1996 - European Telework Week

Telework 96
3. EUROPEAN TELEWORK WEEK
3.1. Purposes and achievements
The first European Telework Week (ETW95)was held November 9-16, 1995, with Mr
Bangemann as patron, sponsored by private sector and national and regional authorities,
and achieved a very public level of recognition, with 32 registered events in 12 member
states, ranging from road shows and exhibitions to conferences and media events.
During that period there was a boost of attention in national and international press (Wall
Street Journal, Times), and radio and TV coverage in at least 6 member states and on
EuroNews.
The Goals of implementing a European Telework Week Initiative are:
• 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 already
It links closely to the Telework Stimulation Actions, by offering a framework for
exploitation of the results, derived from the actions.
3.2. The Events registered.
Three events formed the core of European Telework Week: the ACTS and National
Hosts Conference “A Day in Information Society” in Vienna, the 2nd European
Assembly on Teleworking and New Ways to Work in Rome, and the Telework’95
exhibition and conference “Tomorrow’s Workplace” in London.
At the ACTS National Host Conference, an initiative of DG XIII B and the National
Hosts, attention was given to “A Day in the Information Society” on the first day. It was
also the first time that a Telework Concertation Chain meeting was held (see: Telework
under ACTS”). The attempt to achieve a video link between Vienna and the European
Assembly in Rome failed. Other, more successful links were established (a/o. with Paris).
Media attention was high, with special attention to telework, since the 4th European
Assembly was already announced to be hosted by Vienna in 1996.
The 2nd European Assembly was, again, the key event for debates at a European level.
With more than 300 participants, ranging from parliamentarians to industrialists,
telework pioneers to union representatives, meeting each other and debating on telework
it was again a unique opportunity to progress the debate. Main topics were Regulations,
Organisation and Management, global information society, sustainability in the
information society, and electronic superhighways.
Telework UK 95, held at the Barbican centre in London was initiated in close cooperation
with the UK Department of Trade and Industry and aimed primarily at the
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