” – requires learners to have very high levels of motivation, independence and discipline. Learning programmes that rely solely on online learning thus tend to have high drop-out rates. Experience has shown that media use is pedagogically successful only in the context of hybrid qualification measures involving phases of actual on-site classroom learning. As to the media itself, a trend toward a mixture of textbooks, digital materials on CD and web-based programmes has emerged, a mixture that is normally enriched with online communications between teachers and learners. In economic terms, the market, about which exaggerated growth forecasts are still made, is actually small, fragmented and heavily technology- oriented. It is currently undergoing a consolidation phase at the end of which proven education providers with additional eLearning programmes are likely to emerge. “New media in education” thus cannot be seen as a separate market segment, nor can it be understood as a means of introducing educational programmes that are neither organizationally enshrined nor pedagogically suitable. Instead, new media in education should be seen only as a means for increasing educational opportunities and facilitating combinations of working and learning, a means that becomes especially effective when backed by supportive measures from educational providers. It is now apparent that the proper use of new media is becoming a part of existing qualification structures and that it will continue to grow in importance in the future. New media play an important role, as catalysts and driving forces for educational reforms, in all educational areas – schools, vocational training and higher education. The Federal Government continues to support these reforms. The focus of its measures is on the “New Media in Education” support programme, whose main aim is the integration of new media in everyday education at schools, vocational training institutions and higher education institutions. The relevant activities are tailored to the specific conditions prevailing in the various areas and take due account of gender mainstreaming. New media in schools The central aim in content development in the schools sector of the “New Media in Education” support programme is to achieve a transition from school textbooks to multimedia teaching programs. Measures in this area are promoting production of teaching and learning systems (and not simply more of the many existing consumer-style products) whose central focus is on high-quality work with digital learning environments and that are suitable tools for combining teaching with self-paced after-noon learning. This aim is being pursued on several levels. In the sector of conventional teaching tools, development toward multimedia programmes is being moved forward via promotion of high-quality multimedia educational content and its use in instruction. Media providers, publishing companies, museums and educational sponsors can make use of such content for all school forms and levels, in projects designed to provide an adequate economic basis for later management. Multimedia materials and new-media-based course units developed in schools by teachers – which are often of high quality, since they are developed “by schools for schools” – are being enhanced in the “Teachers Online” (“LehrerOnline”) project in the initiative “Schools Going Online” (“Schulen ans Netz”) and are being made available to all teachers, along with additional materials. This project also includes the Internet-based working environment “lo-net”, through which teachers work with their pupils in “virtual classrooms”. This working environment forms the basis for innovative media projects in schools. 42 Information Society Germany 2006 These measures are being complemented by the BLK programme (BLK = Federal-State Commission for Educational Planning and Research Promotion) SEMIK (Systematic Integration of Media and ICT in Teaching and Learning Processes), in which use of new media is being taught at schools as a new cultural skill. New media in vocational and further training In vocational training as well, new media can be used only when the necessary infrastructure is available. To this end, more and more vocational schools are being equipped with computers. The basis for this effort is an agreement reached in 2001 between the Federal Government and the States according to which, in the framework of the Future Initiative for Vocational Schools (ZIBS), the States will receive funding to improve IT equipment in vocational schools. The computers obtained through this measure are currently being integrated in the work of vocational schools. The Federal Government's measures for creating a powerful, modern and viable system of vocational training and further training are being promoted at the level of content development in the area of vocational training, by the “New Media in Education” support programme. This is occurring through broad integration of IT-based learning in vocational training. The vocational training projects in the “New Media in Education” support programme are to support structural changes in qualification programmes in individual sectors wherever possible. The Federal Government's support for relevant associations is providing impetus in this area for relevant reforms in ordinances for training and further training. To ensure that results are lasting, applications and sectors are being selected, in cooperation with the “social partners” (employers' and employees' representatives), that are suitable for media-based training and further training and that are of special importance with regard to job growth. Due to the practical nature of the desired solutions and the strong differences between the various sectors, projects are being discussed with the various social partners and assessed by experts. Projects are expected to feature modular, reusable multimedia content, and they should support self-paced learning, also in company work processes, as well as learning in cooperative, virtual learning environments. Where employees are concerned, the primary responsibility for relevant action lies not with the state, not with the government and not with unemployment insurance systems. Policy-makers have special responsibility for vocational further training, but they do not have sole responsibility for such training. Companies in particular must become more involved in training and further training for the sake of their employees. At the same time, policy-makers will not leave industry and employees alone with this task. In the framework of the “Immediate Action Programme of the Federal Government and the ICT Sector to Meet the Demand for IT Specialists in Germany”, special qualification measures on the part of the Federal Employment Agency were agreed and announced. The Federal Employment agency agreed to increase the numbers of participants in IT training programmes to 40,000. Via intensive use of the instrument for promotion of vocational training, pursuant to the third volume of the social welfare code (SGB III), the Federal Employment Agency has contributed significantly to reducing the shortage of IT specialists. The Federal Employment Agency's contribution even exceeded the target of 40,000 participants aimed for in the special programme. As of December 2001, some 48,000 persons were in supported IT-training measures; the corresponding figure for December 2002 was about 43,000 persons. 43Information Society Germany 2006 Promotion of further training in accordance with SGB III has been reoriented with the first two Acts on Modern Services on the Employment Market, which entered into force on 1 January 2003. The options of persons interested in further training have been increased through issue of training vouchers, which facilitate selection from among suitable training qualifications actually in demand on the employment market. In addition, the legal basis has been created for mandatory certification, by external agencies, of training providers and measures for which support pursuant to SGB III is provided. Use of external experts, in such certification and in issue of training vouchers, will promote competition among training providers and enhance quality. The Federal Government will create the legal basis for certification of supported vocational further training. Improvements in the options of persons seeking further training increase the need for an overview of the market. The Federal Employment Agency thus plans to establish, as soon as possible, a nationwide further training database with comprehensive information required by the various user groups and with a wide range of search tools. This will ensure that a virtual further training market is in place to support the needs of the real-world further training market. In addition, the Federal Government is supporting all efforts that can help orient supported vocational further training, in the area of information technology occupations, more closely to the needs of the employment market and companies. Exemplary relevant efforts are being made in establishment of a comprehensive further training system for the IT sector. In this area, development of curricula, and of suitable teaching and learning software, is being supported along with the creation of a new regulatory framework for further training for the IT sector. As a next step, additional educational modules are being developed. On the basis of common standards, a pool of educational software modules will emerge from which, with the help of a powerful development environment, educational software offerings can be compiled flexibly, quickly, by specific request and as necessary for further training in the IT sector. This production model for distributed development of training software will fundamentally revolutionize teaching, structures and efficiency in eLearning. This model is to be expanded to other industries. New media are to be used in a similar way to change master craftsman training. To this end, crafts sector representatives and industrial associations have joined together within the “Master Qualification Online” project in order to develop common, unified standards and modules for master craftsman training in Germany. Solutions are also being produced in other industries. For support of additional projects, ways in which eLearning can provide maximum leverage in educational reform are being identified, and the resulting widely effective findings are being applied. New media in higher education The Federal Government is seeking to achieve broad use of modern information and communications technologies, including systematic use of electronic and multimedia information resources, in university research and teaching. In light of the key importance of this issue, the Federal Government, in cooperation with the States, is supporting universities in expanding their IT infrastructures, in designing relevant new teaching and learning concepts, in developing content software for university teaching and in strengthening IT education at universities. Universities are already equipped today with powerful IT infrastructures that are financed, within the framework of the Act on Promotion of University Construction (Hochschulbauförderungsgesetz), by the Federal Government and the States. These infrastructures need to be adapted to the changing requirements of research and teaching, however. To this end, projects relative to “notebook universities” are being promoted in which universities support studies – beginning with a few programmes of studies, and 44 Information Society Germany 2006 then more extensively, and both in classrooms or as self-paced studies – through ubiquitous, digital forms of communication, through multimedia teaching and learning and through many different knowledge development and teaching techniques. The basis for this effort consists of WLAN projects for ubiquitous networks of student notebook computers at universities. In content development, the aim of measures under the support programme “New Media in Education” is to integrate new media comprehensively in university teaching. To this end, a total of 100 collaborative projects, involving 540 individual projects, are being supported until the end of 2003. These projects are distributed evenly among subject areas, States and universities. The main support criteria include the (media-) didactic concept and its integration in graded evaluation, the relevant inter-State collaboration structure and a usage concept that extends beyond the support. A number of supportive projects are providing technical support and advice for these projects, and nearly all subject areas are included in support. Information about the various individual projects can be obtained at the “www.medien-bildung.net” portal. This support is being complemented by two lead projects which, by virtue of their size and design, are developing comprehensive solutions for relevant problem areas. In the “Virtual University of Applied Sciences (VFH)” project, a total of 11 universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschulen) and two universities, from seven different States, established a virtual university of applied sciences that went online in October 2001 with two courses of study. In the “Networked Study of Chemistry (VS)” project, the Chemistry Information Centre (FIZ Chemie) in Berlin, in cooperation with 16 scientific project partners at 13 German universities in various States, is developing the world's first electronic platform that links theory and practice in chemistry studies. Via multimedia teaching modules for training and further training, the platform provides access to the entire subject matter of basic chemistry studies. In both lead projects, therefore, inter-State virtual instruction programmes are being developed that are integrated within universities’ normal operations. In cooperation with the States, the model experimental programme of the Federal-State Commission for Educational Planning and Research Promotion (BLK) was opened in 1998, through a decision of the commission, for digital forms of distance studies. Following the experience gained with initiated projects, the “distance studies” support emphasis has been extended. Currently, the progress achieved in university projects is being evaluated with regard to the coming years. The main criteria for further support are to be defined on the basis of the results. The aim is to make the resulting teaching and learning systems a permanent part of participating universities and to extend the systems to other universities as well. In particular, use of developed educational content for scientific further training would be a useful support emphasis. 45Information Society Germany 2006 Access to information Germany's real capital in the world market consists of the education and knowledge of its citizens. About half a million scientists, and 1.8 million students, need scientific information for their work and studies. Research and science are changing in the digital age. New interactive network applications will significantly increase efficiency in international cooperation, work with new research tools and use of digital data and archives. The Federal Government has paved the way for the establishment of a powerful scientific network and digital libraries in Germany. Now, the basis for new services in this environment is being created, in cooperation with the science sector. Industry is also keenly interested in the technologies and solutions developed in the process. The future Internet – like the first Internet – will rely heavily on solutions and technologies that were first developed and tested in the science sector. For this reason, industry is being involved an early stage in research in the area of eScience. Users of such resources require fast, unhindered access to relevant scientific information, independently of time and place. They want the information they access to be in the appropriate form, and they want to be able to integrate it within the relevant contexts of their own learning and working environments. To this end, they are increasingly turning to digital information content in addition to printed literature, and thus they need to be able to rely on the quality of online information. They often search for such information through customised value- added information services that come from a single source and thus eliminate the need to navigate through a wide variety of isolated services (one-stop shopping). And they want transparent, fair and simple usage conditions. Successful introduction of the networked virtual world of information, which many refer to as the “cultural revolution of the 21st Century”, will depend on optimal support through future policies. Combination of resources and competences available in Germany holds great potential for development impetus. Efficient systems for use of scientific information and publication of findings are the most important factor for accelerating technology transfer. Scientific information is thus a driving force for innovation and a strategic instrument for positioning Germany within the global market. The Federal Government plans to enact policies to support the paradigm change in scientific information resources. The overarching, strategic aims are as follows: . Providing access to scientific information worldwide, for all people, at all times and from all places, and at fair conditions. . Implementing the paradigm change made possible through the development of modern ICT and networks, and doing so throughout the chain from provider to user, in keeping with individual information requirements. . Optimizing information provision as a component of our national education, science and research system, in the framework of expansion of the knowledge society. . Promoting the establishment of information systems with high-quality services products oriented to the global market and efficiency. . Reviewing tasks of state information facilities, with a view to increasing their efficiency, and reorienting these tasks strategically. This policy is oriented to the state's tasks of safeguarding access to published information, providing the education and science sectors with scientific information resources, preserving existing knowledge in keeping with cultural diversity criteria, preventing digital divisions of society and strengthening the skills of all citizens in efficient, critical use of information. 