{"id":1129,"date":"2015-07-29T08:34:58","date_gmt":"2015-07-29T15:34:58","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-04-24T08:11:09","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T15:11:09","slug":"digital-growth-a-strong-economic-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cm-edgetun.pages.dev\/en-us\/industry\/blog\/government\/2015\/07\/29\/digital-growth-a-strong-economic-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital growth = a strong economic future"},"content":{"rendered":"

The European Union (EU) has set several ambitious goals as it works to create a \u201csmart, sustainable, and inclusive economy\u201d by the year 2020. Known as the\u00a0European Union 2020 Strategy<\/a>, these targets include everything from higher employment to greater social inclusion to reduced greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n

With the second funding period for the EU 2020 having recently begun, the EU\u2019s 28 member countries are prioritizing their focus areas and applying for funding to meet their targets. To date, the majority of projects have centered on creating a more modern physical infrastructure. Yet if the EU is to achieve its goal of becoming \u201cthe most dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy in the world,\u201d it\u2019s critical that EU countries consider their technological infrastructures alongside their physical ones.<\/p>\n

Yes, better bridges, schools, hospitals, and other physical improvements are important to a thriving EU. But so, too, is a strong technological foundation. By developing advanced IT infrastructures and services, EU countries can promote social inclusion and equal access to education. They can lay the foundation for more employment opportunities that support a thriving economy. And they can foster a more competitive Europe that responds with agility to the twenty-first-century challenges it faces.<\/p>\n

Indeed, a digital single market<\/a> is at the heart of the EU\u2019s 2020 strategy, and many EU countries have been working to improve their technological infrastructures. Consider the following examples:<\/p>\n