Project Abstract

DEEDS ensures an open Forum of European executive policy makers (Policy Group) stimulating, discussing, exchanging, and monitoring public policies related to the major issues of the digital economy, focusing on the uptake of electronic business practices by SMEs.

The Forum is the follow-up of the Policy Group set up within the G7 Pilot Project A Global Marketplace for SMEs (1996-1999), co-ordinated by the European Commission, which has contributed - via the exchange of information, experience and best practice - to significantly progress and converge policy making related to Electronic Commerce and SMEs.

The objective of DEEDS is to address the demand to keep alive the network of European executive policy makers and advisers (from governments, development and technological agencies and SMEs associations), and to extend it to other countries-networks in Central and Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean, and Latin America.

DEEDS is to provide scientific and technical assistance to the European Policy Group, to promote international co-operation on digital economy-SME policy issues with emerging areas, to maintain a close link and stable communication with IST-Key Action 2, providing input and feedback to the policy making process of the European Commission.