Please note this is one a set of archived pages recalling European Telework Week 1995. For current information please start from European Telework Online Home Page or European Telework Week 1996 Top Page

European Telework Week
9-16 November 1995:
Text of the European Commission Announcement

This page provides the announcement text from the European Commission, dated 12th September 1995.

The information provided covers:

Introduction: New Ways of Working
Advantages of telework
Goals of European Telework Week
Scope of European Telework Week
European Commission's Rôle
Support Mechanisms
Suggested activities for European Telework Week
How to Participate
EC Contacts
Organisations Committed to Participation
Contact Points for Core Events

Introduction: New ways of working

Would you like to work nearer home, or even from home for part of the time to avoid the daily commute? Would you like greater flexibility in your working time, and more responsibility in how you allocate your time? Do you work in an office and deal with information? Could you replace some of your business travel by greater use of telecommunications?

If yes, Telework may be part of your future working life. The telecommunications and computer revolutions have now opened up a wide range of new, more flexible ways of working, with at least part of the time outside a traditional office. Telework offers flexibility in both the workplace and in working time.

These new ways of working are at the centre of the European Union's policies for growth, business competitiveness and new employment. The groundwork has already been done. European research and communication technology development has given us an excellent start in development of the new information infrastructures - the networks of wires, cables, optical fibres, radio links and satellites which will be as important as roads.

The Advantages of Teleworking

The potential advantages of new ways of working are both diverse and of far reaching importance. Telework could:

boost local employment - responding to the aspirations of 96% of Europeans to find jobs in their own regions.
cut business costs - by making better use of available skills and eliminating the need for large central offices located in expensive and congested urban centres.
lead to productivity gains - already reported by researchers and organisations with practical experience.
bring more flexible working hours - especially in part-time jobs, addressing the needs of both employees and employers.
save energy and reduce pollution - by cutting down on commuter travel and easing traffic congestion in cities. It could in this way save more energy than any improvement in energy supply infrastructures or other energy efficiency measures.
give individuals greater responsibility and flexibility - allow work and other commitments to be better matched and increase the quality of life.

A recent survey has shown that about 1.2 million people already telework in Europe: over 5% of businesses make use of this new way of working. Nevertheless, to meet the target of 10 million teleworkers by 2000 requires a greater public awareness of benefits and risks. It also needs a wider participation in debates on social concerns.

Implementing telework means introducing a new attitude towards work. The work is still there to be done, but the location where it is carried out can now be dictated more by effectiveness than by tradition. Electronic mail, computer connections, telephone, videoconferencing; all are eliminating distance as a barrier to doing business. This is demonstrated by the sharp increase in availability (and use) of information and communications for mobile workers.

Telework is an effective way to experience many of these changes, and confront the opportunities and threats of a new society. It is for these reasons that the development of telework, along with other uses of information infrastructures, is given high priority in the EU policies for the Information Society.

European Telework Week will not only show the commitment of Europeans and their organisations to new ways of working, typified by telework, but it will also demonstrate telework practice and opportunities to a broader public and business community.

The Goals of European Telework Week

To raise awareness within industry, administrations and the individual, of the potential benefits of teleworking.
To promote constructive debate on working and living in the information age. This covers issues surrounding telework like the potential impact on: competitiveness of European business, the social implications, the quality of life.
To promote the uptake of actual projects/demonstrations/pilots by showing that there is a lot of telework going on already.

Scope of European Telework Week

Three events will form the core of European Telework Week:

The ACTS Second National Hosts Conference:
"A Day in the Information Society"
Vienna
The second European Assembly on Telework and New Ways of Working
Rome and the
Telework’95 exhibition and conference “Tomorrow’s Workplace” in London.

In addition, it is envisaged that Telework events will take place in most countries within the EU in European Telework Week. These events will be held at local, regional, national and international levels, and will manifest themselves in a wide variety of ways.

The events will be organised and financed at national, regional and local level, and will not benefit from any direct financial support from the EU. However, mechanisms have been put in place to help organisers of events gain visibility under the umbrella of the European Telework Week.

This will ensure wide coverage by television, radio, newspaper, magazines, and cyberspace. It will also provide organisations with opportunities to establish links with other events, and ensure they gain maximum impact.

The European Commission’s role

Major events in European Telework Week are supported by the European Commission, DG V and DG XIII. The Commission will also ensure information exchange and maximise the synergy between events.

Support Mechanisms

All organisers of events are requested to register their planned event as part of the European Telework Week, which will give the event the opportunity to use the European Telework Week logo and have the details of the event made available through the Commission’s services. It will also enable them to take advantage of any offers of resources that may be made to events by suppliers of goods & services. Each event can add their own local language motto to the Logo which in English might be “Telework IS Working”, but should reflect the local situation as well as the overall rationale of European Telework Week.