46 Information Society Germany 2006 The new support policy, which as been described in the strategic position paper “Networking information – activating knowledge” (“Information vernetzen – Wissen aktivieren”), will pursue innovative approaches, in the following areas, for implementing the aforementioned strategic aims: . Science and education policy . Research policy . Information infrastructure The key aims include safeguarding information resources and the scientific publishing sector in Germany, strengthening these aspects in international competition, placing them in a European context and using the new technologies profitably to enhance science, industry and society in Germany. Information resources If information resources are to be future-capable and user-friendly, they must feature open access and powerful digital information systems. Improvement of existing information systems must work toward systematic coordination of national and local information resources. The some 280 scientific libraries at universities, universities of applied sciences and research institutions must develop into highly capable, local information providers. Their new role lies in information and knowledge management, i.e. in coordination of internal and external knowledge resources, which are tending to become fully digitally represented. To achieve these ends, all affected working areas of local institutions, such as libraries, computing centres and media centres, must be integrated. High priority must be given to eliminating obstacles to usage and to building seamless electronic service chains. The Federal Government and the States must work together to assure coordination of local and regional literature and information resources in the context of digital information. Information competence While the new technologies make it possible to provide information products more flexibly and more in keeping with specific needs, they also create new requirements with respect to users' skills. The ability to access information resources efficiently, including resources that expand personal knowledge, and the ability to assess information for its value and relevance, are necessary bases for efficient information use. These skills include the ability to filter out irrelevant information. The Federal Government supports integration of teaching of information-use skills as a permanent part of all levels of training and further training. New services and procedures for handling digital information Open access to digital information, and effective information environments, are not possible without relevant technical and procedural standards. It is urgently necessary for German scientists to participate in international standardization bodies, so that the agreements reached in such bodies can flow directly into national developments. Procedures coordinated at the national level should be prepared in competence networks that include responsible or relevantly certified institutions. The aim is to push forward development of new services, standards and metadata in concrete application areas. Further research and development is also needed in the following areas: . User-oriented, intelligent access systems and portals that can also deal with interdisciplinary questions . New methods for automatic generation of new data sources and for structuring of data . Innovative tools for locating, evaluating, linking and processing information . Individually tailored information products and value-added services 47Information Society Germany 2006 ä Interfaces and processing tools for integrating in this information and science network; the system's scientific information in users' own learning and various parts may differ in their degree of integration working environments within the system. This effort will aim to bundle ä Procedures for generating knowledge from know-how and to achieve “critical mass” with respect empirical and experimental data to development, supply, the market and usage. In a ä Innovative business models, which must be devefirst step, information networks between the various loped in cooperation with publishing companies. information institutions will be formed at the national level. In addition, development must concentrate on procedures for assuring quality and data security – An interdisciplinary Internet portal for scientific for example, relative to issues of data authenticity information in Germany is to be established, to pro- and copy protection – and on national concepts for vide transparent, overarching access to all databases, protecting long-term access to information (archifull texts and services of national German informaving) in the framework of distributed systems. In this tion institutions. Such access, based on the above- context, the need for retro-digitalization of printed mentioned information and knowledge network, will sources, within specific application contexts, must provide a basis for later integration within a comprealso be reviewed. hensive European information landscape. Networks and flexibility Innovative, subject-specific and topic-specific knowledge platforms, also open for use in teaching and The Federal Government considers reorientation of learning environments, thus need to be developed existing infrastructures, toward future-capable, net-and tested. Such platforms should have the “critical worked and virtual information systems, to be an mass” that will enable them to meet with accepurgent task. tance on the information market. They should link core competences of information institutions with Future support policy will pursue a dual strategy in those of the scientific community and, where possithis area and, ble, should be implemented as public-private-part ä On the basis of the existing functioning informanership solutions in cooperation with the informatition resources system, will enhance conventional on industry. Knowledge platforms could serve both systems, in order to optimize the capabilities of authors and smaller publishing companies as a basis existing services providers, and for digital publications and value-added services: The ä Promote development of innovative, modern aim is to develop suitable, integration-capable infra- forms of scientific publishing, in order to better structures and services for knowledge exchange, via meet scientists needs as to fast, seamless informanew forms of production, publication and distribution and communications resources and in restion of scientific information. pect of knowledge exchange in networks. The described strategies and aims will be the The Federal Government sees the need to promo-basis for future support of capabilities in provision of te the establishment of a German information and scientific information and in the relevant infrastrucscience network of information institutions, integrature. Over the next five years, they will be implemented within European and international contexts. ted step-by-step in specific support emphases. These Furthermore, a strategy must be developed for futuemphases will provide the framework for flexible re cooperation between the organizations involved support policies that can respond effectively to further dynamic international developments in this period. 48 Information Society Germany 2006 eScience and GRID computing In industries and societies shaped by knowledge as a production factor, the question of what communications infrastructure should be available to research has ramifications that exceed the bounds of the research sector itself. And as the Internet has become an everyday medium, access to especially powerful networks is becoming a competitive factor. Such networks will be used to study, develop and test future technologies, processes and applications. Large international companies have already begun to orient themselves strategically to these new developments. The resulting standards and experience will introduce far-reaching developments in all areas. Proper distribution of the opportunities and outset positions relative to this future development begins with design of open high-performance networks for education, science and research. Such an infrastructure will no longer conform to the conventional model of a research and education network (REN); instead, it will be a science network that will offer schools, universities, research establishments, companies and administrations individual procedures and services for organizing and developing knowledge. IT applications and fast networks have become working tools for science. On the basis of technologies available today – such as the gigabit science network of Germany's National Research and Education Network (DFN) – scientific working environments will be built to support the entire research process, including operation of measuring equipment, work of distributed laboratories, management of research data and documentation and publication of findings. If such applications are to be available for simple, non-bureaucratic use, new concepts for networking data-storage media, computers and networks – so-called “grid” solutions – must be developed. In this area, the Federal Government, in cooperation with the science and industry sectors, is preparing an initiative aimed at providing German science with globally competitive working resources and conditions. 49Information Society Germany 2006 Equal opportunities and gender mainstreaming Digital integration Internet use by the population has increased significantly. Some 34 million Germans 14 years of age or older (53.5%) now use the Internet frequently or occasionally. On the other hand, growth in Internet use seems to be stagnating. For this reason, additional actions and initiatives to increase Internet use are required. Measures that have been successful, such as the Digital Opportunities Foundation and cooperation with charitable associations, can be continued. Equal opportunity in Internet usage means that all groups of society must be given unrestricted, obstacle-free access to this new medium. Where sectors of society are not yet participating in Internet use to a degree in keeping with their socio-demographic size percentages, targeted support and promotion are required. People with handicaps, young people from disadvantaged social circumstances and unemployed people can enhance their own individual opportunities, in society and on the employment market, via Internet skills. Already, one out of every two unemployed persons uses the Internet. This share is to be further increased through the “Virtual Employment Market” project of the Federal Employment Agency (BA). At the same time, the Federal Employment Agency's Internet presence is being completely redesigned in line with a service orientation. In future, for example, unemployed persons will be able to upload their application profiles and resumés to a central online database, manage them on the database, search for job listings and use the Federal Employment Agency's advisory services online. This will considerably enhance usage options for job-seekers and will improve efficiency in job placement. The Federal Government is aiming to increase the numbers of Internet users 14 years of age and over, as a percentage of the total population, to 75% by 2005. Better use is to be made of ICT's potential to create jobs, and unemployed people and other groups of society are to be given better Internet access. These aims are to be achieved through a range of Internet demonstration and information campaigns: . Support for the “Digital Opportunities Foundation”; expansion of the database of public Internet access sites and learning sites, www.digitale-chancen.de . Cooperation with charitable organizations in connection with Internet training courses in social facilities; training of “multipliers”, to increase acceptance of the Internet . Establishment of a multi-channel information and communications platform for enhancing digital integration . Publication of a print newsletter to reach additional user groups . Discussions and working groups (“Berlin discussions”) regarding the information society of the 21st Century, and covering such topics as obstacle-free access, vocational qualification and education. 50 Information Society Germany 2006 Equal opportunity for men and women Internet use Worldwide, development of the information society and Internet use have gone hand-in-hand with an enormous increase in the economic independence of women. One of the Federal Government's main aims is thus to increase Internet usage among women. At present, the Internet-usage rate for women is 45%. Regular studies of Internet use by men and women are planned. Such studies will consider a range of differentiated factors, including age, occupational status, education, income and type of housing. The initiative “Women Going Online” (“Frauen ans Netz”) which is being carried out by the Federal Government in cooperation with Deutsche Telekom, the Federal Employment Agency and “Brigitte” magazine, is the country's most successful portal for Internet courses for women. In June 2003, “Women Going Online” was awarded the D21 initiative's public-private partnership award for its successful concept. In all future activities to increase Internet usage, the Federal Government will support groups that still have low Internet involvement, such as immigrant women, unemployed women and women with no income, and women in rural areas. Women's portals of the States, and women-oriented Internet content, have been improved and expanded on the basis of public initiatives at the Federal, State and municipal levels. Expanding occupational options Schools and training One emphasis of the Federal Government's initiatives is on expanding the occupational spectrum for girls and young women and on training girls and young women in fields with a future. A number of measures and projects for increasing the percentage of women in technical and scientific occupations and courses of study is already producing results: The percentage of women in new IT and media occupations increased from 14.7% in 1997 to 23.4% in 2002. Successful approaches and best-practice examples for IT training occupations – such as the “IT idea” (“Idee-IT”) project and Girls' Day (see project annex) – are being continued on the basis of successful private-public partnerships between the state and industry. In addition, a wide range of activities are being carried out in order to encourage girl pupils to consider IT training and occupations. One of these is the Lizzynet Internet portal, which gives girls opportunities to try the Internet. At the “Bildungsmesse 2003” education fair, Lizzynet was awarded the “digita” education software prize for its exemplary work. Another effort, the JOBLAB interactive computer programme, gives girls and young women a suitable way of finding information about IT occupations – in both the dual training and higher education sectors. Studies on the quality of training received by young women, on their rates of entry into the new occupations and on their success rates in such occupations are needed, so that the success of measures initiated to date can be measured. Higher education While overall trends in numbers of new women students in engineering sciences and computer science programmes is positive, the absolute levels are still very low in some subjects. In the 2002/2003 winter semester, 39.9% of new first-semester students in mathematics/natural sciences were women, while the corresponding percentage in engineering sciences was 21.5%. With a total of 293 women graduates, electrical engineering, in which only 3.5% of all students are women, ranks last in this category among modern engineering programmes. New forms of teaching and learning are expected to improve opportunities for women to study classical science subjects (electrical engineering, computer science and mechanical engineering). The 51Information Society Germany 2006 participation levels and success rates of young women in natural sciences and computer science must become a measure of quality in education and must be made transparent. Successful approaches must be made available to interested teachers, easily and quickly, and in multimedia form. Study reform approaches that have succeeded particularly well on the student market and that can increase the numbers and success rates of women students must continue to be supported. Competence centre The competence centre “Women in the information society and technology”, which is supported by the Federal Government, promotes the potential of women to shape the information society, and does so in a systematic, emphatic way. The competence centre develops innovative concepts, and it creates broad alliances with active partners in many different areas, including the Federal Government, the States, municipalities, companies, unions, women's technology networks and relevant associations and education and research institutions. Through numerous projects, best practice examples and targeted public relations, tenacious gender stereotypes are slowly being eliminated, and perspectives are being developed for true equal opportunity for men and women in technology and the information society. (Project annex C provides a description of the competence centre's activities). Start-ups In light of the aim of ensuring a high level of employment, especially through innovative start-ups, it is absolutely necessary to use the potential inherent in women. While some 12% of all gainfully employed men go into business for themselves, the corresponding rate for women is only half as high. Only one out of every four companies is founded by a woman. In the category of technology-oriented start-ups, the share for which women are responsible is only between 10 and 15%. There are many different reasons for the lower involvement rate for women: In the early phases of start-ups, it is particularly difficult for women to reconcile families and careers. Furthermore, women often lack start-up-specific know-how, such as management experience or relevant business skills. Little information aimed specifically at women is available. Finally, women tend to be less confident than men in their abilities to start up companies, and they are less frequently involved within relevant networks. A friendly climate for women's start-ups is to be encouraged via targeted structural and skill-building measures. Specific information, advice and skill-building are to be provided to assist women in going into business for themselves. A key aspect of such efforts is to combine existing measures, activities and qualification programmes and make them visible. Programmes in schools, universities and vocational training that help women become aware, early on, that self-employment is a viable option can enhance their motivation to choose this option. To help achieve this aim, the Federal Government has put a “Women's Start-ups” (“Existenzgründung von Frauen”) nationwide information and service centre out to tender. This centre will be charged especially with increasing the percentages of women among technology-oriented start-ups, supporting women's start-ups via special educational measures and improving the start-up climate for women by means of publicity measures. 52 Information Society Germany 2006 Young People Going Online (Jugend ans Netz) Education helps to communicate general, central values such as equal opportunity, freedom as individual autonomy and justice (the latter both as formal equality and as compensation in cases of social disadvantage). In the past, educational policy has tended to concentrate on the area of formal, institutionalized education in schools, universities, science and research. Education has been seen as a tool that helps shape, structurally control and monitor the reflection processes present in society's generative development. Society's development into an information and knowledge society has brought about changes that are of fundamental relevance, however. Formal education is losing importance within the framework of standard occupational biographies, and thus needs to be fundamentally modernized. The area of informal education is becoming more and more important, especially for young people. Conventional and new media open up areas in which youth cultures can generate self-perceptions that are far removed from the norms of formal education. The consumer, recreation and education markets are increasingly presenting programmes for self-perception and value development that young people can ponder and be influenced by. Informal education should not be left up to the free market, however. Modern, active youth and educational policy must provide space – oriented to the real world and building on youth work structures – in which young people, both outside of school and under their own guidance, can study, communicate, participate and interact with knowledge and information. The new media in particular provide opportunities to make efficient use, in the educational sector, of the innovation potential inherent in youth work and to develop and expand relevant programmes – such as those provided by youth assistance programmes and extramural youth work – via the Internet. Educational content must thus be more strongly linked with the new communication technologies. To enable young people to participate in such services, access to the virtual space must be created, and equal opportunity in PC and Internet use must be provided. On the basis of these considerations, the Federal Government initiated the “Young People Going Online” (“Jugend ans Netz”) project, which is being carried out in close consultation and cooperation with a network consisting of the Federal Government, the States and various regions, youth assistance sponsors, youth institutions and youth groups, and in cooperation with the D21 initiative. The “Young People Going Online” Federal initiative seeks to close the digital divide in the non-school youth sector by equipping youth centres with Internet-capable PCs (including service and support) and by encouraging participation via an Internet youth portal offering information, education and consultation services. In the youth portal, young people can access knowledge, insights, ideas and information, and they can communicate with each other and with adults (experts and non-experts alike), both seriously and “just for fun”. Young people and youth groups are being given an opportunity to contribute their own ideas to the portal's design. The portal will thus combine knowledge, communications and action in a virtual world oriented to a plurality of services and interaction. The youth portal also contains eLearning services that teach media competence to young people and youth-work experts; in this context, media competence is not limited to technical aspects of using PCs and the Internet, but also involves presentation of educational media content. Youth workers are assisted in helping young people use PCs and the Internet in responsible, sensible ways and in offering them support in dealing with the Internet's flood of information. 