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16 January 1998 : the Prime Minister presented the Government's
programme of action relating to new information technologies. The six
projects with priority in the programme include:
" 1.The new information technologies and communication in education
2.An ambitious cultural policy for the new networks
3.Information technology to serve in the modernisation of public bodies
4.Information technology, a primary tool for companies
5.Meet the challenge of industrial and technological innovation
6.Make conditions favourable for the creation of efficient regulation and
a protective framework for the information networks."
Full text of the government's programme of action (in French for now).
15 January 1998 : the evaluation of the 244 projects on the information
highway and services, begun in March 1997, is complete. It is being reviewed
by the Department of communication and services industries (SERICS), part of
the office of the Secretary of State for Industry. All evaluated projects
will be presented on this site in about a month.
7 January 1998 : Francis Lorentz's report on the stakes of the development
of electronic commerce made public. This is the result of a working group
which he directed for three months. This report underlines how much the
development of electronic commerce constitutes an essential challenge for
the French economy in terms of competitiveness, job creation and exports.
There is a forum on this site until 15 February which allows all, citizens
and economic players, to react to the analysis and propositions in the
report. These contributions will add to reflections in the ministry in
preparation for a series of measures which will be presented in March.
19 novembre 1997: Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Minister of the Economy,
Finance and Industry, confirms in an interview with 'Le Monde' newspaper on
19 November, that one billion French francs from the sale of part of France
Telecom is destined for new technology (all sectors). Six hundred million to
set up "a fund for funds", that is to say, to provide support for private
capital risk companies. It will be managed by the Caisse des dépôts. One
hundred and fifty million will be "reserved for the development of start up
funds", destined in priority for very small companies set up to build on the
work of research and university laboratories. The remaining two hundred and
fifty million will fund the plan presented 17 November by the Ministry of
Education (see below).
17 November 1997 : the Ministry of Education, Research and Technology
kicks off a vast plan designed to introduce new information and
communication technologies (NICT) to all schools. The main points of the
plan are: a global educational approach, precise connection and access objectives
for the year 2000, the set up of Educnet, a decentralised network focusing
on content (a call for projects will be launched with a budget of 10M FF),
an active partnership between :
- the ministry,
- local councils (a support fund is set aside for them: set up for three
years, it will serve to support school projects using NICT)
- and companies (France Telecom will propose access to Educnet to each
school at a special rate).
Press file of the Ministry of Education, Research, and Technology
14 November 1997 : after the first reading, members of parliament
adopted the proposed budget of the Secretary of State for Industry for 1998.
With regard to industrial research, 1.5 billion French francs will be
allocated to the information highway and electronic commerce. To which must
be added a new budgetary line of 50M FF for the introduction of the Internet
to small businesses.
"I wanted information and communication technologies to be at the centre
of our initiatives (...). The use of the Internet and its applications by
small to medium sized companies represents stakes of considerable
competitive importance. It is not just a matter of creating Web sites to be
known on the Web, it also entails using the Internet as an advanced tool for
communication, and technological and commercial awareness (...)"Christian
Pierret declared to members of parliament.
The full presentation of the 1998
budget of the Secretary of State for Industry.
30 September 1997 : before the CIGREF (computer association of large
French companies), Christian Pierret announced that 50M FF would be
allocated to the introduction of the Internet to small businesses. The
Secretary of State for Industry also announced that he would propose a "Year
2000 Mission" to the government to help companies and their information
systems through this stage. Full
speech.
23 September 1997 : 22 proposals retained from the 43 submitted in
response to the call for proposals on searching and filtering information on
networks made by the Secretary of State for Industry (SERICS), and the
Ministry for Education, Research and Technology. The proposals, retained
after three successive technical appraisals, come for the most part from
small to medium size industrial enterprises.
22 September 1997 : in Toulouse, as he did in Hourtin and before members of
AFTEL - the French telematics and multimedia association - Christian
Pierret, Secretary of State for Industry, insisted on the fact that his
ministry would offer specific answers to help set up and advance new
information technology in small to medium size industrial enterprises. And
he described the first instruments at their disposal.
Full text of the speech.
9 September 1997 : a mission on electronic commerce given to Francis
Lorentz who must submit his conclusions before the end of November.
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