A WWW site has been established - http://www.mtanet.co.uk/eur/two/etw_int.htm - to ensure links to the most up to date information on events, together with an information point on CompuServe (GO TWEURO file/message section 11, European TWork Week). These sites will carry a list of registered events and the appropriate registration forms. These sites also provide opportunities for discussion and debate on Telework topics and background on telework and related matters.

Suggestions received

Interest has been shown in the following types of “events”:

Conferences
Exhibitions of Telework solutions
Seminars and Workshops
Debates on radio & television
Special editions or special sections in newspapers and magazines
Open days in Telecentres & Telecottages
Open days by companies practising telework
Trials of telework by companies new to the concept
Co-ordinated advertising by suppliers of goods and services appropriate to telework
Open letters in the press supporting the development of telework signed by politicians, industrialists, and prominent academics

How to Participate

There is little formality in participating in European Telework Week. Just fill in the registration of events form and return as requested, and a full information pack will be forwarded. This will contain contact points of other organisers of events, and the sources of ongoing information.

If you are distributing brochures or leaflets you might like to use the ETW logo, and add your own local language slogan.

Contact Points

General information can be obtained from Compuserve (GO TWEURO). For specific questions contact Ian CULPIN or Maarten BOTTERMAN at the European Commission:
E-mail: apas@postman.dg13.cec.be Fax: +32.2.296.2980

Organisations committed to contributing to the events of ETW

Major Telecommunication and IT companies
3-COM
Alcatel
Belgacom
BT
Cap Volmac
CSC Computer Sciences
EDS
EUnet
France Telecom
IBM
ICL
Olivetti
Siemens
STET
TeleDanmark
Telefonica
TELiNDUS
Unisource
Unisys

Industry Associations
Club de l’Arche
European Electronic Messaging Association (EEMA)
European IT Industry Round Table (EITIRT)
European Trade Union Federation

Telework Associations
ACTS National Host Forum
European Community Telework Forum (ECTF)
Finnish Flexiwork Forum
Netherlands Telework Platform
The Belgian Teleworking Association
The Irish Teleworking Association
The Spanish Teleworking Association
The Telecottage Association
UK Telework Platform

Universities
Cranfield school of Management
U.A.M. Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco
Universite Libre de Bruxelles
University of Louvain
University of Wales
Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Government Departments and Agencies
Austrian Minister of Economy and Transport
Austrian Minister of Science Research & Art
Belgium Prime Minister
Belgian Minister of Justice
Belgian Minister of the Public Sector
Finnish Ministry of Labour
French Ministry of Amenagement du Territoire
Italian Ministry of Labour
Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs
Netherlands Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Mgt

Regional Government and Development Agencies
CATRAL Ile de France Regional Council
City of Rome
City of Vienna
Region of Ghent - Objective 2000
Highlands and Islands Enterprise
Nukoping Kommun
Province of North Holland

Financial Sector
ABB Verzekeringen
ASKL/CGER
BBL
Standard Life

Other Businesses
AEIDL
BPU Gmbh
Computer Access
EcoPlan
Empirica
IDATE
INMARK
INNOTEK
INNOVA
KFD
Management Technology Associates
MatRix Matraves Riley Ltd
Nutek
Overmars Organisatie Adv.
Protocol Communications
Regus
SW2000
System Synthesis
Tele Danmark Consult A/S
Telestugor
TMPL Training/Consultants
Teleport Brussels
Toucan
Youandi
Home Office Partnership
The Virtual Office

Press and the Media
CDWare
Haldane Publications Ltd
Informatica Facil
Kommunikatie Service Nederland
Roulata
Wall Street Journal

Contact Coordinates for ETW Events

ACTS 2nd National Host Conference
Vienna, 6 - 10 November 1995
Information: local National Host, or the BIT Conference Office, HEUBER@bitserver.bit.ac.at
or ACTS Central Office DGXIII aco@postman.dg13.cec.be

Telework ‘95
2nd European Assembly on Teleworking and New Ways of Working
Rome, 8 - 10 November 1995
Information: ECTF International Secretariat, tel. +34.1.5417264, fax +34.1.5599274, 100103.1740@compuserve.com or ectf.italia@agora.stm.it

Telework ‘95
Conference and Exhibition “Tomorrows Workplace”
London, 14 - 16 November 1995
Information: UK Telework Platform, +44.1734.623292 or teleworkevents@cix.compulink.co.uk

Site navigation

European Telework Online - Home Page
European Telework Week 95
Telework Week 95 Core Events
Telework Week 95 Country Pages
Telework Week 95 - Latest News as it happened
Telework Week 95 - Press Releases

Telework Week Online Pages provided by Management Technology Associates:

MTA/Open Electronic Networking Home Page
MTA Telework Pages
MTA Open Electronic Networking Pages
Management Technology Associates

Page address http://www.eto.org.uk/etw95/ectext/annc01htm
Last Updated 14 February 1996

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