53Information Society Germany 2006 The youth portal is an unprecedented knowledge This requires systematic implementation of the and communications platform for young people on guidelines of the W3C consortium (for example, phothe Internet. All users will profit from this portal’s tos, links and graphics must be accompanied by text; continually growing information pool which – in the no use of Java script, flash animations; use of large best sense of “knowledge management” – will be buttons and longer “time-out” periods for entry designed to help young people use a virtual mirror to forms, etc.). To achieve this effectively, the need for deal effectively with society's real-world challenges. obstacle-free communication must be taken into account in planning – also in order to prevent any additional costs that would otherwise accrue. Providing obstacle-free Internet applications A second important aspect consists of barrier-free Another of the Federal Government's important aims access to PCs and the Internet via special hardware is to ensure that computer and Internet applications and software. Hardware and software that enable are free of obstacles. With its Act on Equal Opportupersons with disabilities to overcome obstacles in PC nity of Persons with Disabilities (Behindertengleichand Internet use have already been developed. Such stellungsgesetz), the Federal Government has comefforts must be continued and intensified. mitted itself to ensuring that its agencies' Internet presences are fully suited for persons with disabili-If persons with disabilities are to have full access ties. A legal ordinance sets forth specific relevant to PC and Internet use, the relevant public access standards. In practice, this can mean, for example, points must be free of obstacles and barriers. The that graphics, images, multimedia presentations and Federal Government plans to ensure that all Federal animations are accompanied by supplementary texts online services are obstacle-free. The portals bund.de so that they can be understood by blind and sight-and bundesregierung.de are already obstacle-free. impaired people. In addition, the Federal Government is working, via target agreements, to have commercial providers of Internet sites and user interfaces design their products in keeping with the standards. Obstacle-free access is particularly significant with regard to health care information. For the 8% of our population with permanent or temporary disabilities, health care services are particularly important. On the basis of the action plan “eEurope 2002/2005 – an information society for everyone”, health care information must be available to all persons with disabilities. This means it must be free of obstacles and must be usable without outside assistance. 54 Information Society Germany 2006 B.III. E-government; trust and security on the Internet Nation-wide provision of e-government services E-government – The key to modern administration Individuals as well as businesses expect public administration to work efficiently and economically. Like those offered by the private sector, services offered by the public administration are expected to be convenient, quick and unbureaucratic. The Federal Government’s current reforms in labour and social policy, in health care and taxation also demand that administrative authorities carry out new tasks efficiently. The efficiency of authorities and their capacity for innovation are decisive factors for a successful business location. Here, modernizing administration and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy go hand in hand. The Federal Government’s Initiative to Reduce Bureaucracy, adopted in July 2003, lays the groundwork for this effort. Bureaucracy reduction and modern administrative operations are based on information technology. Public administration is above all a provider of information services. A modern and efficient administration relies on comprehensive networks between the authorities and the extensive use of IT. Further, the Internet offers the state new avenues for public information, dialogue and participation in policy decision-making, which strengthens democracy. Online forums, online hearings and the online publication of draft legislation are only a few examples of what the state can offer to encourage civil society to take part in the political process. The Federal Government’s goal is to offer businesses and individuals unbureaucratic, efficient and economical administrative services which can be conveniently used from home, office or public Internet access sites. E-government, the Internet presence of state and administration, provides the foundation for such services. With the help of electronic operations, administrative services will be faster and less expensive, reducing bureaucratic burdens for all. The Federation’s Internet service portal (www.bund.de) is the main and barrier-free avenue leading businesses and individuals directly to electronic services, specialist information and contact addresses in the responsible authorities. In Germany, the opportunities offered by e-government have been recognized at every level of administration, and each is working hard to develop a sophisticated array of online services: . The Federal e-government BundOnline programme has won international recognition for its aims and implementation, and can point to its successful mid-term results: 232 out of 440 Internet- compatible Federal administration services are already available online. . An example with macro-economic significance is the electronic awarding of Federal administration contracts (eVergabe), which makes it possible to process calls for tender, bids and contracts from start to finish via the Internet, in legally binding form and with no discontinuities of media. Already in 2003, roughly 175 calls for tender were processed electronically. . Promising state projects are expanding the reach of e-government, and projects are increasingly inter-connected, weaving e-government pilot projects into a comprehensive e-government network. . With more than 6,000 Internet sites, local communities are demonstrating a high level of involvement particularly with regard to those services that the public typically uses most. Numerous local online applications were developed with support from the Federal MEDIA@Komm initiative. 55Information Society Germany 2006 In summer 2003, the Federation, State and local communities agreed to form an e-government partnership known as DeutschlandOnline: In future, all high-priority e-government projects and those involving different levels of government will be carried out jointly. The consistent use of e-government and IT in public administration changes work processes, forms of organization and administrative culture. As the number of online services rises, public authorities are transforming themselves into modern service providers focused on achieving optimum results for “their” clients. Reducing bureaucracy and reforming administrative processes E-government serves the aims of modernizing the administration and reducing bureaucracy. Good e- government, that is, the comprehensive electronic processing of administrative services, rests on the broad optimization of administrative operations and the associated reduction of bureaucracy. The Federal Government intends to assess the provision of all significant administrative services in order to optimize operations and use online procedures wherever possible. New administrative procedures are offered online in optimum form, while existing administrative processes are being reconfigured and modernized using Internet technologies. New administrative processes and modern e- government projects are to be designed primarily in public-private partnerships, new forms of co-operation between public administration and business. Here, e-government can profit from synergies in the transfer of experience and knowledge from the private sector. E-government services and the use of IT will decisively support administrative modernization and the reduction of bureaucracy. By extending intranet applications and introducing electronic file management, all Federal administration employees will gain more efficient and targeted access to the information they need. Operations in key areas of public administration are being reorganized and optimized using information technology. These areas include address and automobile registrations, registry information, official statistics and income tax: The ELSTER project includes a component to test the electronic transmission of wage and tax information (ElsterLohn). Electronic wage and tax statements are to replace the current paper version starting in 2005, enabling employees to file “paperless” tax returns. Inter-agency data and process models which ensure data uniformity and the optimum integration of administrative processes in the different agencies will make up the backbone of the effort to modernize administrative procedures. 56 Information Society Germany 2006 BundOnline 2005 BundOnline, the Federal Government’s e-government initiative, has set clear goals: By the end of 2005, all of the more than 400 Internet-compatible services of the Federal administration are to be available online. Of these, 232 are already online, and implementation is progressing rapidly. In doing so, two kinds of administrative services have special priority: . Services for businesses are designed to simplify procedures and thus deliver direct savings to the businesses using them. Examples include: l online notification of Federal Administrative Court rulings. Already 300 of these are sent each month to lawyers and other interested individuals; l the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control’s online application for solar energy subsidies. Already 25% of the roughly 100,000 applications each year are being processed online; l ELWIS, the electronic waterway information system of the federal Waterway and Shipping Administration, which this year processed 500,000 queries regarding water levels and ice conditions, for example; l the Federal Bureau of Airline Accidents Investigation online notification of airline accidents and incidents, which already accounts for 10% of reporting by airlines and pilots, who find it a simple and direct way to communicate the necessary incident information. . Services that state and local communities can also use in their online portfolio are being developed quickly and in interoperable form, aiding the e-government projects of all levels of government and avoiding duplication. Examples include in particular the “one-for-all” services for l project funding, l electronic legal transactions, l recruitment and training, l electronic circulation of Cabinet submissions in the parliamentary process, and l electronic contract awards (eVergabe). The Federal Government will continue to develop the central Federal information portal in order to provide all electronic services and administrative information at the Federal level quickly and completely. In addition, this portal (www.bund.de) is to be closely linked to the portals of state and local governments. The Federal Institute for Employment plans to introduce its new palette of online services in the form of a virtual labour market this December. An IT platform for advice and job placement will be set up at www.arbeitsamt.de, which will offer something for everyone involved in the labour market. The Federal Institute for Employment will provide a central online database giving labour market participants quick access to information about openings for jobs, training programmes and internships. Employers and jobseekers will be able to independently enter and manage their job openings and resumés, respectively, and conduct candidate and job searches. The Federation is designing its BundOnline services to be barrier-free, that is, accessible to persons with disabilities such as impaired vision. The Bund.de and Bundesregierung.de portals are already barrier- free and serve as models for other websites. 57Information Society Germany 2006 In connection with BundOnline, the Federation Qualified signature cards that comply with the plans to use electronic signatures in the security Electronic Signature Act and the requirements of the infrastructure for online services. This infrastructure signature alliance can be used as JobCards. In pracis being developed in partnership with the private tice, the JobCard project will lead to the widespread sector, within the framework set by an alliance founuse of electronic signature cards and serves as a ded in April 2003 to promote the use of electronic model for using signature cards in authentication signatures. The Federal Government will adhere to and authorization as well as managing and distributhe standards developed by the signature alliance in ting personal data through a secure network. The all its signature card projects; already the next gene-JobCard is to be introduced on 1 January 2006. ration of personal identity cards will be able to incorporate electronic signatures. BundOnline will help optimize Federal contract award procedures. Starting in mid-2004, all Federal In the interest of promoting the widespread accalls for tender are to be published on www.bund.de. ceptance and use of electronic signature cards, the By the end of 2005, Federal contracts will be proces- Federal Government is combining all related efforts sed exclusively via the Internet using a legally comwithin its e-card initiative. Important applications pliant and secure electronic contract award system. for e-signatures include the electronic health card The system for the electronic processing of contract and JobCard. awards (eVergabe; www.evergabe-online.de) developed within the Federal administration is to be used The JobCard project plans to gather all job- and except when this is not feasible in individual cases wage-related data for all employees in one place, due to significant economic or technical difficulties. where it will be available – with the employee’s consent – to the relevant authorities as needed. The Standard goods and services are typically sup- aim of creating a central database for employee plied under the terms of framework contracts which information is to reduce bureaucracy in public admi-Federal authorities can use via the Federation’s virnistration. Requiring a signature card with a qualitual shop. The awards platform is also available for fied certificate, as specified in the Electronic use by State and local governments. Signature Act, will protect data from unauthorized access; the JobCard itself will not contain employee data, but will rather serve as the key needed to access it. Launched in autumn 2002, a pilot project is developing the central storage for employee data (proof of employment) and has been testing it, with successful results, since October 2003 (JobCard I). Employee income statements are to be stored centrally by the end of 2004 (pilot phase of JobCard II). At the same time, the project is testing to see whether the JobCard can be used as proof of social insurance coverage and/or to report current employment status. These tests are to be completed by spring 2005. 58 Information Society Germany 2006 DeutschlandOnline – Federal, State and local cooperation Germany needs a nation-wide e-government network. That is why on 26 June 2003 representatives of the Federal, State and local levels adopted a joint e- government strategy known as DeutschlandOnline. This strategy will interconnect individual e-government projects and build on them in a co-ordinated fashion, paving the way for a uniform and integrated e-government network in Germany. The Federal Government’s goal is to provide the most important administrative services at every level of government seamlessly via the Internet, with no discontinuities between media or areas of responsibility. All Federal authorities will work with their State and local partners to modernize shared administrative procedures. In particular, the Federal Government is supporting those projects operating on the principle of “some-for-all”, developing administrative procedures and e-government applications in such a way that they can be adopted at the other government levels as well. As far as possible, the Federal Government will provide State and local governments with basic components – IT systems developed for Federal e-government applications – standards and specialized applications for their e-government projects. With no centralized bureaucracy, Deutschland- Online takes advantage of the Federal system’s strengths: Some of the partners take the lead, while others profit from their experience. At the same time, DeutschlandOnline offers a forum for co-operation on suitable projects. In this way, administrative services can be developed faster and in a standardized form while avoiding duplication. The Federal, State and local governments have agreed on five pillars of co-operation: . Portfolio: The most important services involving different government levels are going online, such as address and automobile registration and registry information. . Portals: Access to e-government services is being optimized by creating links between Internet portals, where users entering any government portal will be able to find a central directory of responsible agencies, inter-agency job openings and all government calls for tender. . Infrastructures: Shared e-government structures are being built up and expanded to make data- sharing easier and to avoid duplication. . Standards: Federal, State and local governments will create shared standards along with data and process models for e-government. The recommended starting point is the Federal administration’s standards (Standards and Architectures for E- government Applications, or SAGA). . Transfer: The transfer of e-government solutions between the Federal, State and local levels is being improved, increasing know-how, ensuring interoperability and avoiding duplication. One element of DeutschlandOnline is MEDIA@Komm, a joint measure planned by the Federation together with the State and local communities to provide applications, services, technical-organizational solutions, standards, practical experience and knowledge for building communal e-government. It is particularly intended to assist regional forces of self-organization in building up e-government, to promote further standardization and open the way to international collaboration. 