On 26 February, the European Parliament approved the digital part of the Connecting Europe Facility initiative proposed by the Commission in 2011 as part of the multi-annual financial framework (MFF) to improve Europe’s transport, energy and digital networks. The proposal includes a €1 billion investment package to support pan-European digital projects and high-speed broadband networks.
Under the proposal endorsed by the European Parliament, the majority of funding will support digital services such as infrastructures, pan-European platforms and seamless cross-border public services such as eProcurement, eHealth, or Open Data. 15% of the budget has been earmarked to support high-speed broadband.
More information in this press release: https://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-14-33_en.htm
Developing broadband (high-speed access to internet) all across the EU is a prerequisite to digital cohesion; and finding new solutions based on the use of new technology can help us to respond to the needs of an ageing society. This is why they are issues of concern to older people and part of AGE’s research and policy work.