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News

The Basque Government and the European Union are promoting the World Summit for Digital Solidarity to be held in Bilbao

Members of he Basque Government and representatives of the European Union (EU) held a meeting in Brussels on 4 March in order to promote the “2nd World Summit of Cities and Local Authorities on the Information Society”, which is to be held in Bilbao in November this year. The meeting in the capital of Bizkaia against the “digital divide” and in favour of digital solidarity will bring together more than 2,000 representatives of institutions worldwide.

The Bruselas headquarters of the Committee of the Regions (CoR) provided the venue for the event to present the international encounter in Bilbao. The CoR, which has 222 members, represents local authorities in the European Community when EU policies are being drawn up.

During the event at the CoR headquarters, representatives of the Basque Government and of Community institutions analysed formulas which will enable all inhabitants of the plant to have access to new information technologies, so that everyone can benefit from their social and economic advantages.

The meeting was presented by Gerhard Stahl, general secretary of the Committee of the Regions, and by Hervé Le Guyader, President of Eris@. Also taking part in the first half of the event were Ibon Mendibelzua and José María Muñoa, Delegate of Euskadi (Basque Country) in Brussels and Delegate of the Basque President for Foreign Affairs, respectively.

José Ignacio Zudaire, Vice-minister for Administration and Planning of the Basque Government’s Department of Industry presented the World Summit in favour of digital solidarity which is to be held in Bilbao. On his part, Christophe Nuttall, Senior Coordinator of UNITAR’s Decentralised Cooperation unit explained the importance of local authorities in the development of a more solidary Information Society. Alain Clerc, Executive Secretary of the Digital Solidarity Fund, analysed the world commitment toward the reduction of the digital divide and Jean-Francois Soupizet, Deputy Head of Unit, International Relations, at the European Commission’s Directorate General for the Information Society, put forward the challenge of achieving an Information Society which is within reach of everyone.

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