59Information Society Germany 2006 Independence, interoperability and diversity of IT systems Successful e-government depends on interoperable IT systems among public authorities. Here, the Federal Government is following a strategy of open standards, interoperability, and diversity. A software monoculture is unacceptable for public administration. Using systems from the major software makers in conjunction with open-source software reduces economic and security-related dependencies. Federal authorities will utilize planned software migrations to bring about this diversity, in accordance with the Federal migration guide, which is constantly being expanded (www.kbst.bund.de). Existing framework agreements that make it easier to use open-source products along with those of major software producers will serve as models for further agreements intended to allow for more flexibility in software procurement. The Federal Government will continue to promote the use of open-source products in the Federal administration. At the same time, standardization and interoperability among applications are moving ahead, using the groundwork laid down in the Standards and Architectures for E-government Applications (SAGA) and the standards for secure data exchange (OSCI) developed in the joint Federal, state and local initiative MEDIA@Komm. The Federation will refine SAGA and, together with the States, will draft a German standard for e- government applications, including the development of business models for existing and future basic components used by different ministries and different levels of government, as well as for “one-for-all” applications for procurement and grant funding, among others. The effort to modernize public authorities and provide administrative services online makes the greatest possible use of internal synergies, as systems can be taken on or utilized by other public bodies as well. Strengthening participation Designing e-government services to be efficient goes hand in hand with e-democracy, that is, using the Internet to strengthen public participation in democracy. The Internet opens new avenues for public information, dialogue and participation in policy decision-making. In this way, the political process as a whole becomes more transparent and easier to understand, increasing public trust in and acceptance of policy decisions. New possibilities to participate in civil society via the Internet strengthen democracy and make a meaningful contribution to the system of representative democracy in Germany. Online forums, online hearings and the online publication of draft legislation are only a few examples of what the state can offer to encourage civil society to take part in the political process. The Federal Government is currently looking carefully into whether online voting could increase public participation in certain circumstances. Resting on the foundation of constitutional electoral principles (general, direct, free, secret and equal vote), the issues of security, trust and legitimacy play a central role in elections as a central activity of democratic legitimation. For this reason, technical systems and organizational procedures for online elections must meet especially high expectations with regard to trustworthiness, reliability and efficiency. The Federal Government is therefore taking a gradual approach guided by experience, starting with an assessment of various procedures for conducting non-political elections, such as works council and health insurance board elections. To this end, a project on voting in electronic networks (WIEN) was launched in June 2002, and continues to develop and test various types of online elections on a small scale and in a non-political context. The project’s results will be used when deciding whether voters will be able to cast their votes online, as well as in person and by mail, in future political elections. 60 Information Society Germany 2006 The Federal Government will utilize all possibilities the Internet offers to provide better information and facilitate more effective public participation in shaping policy. With the help of online forums, the Federal Government will consult all interested persons, for example on the Federal Government’s reform plans in its Agenda 2010. Online forums are to be used also to discuss draft legislation, both to inform the general public and to gain feedback from a more specialized audience. To do so, online access to draft legislation is planned. The BundOnline 2005 initiative will make a major contribution to this effort with the KabinettOnline service (working title). This service will ensure the efficient, seamless exchange of documents among all participating administrative offices, as well as the Bundesrat and Bundestag, during the preparation and adoption of bills and ordinances. The aim of Kabinett- Online is to develop a secure document format so that all voting and decision-making processes, right up until adopted legislation is published in the Federal Law Gazette, can be documented and exchanges between participants carried out seamlessly. To make the various opportunities for participation more visible, the different available forums will be gathered together and made accessible from a central website. Further, the Federal Government’s www.bundesregierung.de Internet communications platform and information portal is being expanded and will gain interactive and increasingly participatory elements over the next few years. The English- and French-language offerings (eng.bundesregierung.de, fr.bundesregierung.de) are also being developed in a similar way, in conjunction with the relaunch of resources for journalists, cvd.bundesregierung, which in future will be more service-oriented and contain many new elements such as SMS and pocket PC applications. Trust and Security on the Internet Information technology and the Internet offer businesses, private individuals and public administration a variety of new possibilities that are already intensively used today – new forms of communication and faster and farther-reaching access to information, to mention only two examples. The more society relies on these technologies, the more important it is to protect them. As guarantor for internal security, the state also has a role to play in building a secure and trustworthy Internet infrastructure. Today, protecting internal security is inseparably linked to the security of information technology and of the Internet. IT security is a cross-sectional task that must be carried out everywhere modern information and communications technology is used – in the private sphere just as much as in business and public administration. Confidence in the security and reliability of these technologies is essential if we in Germany are to be able to take full advantage of their potential. The Federal Government is conscious of its responsibility in this policy area, and will use specific campaigns and programmes to step up current measures to promote Internet security. The Federation’s aim is to position IT security as a strategic goal for all users – businesses and administration as well as private individuals. Obvious progress has been made in recent years. Creation of the necessary legal framework to encourage e-commerce, namely the Act on Electronic Signatures and the Act on Electronic Commerce, has provided the regulatory basis for further economic growth in this area. 61Information Society Germany 2006 By expanding the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) in terms of both personnel and material resources, the Federal Government has put the agency responsible for security issues on the proper footing to be able to handle the new technical and societal demands on IT security. The BSI’s restructuring effective 1 January 2002 further improved its ability to perform. New areas of concentration such as secure e-government, the promotion of open-source software and biometrics have been added. In conjunction with this restructuring, funding for the BSI was raised by nearly 40% over the previous year. Critical infrastructure protection The information society relies on its IT-dependent infrastructures to a special degree. Since the events of September 11, 2001, the Federal Government has made major progress in protecting such IT infrastructures. Protecting systems and infrastructures has special priority in the following areas: telecommunications; transportation; energy and water supply; health care; food supply; banking, finance and insurance; and government and public administration. As a follow-up to its intensive discussions with infrastructure operators after September 11 and in close consultation with industry, the Federal Government will decide what steps to take next in order to protect critical IT-dependent infrastructures. Critical infrastructure protection cannot be guaranteed by measures at the national level alone. For this reason, the Federal Government will continue to extend its co-operation in this area with the leading IT nations, on the example of Germany’s close bilateral co-operation with the USA on protecting computer systems, as agreed in June 2003. To disseminate information about IT security problems and counter-measures, the Federal Government is expanding the existing network of computer emergency response teams (CERTs) and promoting the founding of additional CERTs. A good example is Mcert, the CERT for small and medium-sized German enterprises, which began operations in summer 2003 with support from the Federal Government. Increasing awareness of IT security The key to successful and all-encompassing IT security is informing all those concerned about possible dangers and threats and, above all, effective protection and remedies. The Federal Government’s goal therefore is to provide information and carry out campaigns to increase awareness of IT security issues among individuals, businesses and public administration and to improve all users’ IT skills. All IT users should be capable of taking the necessary precautions to ensure the security and reliability of their systems. In this undertaking, the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) plays a decisive role. With its e- government handbook for public administration and its handbook for basic IT protection for partners in business and industry, the BSI is already providing concrete recommendations on the practical implementation of IT security concepts for a broad range of users in the public and private sectors. Through the BSI above all, the Federal Government fulfils its state responsibility to inform: Targeted information campaigns and a broad palette of measures to support safe IT use help all users prepare for Internet security risks. 62 Information Society Germany 2006 Available Information IT security certification ä The BSI has set up an IT security portal for all ä Using a more mass market-oriented certification Internet users at www.bsi-fuer-buerger.de. Its aim procedure for IT products, the BSI, in collaborais to sensitize the public to the issue of IT security tion with business and industry, will bring about and increase security awareness through far-reagreater transparency in product selection in futuching informational measures. Along with an re. With the help of this procedure, consumers introduction to technical terms that is easy even will increasingly use certified products and have for Internet beginners to understand, the site an easier time of distinguishing safe IT products offers a broad range of free IT security tools for from those that are less safe. Downloading. These are constantly updated, offering effective protection for everyone. ä The Federal Government’s campaign for security Basic IT Security on the Internet at www.sicherheit-im-internet.de ä In line with the motto “help others help them- is directed above all at the private sector, with selves”, the BSI is extending its system security information on specific topics related to IT securiprovision with a version of the basic IT security ty and technically sophisticated background handbook specially tailored to the needs of small information. This campaign is currently being businesses. revised in order to focus even more on the speciä Expanding the basic security certification process fic needs of small and medium-sized enterprises. encourages users to conduct security audits of their own networks, systems and applications, thus further expanding the coverage of basic Internet security security. ä The BSI will develop a master plan defining steps ä Increased bi- and multinational co-operation also that are measurable – and therefore subject to promotes basic IT security, now acknowledged in assessment by all users – to improve security on Germany as the de facto standard, at the internathe Internet. tional level. ä The BSI will offer technical solutions providing better protection against spam. ä The BSI will use awareness campaigns targeted above all at young Internet users and small and medium-sized enterprises to provide specialized information on using the Internet safely, thus increasing the acceptance of e-government services and e-commerce. 63Information Society Germany 2006 Deploying new security technologies – recognizing new security threats The development and deployment of IT security technologies and generally accepted standards is of fundamental importance for IT security. Evaluating and deploying new technologies are therefore essential elements of German IT security policy. The Federal Government continues to intensively promote and follow up on the use of innovative security technologies. The Federal Government will ensure that new technologies are evaluated independently, and thus reliably, so that a realistic assessment of the current situation is always possible. Effective IT security policy demands constant monitoring and analysis of the market. The high level of IT security Germany currently enjoys can only be maintained and extended through knowledge of the latest developments. Innovative security technologies continue to be promoted, as in the initiative “VERNET – Secure and reliable transactions in open communications networks”, which concentrates on protection for private data, reliability of digital services and secure mobile applications, among others. Studies of technological trends . The BSI carries out special trend analyses to investigate and assess developments in the IT market in order to detect possible threats and risks and to promote appropriate security technologies. . In the interest of progressive IT security policy, the BSI drafts recommendations to achieve optimum security improvements in close co-operation with the IT industry. Promoting chip card technology and supporting the use of open-source software are only two of the areas that play a decisive role in this regard. Cryptography as key technology for secure and trustworthy communications . Cryptography is a key technology for IT security. The Federal Government upholds its 1999 framework decision on cryptography and promotes the widespread use of encryption technology. The further development, evaluation and dissemination of cryptographic systems contribute decisively to securing confidential government communications and private information and protecting sensitive data. The procedures needed to do so will continue to be freely available in Germany. In the Federal Government’s view, German companies must be capable of developing and producing effective encryption products. The Federal Government is therefore taking steps to strenghen the industry’s international competitiveness. To carry out this aim of its framework decision on cryptography, the Federal Government continues to follow a liberal cryptography policy (with regard to exports, for example), offers measures to sensitize users to security issues and proposes accompanying legislation in areas important for cryptographic applications. Despite the global leadership of German companies – after those of the US – there are increasing signs of serious troubles in the industry. In consultation with the relevant segments of industry and the responsible ministries, the Federal Government plans to develop a comprehensive action plan for the cryptographic industry and seek its adoption by the Federal Cabinet. . As one of the central measures for securing online communications, intense preparations are under way to create and expand a Public Key Infrastructure for the public and private sectors, enabling the secure and manipulation-free use of e-government and e-commerce. 64 Information Society Germany 2006 Secure and trustworthy IT components A number of initiatives aimed at the development and marketing of secure and trustworthy IT components can be grouped together under the heading Trusted Computing. Microsoft is responsible for two significant initiatives, the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) and the Next Generation Secure Computing Base (NGSCB). The Trusted Computing Group is an association of global leaders in the hardware and software industry, which intends to draft specifications for creating trustworthy hardware systems under the oversight of Intel, HP, IBM and Microsoft. NGSCB intends to introduce into the Windows operating system a system for trustworthy software use. The implications of these initiatives for PC users will be enormous and are the subject of some controversy among experts. The progress of Trusted Computing is being closely monitored by the Federal Government and a BSI specialist group. Measures such as workshops and expert discussions will continue to be used in future to exert influence on participating companies, in order to protect the security and commercial interests of IT users and content providers. Biometrics The state must and shall improve its technical possibilities so that it is capable of combating criminals even when they have the latest technology at their disposal, particularly with regard to their highly varied attempts to operate under false identities. In a globally-oriented society with a very advanced division of labour, such as ours, reliable identification on the basis of personal acquaintance has become the exception. In recent years, biometrics has become a new key technology enabling significant improvements in security. Biometrics can definitively establish a person’s identity on the basis of physical characteristics. Biometrics can be used both for verification, i.e. definitively matching a person to his or her identification documents, and for identification, i.e. reliably determining a person’s identity. Numerous products are based on this technology and make it possible to control access to a PC or a building, for example. And we already have extensive experience using biometrics in determining the identity of criminal offenders. One important aim is making identity documents more secure by incorporating biometric features. In addition to a photograph and other visible features as needed, in the long term each identity document will contain a chip with at least one high- security biometric feature. This applies to the residence papers of foreigners entering Germany – significantly increasing security for 2.7 million visas and 6 million residence titles – and to identity cards and passports for German citizens. German passports and identity cards are already among the most secure in the world. And yet even here the level of security can be greatly improved by using a biometric feature to definitively match the identity document with the document holder, thus preventing the possibility of fraud. To ensure the global interoperability of these documents, it is crucial to agree on international technical standards and on the biometric feature to be used. The technical standardization bodies of ICO and ICAO are working hard on these issues; joint solutions are also under discussion at the policy- making level, for example within the European Commission and among the G-8 countries. 