"Bangemann Challenge" goes global

Following the mid-term review conference of the "Bangemann Challenge", held in Barcelona on 7-9 October 1996, it has been decided to extend the Challenge to cities from outside the European Union. Under the "Global Bangemann Challenge", Europe will challenge the US, Japan and the rest of the world.

The organizers of the Bangemann Challenge, the City of Stockholm (Sweden), announced, in Barcelona, the "Global Bangemann Challenge" which will pick up from the European Challenge due to end in January 1997. The Global Challenge aims to allow cities from around the world to share their experiences and compare ideas for information services.

The Bangemann Challenge was launched in November 1994 by the Mayor of Stockholm, in response to Commissioner Martin Bangemann''s Report on Europe and the Information Society. The competition challenged major European cities to propose (and implement) effective uses of new electronic information services for the benefit of their citizens. Since 1995, 25 cities have entered 106 projects for the Challenge, the winner of which will be announced, in Stockholm, on 22 January 1997.

The Challenge has attracted projects from the ten different sectors outlined in the Bangemann Report: teleworking; distance learning; university networks; telematics for SMEs; road traffic management; air traffic control; healthcare networks; electronic tendering; public administration; and city information highways. At the Barcelona conference, representatives of the projects came together to demonstrate progress in their projects, and discuss the latest developments in telecommunications and information services.