65Information Society Germany 2006 B. IV. Health care system and other services eHealth for improved health care Thus far the field of health care has been rather con-The potential of eHealth ranges from sidered as a cost factor in the economy. This biased ä information and/or support of the individual view no longer holds up. Health belongs to the infra-patient, structural and service sectors that, on the one hand, ä target group-oriented preventive health care, are influenced and being reorganized by the use of particularly for special risk groups, IT, but which, on the other hand, give impetus for ä the rationalization of administrative work, technological, economic and societal developments ä via the collection and evaluation of data on as well, and also provide new impulses for growth certain diseases, and export potential. ä up to individual applications such as the electronic prescription, the electronic discharge Between 20 and 40 % of work in the health care letter and finally the electronic patient record as system is comprised of data collection and communi-a future basis of information and knowledge for cation services. This indicates that there is a large individualized health care. potential for rationalization. In this way the burden which demographic trends and extended therapeu-Expectations of from health telematics include con- tic possibilities will probably impose on the health siderably improved quality, increased economic efficare system can be compensated for in quality and ciency, greater potential to integrate patients as well quantity. as to strengthen patient autonomy. In its contents and from a strategic point of view, This potential is opposed by considerable introthis is the significance of health telematics as the duction problems, as e.g. a lack of standards, as yet application of modern telecommunication and infora lack of networks between doctors‘ consulting mation technologies within the health care system rooms and hospitals, financing and investment pro- and the meaning of eHealth as the summarizing blems, questions relating to liability and data protecdescription of all services, quality improvements and tion, organisational structures aggravating the introrationalization effects which can be achieved by digiduction of efficient communication processes. talizing data collection and communication processes as well as by using knowledge management in It is true that, on the one hand, Germany has a the health care system. technologically highly-sophisticated health care system. Today computers can increase the efficiency Health telematics and und eHealth are therefore of almost any imaging technique and also extend the key words for the necessary paradigm shift in their potential performance. On the other hand, in the health care system. They stand for more econothe sector occupied with health, the most valuable mic, better and more transparent health care in possession of man, there is duplicate work, disconti- Germany. nuity of media and non-compatible documentation. 66 Information Society Germany 2006 The sector-oriented service structures of our health care system are also reflected in the area of ICT. In the German health care system every institution in itself is an isolated solution, some of which are state-of-the-art, but most of which are stewing in their juices. As a rule, the limits of information technology are reached at the economic and business boundaries of one’s own institution. Thus there is e.g. a largely accepted electronic transmission of laboratory data and tried and tested applications of teleradiology, examples of best practice in health telematics. In these cases the digital X- ray is transmitted to a medical specialist who gives a diagnosis and sends it back. In this way the patient can receive decentralized treatment without any delay and without an expensive patient transport. Unfortunately, the existing solutions regularly have to cope with the problem of incompatibility; only in exceptional cases does interoperability work well. Consequently, the essential advantage of telematics, which consists in particular in the use of synergistic benefits, is given away. Also the advantages offered by disease management programmes which do not focus on the structures of medical services but on chronically-ill persons could be further consolidated by digital documentation covering a broad range of institutions. Therefore both the infrastructural conditions for the use of telematics have to be improved, and also important key applications such as the electronic prescription have to be boosted. By introducing the new electronic health card, the nationwide use of health telematics in Germany can be promoted. The activities of the Federal Government and the legislation initiated within the scope of the Act on the Modernization of the Statutory Health Insurance serve these improvements. What is needed is a networked system with cards for secure identification and authentication. It has to guarantee, technically and trustworthy communication between all concerned as well as reliable secure health information for citizens and patients. The data have to be available irrespective of the time and the location where the care is provided, yet the autonomy of the patient’s decision on the use of his/ her data has to be safe-guarded. It is of particular importance that the individual applications of IT so far will be integrated and their migration into the networked systems will become possible. This networked system has to be accompanied by legal regulations, in particular for the purpose of data protection, and by reimbursement rules. Our objective is to increasingly make use of ICT in health care, thus attaining a standard of proficiency by which the German health care system – even in an international comparison – is given the importance that can be achieved by quality management and by intensified implementation of information and communication technologies. Therefore the Federal Government is striving for nationwide and cross-institutional network and use of information technologies. The resolution unanimously adopted at the 75th Conference of Health Ministers in Germany shows that nowadays the stakeholders consider telematics to be generally indispensable. For the first time the provision of quality-assured health information e.g. by establishing health information portals for the general public is formulated as a public function of the Federal Government and the States. The Working Group of the Federal Government and the States on Telematics in Health Care has been commissioned to develop, in co-operation with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Security, a national strategy for nationwide and interoperable use of health telematics applications, connected with a binding plan describing the implementation steps. This is a joint task of the Federal Government, the Federal States and the self-governing bodies in the health care system. To this end, the basis of the Federal Government’s work will be the agreement reached with the central organisations in the health care system on joint 67Information Society Germany 2006 action for the further development of telematics. In their declaration of 3 May 2002, the Federal Ministry of Health (and Social Security) and the central associations of self-administration committed themselves “to develop a new infrastructure for telematics on the basis of a general framework architecture, to improve and/or introduce electronic communication (electronic prescription, electronic discharge letter by the physician) and to offer the electronic health insurance card in addition as a health card”. The stakeholders agreed that they wanted to find joint solutions to further details, functionalities, standardization and financing because of the common benefit to be expected. For this purpose a Steering Group on Telematics has been established where all stakeholders involved are represented, ranging from the Federal Government Commissioner for Matters Related to Persons with Disabilities via the Data Protection Commissioner, the self-governing bodies, the patients‘ representatives up to scientists. Its tasks include the formation of political consensus and the development of a national strategy for the use of health telematics. These measures are accompanied by activities of the Action Forum on Health Telematics and those of German industry, and furthermore by research and pilot projects of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Security which – once they have been agreed upon – will develop and test approaches to solutions in specified problem areas. This includes the prerequisites for quality-assured health information portals for the general public on the Internet. A particularly important measure is the funding of the fundamental IT architecture project “bIT4health – better IT for better health”. These activities are supported by the recently-established Steering Group on Information and Communication Technology in Health Care, which was also initiated by the Federal Government within the scope of the “Initiative D 21”. Its primary goals include: . measures to promote acceptance of the electronic health card among citizens, and . the identification of technical barriers to its introduction and development of appropriate solution strategies. The German activities will be linked to the European initiative for the establishment of an infrastructure for health telematics (eEurope2002 and eEurope2005 Action Plans). . The objective is the standardization of a communications infrastructure based on a harmonized framework of IT architecture promoting competition. The electronic health card has an important role as a flagship project in building up an infrastructure for telematics. . In 2006, 80 million electronic health cards are to be distributed to persons insured under the statutory and private health insurance schemes. . The use of the electronic health card is linked with an electronic health professional card (HPC). A corresponding initiative has been launched by the States for this purpose – parallel to the activities of the German Medical Association. About 200,000 HPCs with a digital signature could be distributed by the year 2006. . As of 2006 it will be feasible to deal electronically with about 750 million prescriptions every year. Since the electronic prescription offers the opportunity of drug documentation, side-effects and undesirable interactions of pharmaceutical products can be considerably reduced. In conjunction with the drug documentation the electronic prescription will lead to an improved supply of pharmaceutical products and to annual savings amounting to more than e 1 billion. . The electronic prescription is also meant to support electronic commerce in pharmaceutical products in Germany and other state of the European Economic Area, which will become possible as of 1 January 2004. . The electronic health card is the lead-in to the electronic patient record. . All member state of the European Union are prepared to introduce electronic European cards. 68 Information Society Germany 2006 Infrastructure and framework architecture of Electronic health card telematics In his policy statement of 14 March 2003 the Federal The systems which are used also have to be capable Chancellor, Mr. Schröder, said that “we have not of communicating electronically. A prerequisite for fully exhausted the potential inherent in the moderthis is the concept of a general structural framework nization of communication technology in the health of telematics and an adequately integrated security service.” In this connection he announced that in infrastructure. addition to the electronic patient record, an electronic health card is to be introduced by 1 January “bIT4health - better IT for better health” – this 2006. Now that the Act on the Modernization of was the approach by the Federal Ministry of Health Statutory Health Insurance has been adopted by the and Social Security when the task of providing sup-Bundestag and the Bundesrat, the lower and upper port for the introduction of the electronic health houses of Parliament, respectively this project has card was launched. Its objective is the lasting stannow been placed on a sound legal foundation. dardization of an information structure, based on a harmonized sustainable architecture of telematics. The electronic health card will become the elec- The results should be generally valid and should tronic key to cross-institutional co-operation between neither affect competition nor depend on the respecthe stakeholders in health care, interlinking more tive product. A migration concept is being developed than 80 million patients with about 270,000 physicifor the procedures and components so far. In this ans, 77,000 dentists, 2,000 hospitals, 22,000 pharmaway the ability to plan with certainty and added cies and more than 300 health insurance funds. value is achieved for all stakeholders. It will: The foundations have already been laid by Euroä increase transparency in the health care pean projects as e.g. TrustHealth and PICNIC as well system, as well as securing economic efficiency as by recommendations on telematics by German and effectiveness within the system, industry. Recourse can also be had to the groundä avoid unnecessary duplicate examinations, work already done by Teletrust e.V., the working ä make it possible to quickly identify undesired groups of “BundOnline” and the Action Forum on side-effects of pharmaceutical products, and Health Telematics. The existing activities have to be ä strengthen data security and enhance the use closely interlinked with one another. All decision-patients make of their data. making processes within this project should be rendered more open and be discussed with the authori-In its function as a second-generation patient chip tative partners of industry and the self-governing card, the electronic health card is going to replace bodies. The final agreement on a framework archithe electronic health insurance card now available. tecture for telematics in the German health care Its technology and functions will be extended, and it system is to be reached within the Steering Group will be offered to insured persons for use as a health (see Annex). card. For this purpose the health card should be a microprocessor card which is suitable for electronic identification, encryption and digital signatures. In this way the best possible reliability and security of the data can be guaranteed. 69Information Society Germany 2006 As a rule, the use of the new card as a health card will be voluntary. Accordingly, every insured person will receive a new electronic health card with its administrative functions, but it will be left to his/her discretion whether he/she wants to make use of the additional functions, i.e. the medicinal part, or not. The use of the administrative part of the electronic prescription will become obligatory. The electronic health card has particular significance for enhancing links between the patients‘ data which are distributed and documented at different places. In its function as a link between the electronic prescription and the electronic patient record it not only improves emergency medical treatment and/or drug and therapy safety. New applications of telematics are being developed and or may occur. The electronic health card is a communications interface between the various bodies responsible within the German health care system - in the patients‘ hands. Holding their cards and on the basis of their authorization they decide for themselves on whether and which additional information is stored and who may be given the right to access. The implementa-tion of the rights they already have to access the documentation themselves and to receive hard-copy printouts and/or copies of it, will be facilitated. In connection with their personal signature card bearing a qualified signature, they may also handle their personal data or data made available to them by their physicians in attendance in a seperate personal folder. Every access is recorded and the last 50 are stored. This corresponds not only to people‘s growing need for information, but it also complies with the requirements of data protection. One of the essential preconditions for the acceptance of the card is a convincing data security concept. During the last legislative term the amendment of the Digital Signature Act provided an important prerequisite for secure communication within the health care system. Apart from a few controlled exceptions, the use of the electronic health card will, as a rule, only be possible in connection with a health professional card (HPC) bearing a qualified digital signature. Electronic patient record The electronic health card serves as the basis and thus also as a lead-in to other applications of telematics, such as the electronic patient record. Within an infrastructure of telematics and on a medium-term basis, the electronic patient record is an important patient-related information link for the various bodies responsible for health care in the non-institutional, institutional, rehabilitation and nursing care sector. It provides the informational basis for integrated health care and disease management programmes. Thus far there are only isolated solutions and proprietary offers – both at national and also at European level. At European level, however, the concepts are currently being driven by the “EUREC” (European Medical Record) initiative with the participation of German industry and by the work of the Action Forum on Health Telematics. Major aspects of data protection remain to be settled. The rights of access to patients‘ data being stored in various places but virtually integrated in the electronic patient record have to be defined. To this end, new IT solutions are being developed which have to be extended. In this connection the civil liberties of the patients expressed as a right to the protection of their data have to be balanced with their right to the best possible treatment. In this context, the introduction of the electronic health card is a pragmatic intermediary step emphasizing patients‘ rights with regard to control over and release of their medical data. 70 Information Society Germany 2006 Electronic prescription In today‘s processes the prescription undergoes several expensive media discontinuities. The largest part of the about 750 million prescriptions per year is issued by PC, then, however, they are printed for the patients. Later on the pharmacies forward them to their data processing centres for the purpose of reimbursement by digital processing, and from there they are sent to the health insurance funds. The electronic prescription improves both the writing and issuing of the doctor’s prescription and also the subsequent processing and accounting procedures. To this extent, the electronic prescription is an example of best practice of a telematics application which pays its way in economic terms, even in the short term. The interaction of drug documentation and drug information systems decisively improves the quality of treatment. Undesired side-effects can be avoided more easily and personal incompatibilities can be taken into consideration. At the same time, more efficient and rapid communication between physicians, pharmacies and health insurance funds becomes possible – without media discontinuities. By including all health care stakeholders, the electronic prescription is also attributed a key role in the introduction of information and communication technologies in health care. Distance selling of pharmaceutical products The coalition agreement on the 15th legislative period stipulated that the supply of pharmaceutical products is to be improved. This also includes the controlled, secure distance selling of and e-commerce in pharmaceuticals. Thus the Federal Government is complying with a request set forth by many groups, as e.g. the Advisory Council for Concerted Action in Health Care and the German Council of Economic Experts, the Monopolies Commission as well as the consumer organizations, parts of the pharmaceutical profession, health insurance funds and last but not least the wish of many citizens. The results of the current OECD country review on regulatory reforms in Germany, especially Chapter 5, Part II, Section II, “Pharmacies”, as well as court decisions are taken into account. The concrete formulation of the electronic prescription will guarantee that e-commerce in pharmaceuticals with pharmacies in Germany and other member states of the European Economic Area will be endorsed and promoted. Within the scope of its 2003 health care reform, the Federal Government presented a comprehensive concept with proposals on a legislative package on e-commerce, including distance selling of pharmaceuticals. It will be put into practice as of 1 January 2004. In this context, highest priority attaches to consumer protection and drug safety, guarantee of supply in the member states and fair conditions of competition and, due to opening up towards the European Economic Area, orientation towards a sustainable market. At the same time, however, the patient’s voluntary decision on whether to make use of these additional ways of purchasing opened up via the Internet will be safeguarded. Europe Telematics no longer stops at the boundaries of Germany. In Barcelona, at the beginning of 2002, the European Council decided to introduce a European health insurance card as a substitute for the European health insurance certificate (E-111 form). In a first step, the card will be issued in an “eye- readable format” offering the possibility of being linked with national health cards and of integrating electronic data sets. By the year 2008 a decision will be reached on the transition to an electronic health card. The decisions reached in Seville and the eEurope 2005 Action Plan envisage extension to further functionalities, e.g. storage of medical data for use in emergencies and accessibility of electronic patient records. 71Information Society Germany 2006 The transitory arrangements envisaged for the introduction will be synchronized with the roll-out of the German electronic health card in Germany by 1 January 2006. Then the reverse side of the German card will display a European health insurance card. In Germany, the data set will be additionally integrated in the card chip. Accordingly, the general introduction of electronic European cards should be agreed upon with the other member states before 2008. Evaluation, transparency In view of the increasing relevance of IT applications in health care, adequate framework conditions for introducing further applications of telematics have to be developed and stipulated. Prior to the selection of concrete telematics applications and systems they have to be evaluated against a technical, economic and medical background (HTA). Surveys on procedures applied in practice or still being developed have to be elaborated and assessed systematically (determination of best practices). As a foundation to this end, the “TELA” database is currently being established in co-operation with the Federal States and harmonized with the corresponding European activities of the “eEurope 2002 Action Plan – An Information Society for All”. It will be made available to the general public and accompany the development of evaluation procedures for telematics applications. Patient empowerment With the increasing use of the Internet, patients can be given opportunities to obtain information connected with rapid, simple and low-cost access to medical knowledge, in the interest of improved health promotion and preventive health care. At the same time, however, the risks of health information imparted via the Web are growing, since to a large degree its quality and reliability are beyond any regulatory influence. Top quality information as well as dubious publications, useful pieces of advice and dangerous recommendations can be found there. At the same time Web technology serves as a basis for new forms of commercial offerings (e-commerce) and new possibilities for product-related advertising (interactivity, linking, combination of advertising messages with reliable health information). The hitherto well-established methods of quality assurance for health information work to a very limited extent on the Internet. This makes all the more important those procedures of quality assurance which develop efficient quality seals for the orientation of Web users. In the interest of patients, the origin of recommendations has to be transparent on the one hand, and their medical reliability must be ensured on the other hand. The “eEurope 2002” Action Plan has created a European framework by elaborating a key set of common quality criteria. At the same time, the Federal Government initiated the Action Forum for Health Information Systems (AFGIS) where more than 150 suppliers of health information services, bodies responsible for health education as well as institutions and organizations in the fields of consumer and patient protection of quality assurance have now joined to build up a quality network. In this way, reliable health information on various topics is available to both the health professions and to patients. The standards and structures for quality assurance and quality control which have been developed in the AFGIS working groups also receive considerable attention at international level. When the EU quality criteria for health-related Web sites were elaborated, AFGIS participated as a non-governmental organization on behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany. The transparency criteria adopted by AFGIS correspond to the European quality criteria recommended for health-related Web sites. Therefore the Federal Government continues to support the application of this model scheme on the appropriate EU committees. 72 Information Society Germany 2006 Moreover, there are endeavours to develop and test the conditions and structures for a public health portal of the Federal Government operationalizing the criteria of AFGIS for a public central health portal by the development of suitable management and test structures. Home care and telemedicine (mobile computing) Applications of telemedicine such as telediagnostics, teleradiology, telemedicine consultations or electronic home care help avoid patients being transported unnecessarily and enable them to stay in their own household and/or to return home as soon as possible. Consequently, our efforts are aimed at the creation of standardised information and communication networks between all stakeholders and institutions, so that all necessary patient-related information, as well as current medical knowledge, will be available on time and at the required place. In the medium term this will also include the home of the patient. Due to demographic trends, the inclusion and networking of IT will also gain more and more importance for older citizens, since telemonitoring and electronic home care enable them to keep on leading an independent, autonomous life. In this connection difficult questions arise with regard to personal encounters between physicians and patients, the liability of telephysicians as compared to doctors providing personal treatment to their patients, as well as questions of adequate reimbursement. These problems have to be solved in the years to come in co-operation with the self-governing bodies to achieve the increases in effectiveness that are connected with telediagnostics and monitoring procedures in the interest of insured persons and patients. From a technological point of view, the increasing opportunities of mobile computing open up new perspectives to home care. Mobile user equipment makes possible future-oriented applications, such as the organization of nursing care for sick and elderly people in their own household (virtual home for the elderly) or mobile monitoring of risk patients/risk groups including control of vital data (24-hour ECG, ECG in suspected cases of heart attack, mobile disease management, telemonitoring of patients suffering from diabetes and emergency medical care systems). Monitoring devices for telemedicine are already available which safely and securely transmit the data on the Internet to the physician in attendance (e.g. pulsimeters and blood pressure manometers, miniature ECG devices, peak flow meters, electronic stethoscopes, glucometers). This kind of mobile user equipment is an important engine of growth and an accelerator of telemedicine applications. UMTS offers for this purpose higher bandwidths and finally enables eHealth to become mobile. The pace of mobile services is raised, which sustainably increases their numbers and their acceptance due to improved response times. The real-time transmission of large quantities of vital medical data can be an essential factor supporting the development of future broadband networks. Our objective is to integrate the individual elements into an intelligent and efficient telematics system to improve medical treatment for all. 73Information Society Germany 2006 Other innovative services Transport The realm of transport has some major challenges with which to contend. Mobility is expected to grow, not least because of EU enlargement, and mobility will improve economic performance and vice versa. In addition, the issues of the environment and health have to be dealt with in a responsible manner. Modern ICT technologies can do much to help cater for the requirements of the public and industry in these fields. Telematic services can be used, for example, to prevent traffic congestion, to improve traffic safety, organise flexible chains of freight transport, integrate operating and control systems for freight railway stations and facilitate flexible timetables or planning of complete routes. The Federal Government supports the development and use of ICT technologies in the transport sector as part of its strategy for an integrated transport policy. The objective is to create an all-encompassing transport system in which every mode of transport can show itself to its best advantage. This will raise efficiency in the overall system and improve capacity utilisation in the existing infrastructure. The load on the various modes of transport can be improved and noise and exhaust gases reduced. In this way, state-of-the-art transport telematics can lend efficient support to the traditional elements of transport-related investment and regulatory policy. The following sections describe the Federal Government's main fields of activity in the area of transport. Traffic control The “Traffic-Control Programme for Motorways 2002 to 2007”, announced in January 2002, follows on from the Federal Government's previous activities aimed at alleviating problematic sections of road. The risk of accident and congestion on particularly susceptible sections of motorway had already been considerably reduced thanks to modern traffic control systems. Despite the Federal Government's considerable financial efforts (over Û 500 million in Federal funds invested up to the end of 2001), the various systems already in operation (approximately 850 km of road controlled by situation-based speed control systems, some 1,700 km of road network controlled by means of variable road signs plus other modern systems to control traffic feeding in at junctions and to temporarily open up hard shoulders as extra lanes), do not yet cover all of the problematic sections of motorway. Moreover, as traffic has increased, new problems have arisen. The new phase of the programme deals with the most pressing control measures for the next few years. The key areas of activity will include new control systems on 350 km of motorway. Federal funds totalling Û 200 million have been earmarked for the State highways departments to do this work. This investment is an important and necessary contribution to efforts to cope with the rising traffic volume. World Cup football championship 2006 In 2006, the transport infrastructure in the twelve German cities, and the surrounding areas, in which the World Cup matches will take place will be able to cope with the numbers of visitors. This will necessitate a few extensions and improvements, for which the Federal Government, the States and the cities themselves are responsible. A further aim is to use personal and public traffic information to coordinate and control the traffic flows and thus ensure optimum use of the infrastructure in public and personal transport. Satellite navigation The Galileo satellite navigation system will bring significant benefits for all economic sectors which need to be able to determine location and/or time precisely. In particular, this applies to fleet management, freight tracking and traffic information services. The system will deliver the capacity for sophisticated applications and value-added services, e.g. in conjunction with digital geodata. Satellite navigation already provides important assistance in the field of transport today. 74 Information Society Germany 2006 It is for these reasons that the Federal Government Information and communication systems in is taking part in the development of the system. The motor vehicles, road traffic safety implementation of Galileo is an attractive field of work for European and German industry, not only Automotive telematics is proving to be an increathe aerospace industry, but also the providers emersingly important market segment with sizeable marging in the field of satellite navigation which offer a ket potential. According to estimates, the European wide range of services. market will be worth several billion euros in just a few years' time. So far, only tentative use has been made of the opportunities, largely based on the con- Research and development vergence of electronic media, for developing this The Federal Government provides support for devemarket - a market which takes in a range of sectors. lopment and pilot projects aimed at Vehicle manufacturers, providers of telecommunica ä establishing nationwide registration of data on tion services, the public sector (traffic control units the current traffic situation as the basis for more at city councils and local governments), media aut- reliable traffic forecasts and control strategies, horities and many other market players will be affec ä creating the conditions required for efficient ted. As a result, it is important to pool their interests. mobility information structures, ä developing new ICT-based mobility services (e.g. From a technical point of view, it is already possifor information inquiries and navigation tools, ble to register up-to-the-minute traffic information electronic payment and billing methods and for and use it to provide dynamic data for on-board planning, distribution and tracking in freight navigation systems in vehicles. Indeed, such scenarios transport), are already in place in some rural areas. Emergency ä using multimedia-capable mobile terminals as a call systems are now offered in vehicles, not only platform for future transport services; these tertop-of-the-range vehicles, and even place the calls minals will not distract drivers and will thus automatically in some cases. Work is already under- avoid additional safety hazards, way to enable information to be exchanged between ä evolving modelling, simulation and forecasting vehicles (floating car data, e.g. for tailback situatitools, and ons). The Federal Government is working to ensure ä increasing utilisation of vehicle capacity/reducing that the implementation of the eSafety Initiative (see the proportion of empty runs (fleet management) the Communication from the Commission to the and facilitating dynamic route planning in the Council and the European Parliament 15 September freight business. 2003 on Information and Communication Technologies for Safe and Intelligent Vehicles) leads to In addition, both the mobile terminals and the vehicle-autonomous driver assistance systems which actual vehicles are being used as “intelligent sensors” include elements for communicating with the infra- in research projects. These sensors deliver data which structure and better man/machine interfaces. improve the quality of traffic information and thus Another reason for this approach is the fact that the provide a fundamental pillar for reliable traffic fore-Communication on this subject was explicitly linked casts and control measures (e.g. XFCD). to the Communication on Road Traffic Safety already accepted by the Council. 75Information Society Germany 2006 Studies have been conducted on behalf of the Federal Government on the requirements which convergence of electronic media will bring for economic and technology policy. The leading experts responsible for the studies, from the key sectors of vehicle production, plant construction/mechanical engineering and information and communication, identified the lack of standards as a major impediment to the development of this market. Small and medium-sized enterprises are particularly affected since the lack of disclosed interfaces means that they have no access to the market. Uniform interfaces and standards can make a fundamental contribution to fostering innovation and markets. In recognition of this fact, the Federal Government is supporting efforts aimed at creating a uniform telematics infrastructure for the automotive sector, developed by industry and based on open standards and non-discriminatory access to the market. This is also the reason why the Federal Government supports the European Commission's eSafety Initiative and has undertaken to ensure the establishment of conditions that permit non-discriminatory access to the market and the involvement of the public sector. More studies will be commissioned on the potential of and obstacles to the field of automotive telematics. Our technology sponsorship will also place more emphasis on pilot applications which can serve as examples for others, e.g. with a view to the 2006 World Cup, and are related to the development of interface standards. Modern information and communication technologies are also engendering new possibilities for improving traffic safety by means of flexible traffic control, driver assistance systems and communication between vehicles and with other modes of transport. The use of innovative sensor systems and warning devices and the ever-growing amount of electronics and telematics in vehicles are opening up new opportunities for enhancement of active and passive safety equipment. Even though the number of traffic accident victims has been on the decrease in recent years, every victim is one too many. Research on active and passive safety systems in vehicles thus remains a top-priority, ongoing task, e.g. in the development of systems to support drivers. First-generation driver assistance systems, such as anti-collision warning devices and navigation systems, are already available. Enhanced tools and new aids can give drivers even more valuable and sometimes life-saving assistance in critical situations. In future, systems which provide a better combination of all technological possibilities will play a special role in traffic safety. Such systems include ä on-board warning systems which can detect hazardous situations and report them to nearby vehicles, or can receive and process such reports themselves; . sensor and video systems which warn drivers well in advance of a possible collision with other road users; . “traffic congestion assistants” which help to reduce accident risks in “stop-and-go” traffic, prevent rear shunts and ensure that traffic keeps moving; and . man/machine interfaces which ensure that in critical situations, despite all the technical support, the human being remains in charge and does not feel bombarded with information. As the new technical possibilities involve a range of legal issues, it is important that a dialogue take place with industry early on to discuss the regulatory and legal aspects, and thus optimise the benefits and avoid any abortive developments. It is also important to achieve a high level of user acceptance as only then can any extra expense be compensated for. 76 Information Society Germany 2006 Traffic networking In the future, road users and passengers will be able to obtain comprehensive and reliable information on the traffic situation anticipated on their planned route, both before and during their journey. This will be possible thanks to the establishment of an “intelligent” traffic network and innovative traffic management. Users will be supplied with personal recommendations as to the best modes of transport and route with which to reach their destination. The recommendations will be compatible with the traffic control strategies of the decision-making authorities involved and the aims of transport policy. The measures will also be designed to prevent drivers bypassing motorway jams by driving through residential areas and areas where traffic is heavy and being moved on from one jam to the next. Up until now, telematic systems and services have predominantly been developed for and applied to road traffic. In the future, however, the aim is to evolve telematics so that the systems can be used to ensure optimum networking of the various modes of transport (both in passenger and freight transport). The competition between road and rail freight transport, for instance, makes it crucial to coordinate the two modes of transport through consistent use of modern telematic systems in order to lend transparency to modern, automatic processes in combined transport. In this respect, rail transport is still lagging a long way behind road transport. Modern information systems must be able to keep customers informed at all times about the location, state and arrival time of their goods. The Federal Government has set itself the goal of preparing rail freight transport for the increasing requirements by means of research and development so as to make customers more willing to move their freight from the road to the railway. Examples of this work are the “European Rail Freight Transport 2010” vision and the “Rail Research Initiative” agreed with Deutsche Bahn (Germany's main rail company). Deutsche Bahn's Internet-based “Portal C” service is an example of a product intended to provide solutions for all core aspects of rail freight transport to help strengthen combined transport. www.portal-c.info Sustainability Integration of ecological aspects in the development of products and processes in ICT has gained considerable significance over the past few years. As well as being good for the environment, innovations geared to sustainability open up new markets, make companies more competitive and improve living standards. Industry can gain a considerable competitive edge by gearing business practice to the challenges of sustainability early on. New products in line with the concept of a closed-loop materials economy, environmentally sound production procedures, sophisticated recycling methods and new concepts for use are needed. That means new opportunities for business. Providers of sustainability-oriented products and services can reap the benefits twice over. Use of modern services to help the environment, deliver large potential for reuse and protect resources can raise company value and competitiveness on the international market. At the beginning of 2000, the Federal Government launched the “NIK” project for sustainability in ICT. The project is intended to bring the development of the information society into line with the challenges of sustainable development. Roadmaps for sustainable ICT are being drawn up in consultation with industry and the political and scientific spheres. Specific fields of activity and, within those fields, specific key topics have been defined in partnership with industry. In the field of “Marketing and consumption”, for instance, one of the key topics is “Public procurement”. Representatives from the realm of procurement have worked with the project on this topic to define steps to take account of maximum energy consumption levels for office terminals in invitations to bid. A method has also been developed for other sustainability goals, with which specific criteria can be derived for invitations to bid on the basis of an administration's primary objectives. A pilot project to integrate specific sustainability aspects in seminars on project management has been agreed with the Federal Academy of Public Administration. 77Information Society Germany 2006 Section C: Annex The table below provides summaries of specific initiatives and projects. Initiative/Project Description/Current Status Web Site/Department, Agency Part B.I. A Digital Economy German Broadband Initiative Open platform for activities which can help broadband infrastructures such as DSL, cable, satellite or UMTS become the dominant form of access for sophisticated Internet services by 2005. Launched in March 2002, 10-point plan presented in June 2003 www.breitbandinitiative.de Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour Electronic Commerce Network Centres of excellence to support SMEs' e-commerce activities Consulting, information, training, highlighting of best practice examples; core areas: marketplaces/procurement, logistics, IT security/legal issues, e-cooperation, customer relations, business processes www.ec-net.de Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour Internet Prize Annually awarded for outstanding Internet development by SMEs in varying fields www.internetpreis-deutschland.de Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour PROZEUS SMEs' e-business competence Nurturing of SMEs' e-business competence so that they can participate in global procurement and sales markets through integrated processes and standards • Highlighting of tried and tested solutions and model implementation in 24 pilot projects • Establishment of the “Standardisation in E-Business” expert network • PROZEUS Internet portal • Directory of PROZEUS service providers for SMEs www.prozeus.de Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour FIT for Knowledge-Based Competition Campaigns to make SMEs aware of the potential offered by knowledge management • Network platform, workshops, road shows • Establishment of an expert network www.bmwa.bund.de Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour Knowledge Media - Knowledge management in SMEs and public administration Five projects, selected in a competition, are developing reference models to highlight the contribution that innovative knowledge management solutions make to added value at SMEs and public administrations and to encourage others to follow suit. Another project in this area is PreBIS (Pre Built Information Space), which provides task- and role-oriented information for knowledge- intensive business processes in companies. www.wissensmedia.de http://www.prebis.de Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour 78 Information Society Germany 2006 Initiative/Project Description/Current Status Web Site/Department, Agency OLEDFAB Flat screens based on organic light-emitting diodes for multimedia terminals An industry/research consortium is developing an innovative, cost-effective production process which will go into pilot production at a later stage. The aim is to base production facilities in Germany in order to utilise the market potential in the area of mobile multimedia terminals. www.bmwa.bund.de Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour MultiTeraNet In the area of optical networks, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research introduced a new key area of funding, “MultiTeraNet”, in 2002 with a funding volume of around Û 30 million. The general aim of MultiTeraNet is to increase the performance of optical networks. The support also focuses on subscriber network technology, interaction between fixed networks and wireless networks, key components for optical switching and routing procedures and new technologies and components for WDM systems or ultra-high-rate TDM systems. http://www.pt-dlr.de/PT-DLR Federal Ministry of Education and Research 3GET (3G Evolving Technologies) WIGWAM (Wireless Gigabit with Advanced Multimedia Support) The aim of the 3GET system concept is to evolve the UMTS standard towards a high-rate downlink for transmitting multimedia broadband services. Other core objectives are to increase frequency economy and reduce electromagnetic exposure. With a diverse range of multimedia content being transmitted in future, a huge data reserve will be required in order to provide the user with large quantities of data quickly and without any frequency planning problems. This requirement is the motivation behind and the main objective of the WIGWAM system concept, which is to be submitted to IEEE as a WLAN/short-range standard in 2007. www.pt-dlr.de/PT-DLR Federal Ministry of Education and Research “Software Engineering 2006” Research Drive Focuses on R&D in the area of software engineering at SMEs. The first projects will get underway in October 2003. www.softwarefoerderung. de Federal Ministry of Education and Research Flagship projects on human/technology interaction Six projects supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour from 1999 to 2003. Impressive number of resulting patents, products and spin-off companies. www.dlr.de/PTDLR/sw/mti.html Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour 79Information Society Germany 2006 Initiative/Project Description/Current Status Web Site/Department, Agency Part B.II. Education and training; equal opportunities and gender mainstreaming Cooperation between the Max- Planck-Institut für Informatik (Max Planck Institute for Computer Science) and Stanford University Cooperation aimed at training top young German scientists in computer science and preventing a “brain drain”; began 1 July 2003 http://www.mpi-sb.mpg.de Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) Young People Going Online (Jugend ans Netz) Equipping of up to 10,000 youth centres and facilities nationwide with modern hardware and software, including Internet access (with service and support); Creation of a youth portal at the Federal level, with special tailored information, education and advising resources; runs until June 2006. www.jugend.info Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) Women in the Information Society and Technology Competence Centre Combines measures nationwide for gender mainstreaming in education, training, the workplace, science and research. The aim is to continually increase the numbers of women in IT, engineering and computer science occupations. Runs until April 2005 www.kompetenzz.de Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF); Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) Women Going Online (Frauen ans Netz) Aims to increase the numbers of women Internet users to at least 50 % of all users and to teach a full range of Internet skills. www.frauen-ans-netz.de Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) Girls' Day The Girls' Day project gives girl pupils in grades 5 through 10 a look at technical occupations. www.girls-day.de Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) LizzyNet Online community for girls Development and expansion of qualification measures for girls in the area of Internet use Runs until the end of 2004 www.lizzynet.de Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) IDEE-IT This project conducts events, actions and public relations aimed at encouraging more young women to choose the new IT professions. www.idee-it.de Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) JOBLAB Interactive computer programme, aimed at girls, that supports fun, creative searches for information about jobs with a future – especially jobs in new technologies Runs until August 2003 www.joblab.de Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) Initiative/Project Description/Current Status Web Site/Department, Agency www.ais.fraunhofer.de/ROC K/roberta Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) www.mediageneration.net Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) www.bmfsfj.de (Heading: Publikationen/publications) Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) www.san-ev.de Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) www.kibnet.de Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) www.digitale-chancen.de Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour (BMWA) http://www.kbst.bund.de/ Themen-und-Projekte/ Be- hoerdennetze-,66/IVBV.htm Federal Ministry of the Interior www.bundonline2005.de BundOnline 2005 Project Group in the Federal Ministry of the Interior 80 Information Society Germany 2006 Develops teaching and learning materials for courses on robotics, along with criteria and methods for evaluating such materials. Designed to attract girls and young women to computer science and natural science and to help them understand technical systems Aims to use multipliers from the areas of youth work and education to help children and young people use the new media and develop media competence. A guide for parents and teachers that explains the Internet and answers relevant frequently asked questions Aims to make learning with new media a part of everyday school life Aims to promote acceptance for the restructu- red further training system for IT occupations The Foundation aims to interest people in the Internet's potential and to assist them in appreciating and making use of the opportu- nities provided by this new medium. Offers a file with a list of public Internet access and learning sites, including over 6,000 facilities to date. Also prepares and publishes statistics, materials and documents relative to digital integration and Internet use by the various segments of society. The Koordinierungs- und Beratungsstelle der Bundesregierung für Informationstechnik in der Bundesverwaltung/KBSt in the Federal Ministry of the Interior is overseeing the crea- tion of an information network for the entire Federal administration that will integrate exi- sting and future information services within a Federal intranet. An initiative to make all Internet-compatible Federal services available online by 2005. Roberta Media generation – update A network for children – risk-free surfing (Ein Netz für Kinder – Surfen ohne Risiko) Schools Going Online (Schulen ans Netz) Further training system for IT occupations (IT-Weiterbildungssystem) Digital Opportunities Foundation (Stiftung Digitale Chancen) Part B.III. E-government; trust and security on the Internet IVBV Federal Administration Information Network BundOnline 2005 e-government initiative 81Information Society Germany 2006 Initiative/Project Description/Current Status Web Site/Department, Agency Examples of BundOnline 2005 services Der Virtuelle Arbeitsmarkt IT platform for advising and placement processes Virtual labour market intended to bring together all services from the areas of virtual job and candidate searches, applications, candidate selection, company presentations, Internet jobs portal, job search machines, job offerings and the opportunity to make personal contact, and offer them free of charge; to be introduced in December 2003. http://www.arbeitsamt.de/h st/aktuelles/virtueller_arbeit smarkt.html Federal Institute for Employment (BA) eVergabe Electronic contract awards system for the Federal administration One of the most important BundOnline 2005 projects; enables calls for tender, bids and contracts to be processed entirely via the Internet, securely, without media discontinuities and in legally binding form. www.e-vergabe.bund.de Federal Procurement Office Profi Project funding information system Provides IT support for project funding – from announcement and application to administrative processing; its core consists of a joint, standardized and centrally-maintained database. www.bmbf.de www.kp.dlr.de/profi Federal Ministry of Education and Research Project management German Aerospace Center (DLR) Vorbereiten politisch-regulativer Entscheidungen Preparation of policy and regulatory decisions Allows documents to be exchanged with no media discontinuities as part of preparing and adopting bills and ordinances. Participants will be able to sign off electronically on all documents during voting and decision-making processes and exchange drafts among participating offices. www.bundonline2005.de BundOnline 2005 Project Group in the Federal Ministry of the Interior Zoll online Customs administration information for businesses and individuals, including Internet auction for Federal, state and local authorities to sell confiscated and impounded goods. Expansion of important interactive services is planned. www.zoll.de Federal Ministry of Finance iXPOS Foreign trade portal Services offered by ministries, chambers, and state and other associations to promote German exports and foreign trade. www.iXPOS.de German Office for Foreign Trade (bfai) ATLAS Automated tariff and local customs processing system Intended to create the prerequisites for widespread automation of commercial trade with third countries using IT. Essential customs procedures are integrated within ATLAS, which enables electronic application, processing, completion and archiving. www.zoll-d.de/atlas www.internetzollanmeldung.de Federal Ministry of Finance Initiative/Project Description/Current Status Web Site/Department, Agency DeutschlandOnline MEDIA@Komm-Transfer SAGA Softwarestrategie Software strategy Basic components of BundOnline 2005 Basic components, which encompass reusable technical functionalities, are developed cen- trally and incorporated into service projects as needed. These components include: data secu- rity, a content management system, payment transaction platform, forms server, Internet portal and call centre. Competence centres of BundOnline 2005 The competence centres’ (CC) primary goal is to provide know-how for the decentralized implementation of the service projects. They also advise on design and implementation of basic components. There are competence cen- tres for the following areas: data security, the content management system, payment tran- sactions and processing, processes and orga- nization. In summer 2003, the Conference of Minister- Presidents adopted the joint e-government strategy known as DeutschlandOnline. Its aim is policy co-ordination and further develop- ment of existing e-government projects in Germany, in order to avoid duplication and identify best practice projects, which are then made interoperable and offered to users at all administrative levels. Comprehensive e-government services are being made available at all government levels. On the basis of MEDIA@Komm and BundOnline 2005, this project is building a nation-wide e-government network and making it available to more users. At the same time, regional processes of self-organization and standardization are encouraged to start or intensify efforts to expand e-government. To run until the end of 2005. SAGA (Standards and Architectures for E-gover- nment Applications) contains the technical specifications for the BundOnline 2005 imple- mentation plan. Aims at software diversity and open standards for data exchange. The migration guide is intended to offer strategic-economic and detailed technical decision-making aids for planned or recently completed migrations. www.bundonline2005.de BundOnline 2005 Project Group in the Federal Ministry of the Interior PGBO@bmi.bund.de www.bundonline2005.de BundOnline 2005 Project Group in the Federal Ministry of the Interior www.deutschland-online.de Office of the E-government State Secretaries’ Round Table in the Federal Ministry of the Interior http://www.mediakomm.net Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour http://www.kbst.bund.de/ SAGA Federal Ministry of the Interior; KBSt http://www.kbst.bund.de/ Themen-und-Projekte/ Software-,223/Migration. htm Federal Ministry of the Interior; KBSt 82 Information Society Germany 2006 83Information Society Germany 2006 Initiative/Project Description/Current Status Web Site/Department, Agency Optimierung Öffentlicher Beschaffung Optimization of public procure- ment Informations- und Bibliotheks- portal des Bundes Federal information and library portal W.I.E.N. Voting in electronic networks ELSTER Electronic tax returns: a joint project of the supreme Federal and State finance authorities, intended to ensure secure trans- mission of tax data. ElsterFormular Official tax return software of the supreme Federal and State finance authorities ElsterLohn Joint project of tax administrati- on of the supreme Federal and State finance authorities Virtuelle Poststelle Virtual mailroom Signaturbündnis Signature alliance A Cabinet decision to optimize public procure- ment is planned for this year. The aim is to process all Federal contract awards via one central Internet platform and to set up a virtual Federal shop. A project of the libraries of the highest Federal administration and of the Federal Court of Justice, with the aim of automating library processes for all agencies. Development and testing of different kinds of online elections on a small scale and in non- political areas. Apart from adapting the neces- sary technology, this involves above all orga- nizational and legal issues and the question of voter acceptance. The aim is to provide tested election methods allowing secure and simple voting via open communications networks, networked voting sites and mobile devices. Intended to enable electronic transmission of all data needed for taxation purposes. Tax offi- ces are already able to accept income, trade and turnover tax returns, employers’ payroll tax reports and preliminary turnover tax reports in electronic form. In addition, the finance administration can provide taxpayers with electronic data from their tax statements on request. Makes it possible to submit electronic tax returns (income, trade and turnover tax returns, as well as employers’ payroll tax reports and preliminary turnover tax reports). Includes electronic signature capability. Aims at ensuring secure transmission of elec- tronic wage and tax data. Currently in test phase; from 2005 wage and tax statements are to be transmitted to the finance admini- stration in encrypted form via the Internet. IT Security To ensure secure communication via the Internet, a virtual electronic mailroom is being developed as a core element of the basic com- ponent data security. Incoming and outgoing e-mails and Web data will be centrally encryp- ted or decrypted, signed and examined. In April 2003, the public and private sector founded the “Alliance for Electronic Signatures” to promote the use of electronic signatures in Germany at the initiative of the Federal Government. www.bmi.bund.de Federal Ministry of the Interior www.bibliothek.ivbb.bund. de Federal Ministry of the Interior; KBSt www.forschungsprojekt- wien.de Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour www.elster.de Federal Ministry of Finance www.elsterformular.de Federal Ministry of Finance http://www.ElsterLohn.de Federal Ministry of Finance www.bundonline2005.de BundOnline 2005 Project Group in the Federal Ministry of the Interior www.bundonline2005.de BundOnline 2005 Project Group in the Federal Ministry of the Interior 84 Information Society Germany 2006 Initiative/Project Description/Current Status Web Site/Department, Agency Sicherheit im Internet Security on the Internet Information on IT security, designed for small businesses. www.sicherheit-im-internet. de Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour BSI für Bürger Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) Information from the BSI on IT security; target group: all Internet users; easy-to-understand background information and free tools. www.bsi-fuer-buerger.de Federal Office for Information Security E-Government – Handbuch des BSI BSI e-government handbook Directed at IT decision-makers and project leaders; constantly updated. http://www.bsi.bund.de/ fachthem/egov/3.htm Federal Office for Information Security Mcert Information from the small-business computer emergency response team (Mcert), targeted at small and medium-sized businesses. Launch: 9 December 2003 www.mcert.de Deutsche Gesellschaft für IT-Sicherheit mbH (German Society for IT Security, Ltd.) Sperr-Rufnummer Phone number for lost or stolen credit and debit cards Germany is introducing a single emergency telephone number to deactivate lost or stolen items with electronic functions, such as credit and debit cards, mobile phones, health insurance cards, staff ID cards, customer courtesy cards and password-protected Internet applications. http://www.sperr-ev.de Verein zur Schaffung und Förderung eines einheitlichen Sperrzugangs für elektronische Berechtigungen (Reg’d Society for the Creation and Promotion of a Uniform Procedure to Block Electronic Access) INPOL-Neu New information system for Federal and Land police forces In operation since 16 August 2003 following the successful changeover of the central system within the Federal Criminal Police Office. http://www.bmi.bund.de Federal Ministry of the Interior Digitalfunk Introduction of digital voice and data radio transmission systems for public safety Aims to replace obsolete analogue radio systems with a nationally standardized digital voice and data radio transmission system, creating the necessary prerequisites for ensuring public safety, e.g. protection against unauthorized monitoring of transmissions, possibilities for data access while on duty and cross-border communication between security authorities. http://www.t-online.de/ home/bgs-zsiuk-kt Federal Ministry of the Interior VERISOFT Ongoing verification of hardware, software and communications systems in order to make them more reliable and hence secure. www.verisoft.de Federal Ministry of Education and Research Kulturportal Deutschland German cultural portal Information on cultural policy, institutions and events via weekly newsletter. www.kulturportal-deutschland.de Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media 85Information Society Germany 2006 Initiative/Project Description/Current Status Web Site/Department, Agency Information on its history and office locations; assistance with archive use; news and events. The focus is a structured overview of holdings, enabling preliminary searches. Information about its extensive bibliographic services, plus access to the various DDB online databases. In addition to a compulsory administrative part (data on the insured person, including status of co-payment, replacement of the European health insurance certificate E-111 form and data regarding prescriptions presen- ted for dispensing of drugs and reimburse- ment), the electronic health card will also include a voluntary medical part (e.g. drug documentation, emergency medical data, electronic discharge letter). Introduction by 1 January 2006 Assistance in the implementation of the natio- nal strategy for the introduction of the health card, development of a framework of IT archi- tecture for telematics and a security infra- structure An integral part of the security infrastructure is the fact that the use of the health card is lin- ked with an electronic health professional card (HPC). The prerequisites for the distribu- tion of HPCs are being established, close co-operation with the Federal States. Working groups of the medical profession and the Federal States have been established. Important, patient-related information link for the various bodies responsible for health care (disease management programmes), ground- work by the Action Forum on Telematics in Health Care has been done. Test phase as of 2004 in close co-operation with the self-governing bodies. www.bundesarchiv.de Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media www.ddb.de Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media www.die-gesundheitsre- form.de www.bmgs.bund.de www.bIT4health.de Federal Ministry of Health and Social Security www.bIT4health.de Federal Ministry of Health and Social Security www.bIT4health.de www.bmgs.bund.de Federal Ministry of Health and Social Security www.bmgs.bund.de www.bIT4health.de Federal Ministry of Health and Social Security www.bIT4health.de Federal Ministry of Health and Social Security Bundesarchiv Online Federal Records Office Die Deutsche Bibliothek (DDB) German National Library Part B.IV. Modern health care systems and other fields of innovation Electronic health card bIT4health Project on the framework of IT architecture for telematics for the health card Health professional cards with digital signature Introduction of a cross-institu- tional electronic patient record Pilot projects on health card 86 Information Society Germany 2006 Initiative/Project Description/Current Status Web Site/Department, Agency Promotion of the activities by the Action Forum on Health Telematics (German abbreviation: ATG) The first management papers by the Action Forum on Health Telematics (ATG) concerning: • international/European co-operation, • the electronic discharge letter by the physician, • the electronic prescription, • the security infrastructure, electronic patient record have been adopted. AFTHC will be extended as a coordinating entity for the interests of the self-governing bodies regarding telematics. http://atg.gvg-koeln.de/ Action Forum on Health Telematics Steering Group on Telematics Steering group of consensus and transparency for decisions on elements of the telematics platform, representing all groups of society involved (Federal Government Commissioner for Matters related to persons with disabilities, Data Protection Commissioner, self-governing bodies, patients‘ representatives, scientists). The decisions are based on the results of the working groups in co-operation with the Action Forum on Telematics in Health Care and bIT4health. www.bmgs.bund.de Federal Ministry of Health and Social Security D21 Steering Group on Information and Communication Technology in Health Care Promotion of the activities concerning the health card, measures to promote its acceptance, discovery of implementation barriers to telematics applications http://www.initiatived21. de/gesundheit/gesundheit.php D 21 European health insurance card Card in an “eye-readable format” on the reverse side of the German electronic health card as a substitute for the E-111 form www.bIT4health.de Federal Ministry of Health and Social Security, European Commission Database of the TELA project Presentation of activities and projects in a nationwide central database, basis for the determination of best practices. www.dimdi.de Federal Ministry of Health and Social Security, Federal States, German Institute for Medical Documentation and Information Building up a Telematics Department at the “DIMDI” – German Institut for Medical Documentation and Information Maintenance of elements belonging to the framework of IT architecture for telematics, building up an information platform on telematics-related activities. www.dimdi.de Federal Ministry of Health and Social Security, German Institute for Medical Documentation and Information AFGIS Action Forum for Health Information Systems Building up a decentral health information network of quality assurance; participation in the initiative of the European Commission on quality criteria for health-related Web sites. www.afgis.de Federal Ministry of Health and Social Security, Federal States 87Information Society Germany 2006 Initiative/Project Description/Current Status Web Site/Department, Agency Public central health portal of the Federal Government According to the resolution adopted at the Conference of Health Ministers on 20 and 21 June 2002, the Federal Government and the States are, inter alia, to establish public central health portals on the Internet to guarantee that the Web offers reliable and neutral health information to citizens, insured persons and patients. www.bmgs.bund.de Federal Ministry of Health and Social Security gein® German Environmental Information Network Portal for environmental issues. Now comprises 180,000 web pages and nine databases supplied by 89 Federal and State information providers. http://www.gein.de/ Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, udk/gein Coordination Office at the Lower Saxony Ministry of the Environment Revision of the Act on Environmental Information The aim is to make the Act on Environmental Information more citizen-friendly and thereby implement the EC Directive on Environmental Information. This is being done by expanding the scope of the Act, simplifying the procedures and improving the Internet offering. www.bmu.de Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety TMF Telematikplattform für Medizinische Forschungsnetze (Telematics Platform for Medical Research Networks) The TMF is a syndicate of German medical research alliances and coordination centres for clinical studies. It coordinates the research alliances' interests with regard to the development, establishment and expansion of high- performance IT infrastructures in medical research. TMF's objectives are: • to pool research competence in the field of telematics, • to ensure a transfer of expertise within and between the networks, • to assure quality, • to provide IT services and develop holistic solutions, and • to deliver knowledge. http://www.tmf-net.de Federal Ministry of Education and Research TELTRA Centre of Excellence and Services for Traumatology TELTRA combines IT-related and medical expertise in order to make knowledge management and work processes in traumatology more efficient and to develop innovative products and services. One example of this is the “tele-round”, with which the patient can report his condition to the doctor from home using a special PC equipped with a video camera (thereby reducing time spent in hospital) http://www.teltra.de http://www.kompetenznetze.de Federal Ministry of Education and Research 88 Information Society Germany 2006 Initiative/Project Description/Current Status Web Site/Department, Agency INVENT Intelligent Traffic and User- Friendly Technology Component projects INVENT FAS Driver assistance systems, active safety • Detection and interpretation of the environment • Driving behaviour, human/machine interaction • Congestion assistant • Anticipatory active safety • Traffic impact; legal issues; and acceptance INVENT VM Traffic Management • Network traffic equaliser • Traffic performance assistance INVENT VMTL Traffic management in transport and logistics Duration: 2001-2005 www.invent-online.de www.tuvpt.de Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing DIRECT Network Comprehensive intermodal travel planning using real-time information Links up regional information services on the current traffic situation and the current available range of public and personal transport. Will be integrated in an Internet platform for nationwide, dynamic information on travel possibilities with different modes of transport and providers. Duration: 2001 – 2004 www.tuvpt.de Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing “Traffic Management 2010” vision Development of more efficient methods of organising and controlling traffic and thus of a total sustainable transport system. – Operational traffic management – New products and services for public transport – Information services to support traffic management – Registration of traffic situation and forecasting Duration: 2004 – 2008 www.tuvpt.de Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing Intermobil Dresden Strategies for securing mobility in the future in medium-sized conurbations Component projects – Demand-influencing; geographical and behavioural prerequisites for ensuring mobility – Flexible suburban train system; networking of public local transport, resource-friendly operation, flexible travel – Virtual mobility Impact analysis and demand control – Electronic tickets Transport networking and control of demand via flexible rates www.intermobil@GW Tonline.de www.tuvpt.de Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing 89Information Society Germany 2006 Initiative/Project Description/Current Status Web Site/Department, Agency –Road traffic management Traffic analysis, management and optimisation – Information system Intermodal mobility management and information – Evaluation Strategies with which to influence demand for transport and the transport possibilities available Duration: 1999 - 2004 Core application for public transport Development of an interoperable core application for electronic fare management in public transport, with the relevant specifications, laboratory prototypes and a test suite for certification. Component projects System concept Definition of the model for collaboration and of business processes System architecture Technical system profile and description of the interfaces throughout the system Low-level specification Description of the standardised interfaces Certification procedure Procedure for certifying the system interfaces to ensure interoperability Lab trial To prove that the required level compatibility in interoperable use, as described in the specifications, has been met. Implementation of test suite Test suite with which the components and systems requiring certification can be tested in a lab trial and certified. Duration: 2002 – 2004 www.tuvpt.de Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing Regional passenger transport Improved efficiency and quality of mobility in rural areas Formation of transport alliances in the form of public/private partnerships Development of a needs-oriented local public transport system geared to meeting demand for transport Duration: 2001 – 2004 www.tuvpt.de Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing 90 Information Society Germany 2006 Initiative/Project Description/Current Status Web Site/Department, Agency “European Rail Freight Transport 2010” Vision Innovations from the fields of infrastructure management and operational procedure, • including IT-based approaches to managing infrastructure and operations, • production systems, including IT for vehicles, making-up of trains and freight handling processes, • organisational forms, collaboration and operator models, • logistics strategies with innovative underlying IT, • communication and customer systems. Duration: 2001 – 2005 www.tuvpt.de Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing Closed-loop materials economy MITTOUR Project Drafting of standards and their application in the collection and transport of waste. Utilisation, particularly at small and medium- sized disposal firms, of the potential for optimising transport. Standard-based software which enables transport runs to be planned in line with real conditions. Basic components: • module for calculating working time involved in a transport run, distance covered and type and number of emptied recycling containers plus • a module to provide visual support for planning transport runs. A database of standards for disposal logistics will be produced in addition to these activities. The standards will facilitate benchmarking comparisons with other disposal companies and disposal districts. www.intecus.de www.tuvpt.de Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing This publication is available free of charge as part of the public relations work of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour. It may not be used by political parties or campaigners or electoral assistants during an election for the purposes of campaigning. This applies to European, Bundestag, Landtag, and local elections. In particular, it is forbidden to distribute this publication at campaign events or at information stands run by political parties or to insert, overprint, or affix partisan information or advertising. It is also forbidden to pass it on to third parties for the purposes of electoral campaigning. Irrespective of when, in what way, and in what quantity this publication reached the recipient, it cannot be used even when an election is not approaching in a way that might be understood as suggesting a bias in the federal government in favour of individual political groupings.