Officials Host EU Discussion

About 15 people attended the forum, which will be continued at N.C. State University today. The forum's sponsors included the N.C. European Union Center, the N.C. World Trade Center and the Kenan Institute.

Ruth Mitchell-Pitts, UNC associate director of the European Union Center, said the center is one of 10 funded by the European Commission in the United States.

She said the center aims to educate the community about the European Union.

Michael Niebel, information society directorate-general of the European Commission, said with the increasing presence of the Internet, it is important to address security and trade issues concerning commerce before problems arise.

He said E-Europe, a current plan to address these issues in the 15-member European Union, will help "create an all-inclusive information society."

Niebel added that while the European Union had an advantage with mobile communications, the overall skills gap, or "digital divide," in Europe was a problem that needed to addressed.

But he remained optimistic about improving Internet skills for Europeans to utilize more of the work force in the changing economy.

"(Over time) the skills gap will decrease," he said.

Matthew King, a member of the European Commission delegation in Washington, D.C., said the European Union wishes to emulate the technological advances of the United States.

He said the obvious shift from manufacturing to the service industry is continuing in the nations of the European Union and that the Internet is an integral part of that shift. "The Internet is a domestic phenomenon as well as a global one."

King said two main goals of the European Union are to improve telecommunications and financial markets to better compete with the United State economically.

"We're not political competitors, but we are economic competitors," he said.

He added that one challenge of American and European leaders is to create a model for handling taxation for goods shipped between nations via the Internet.

"We have different legislative traditions," he said.

"There is no one solution that is right or correct. Negotiating our way out of a lot of these disputes is the way forward."

The forum also addressed personal security issues, which have gained prominence due to the expansion of commerce over the Internet.

Niebel said smart cards, which contain abundant personal information, have been used in the health sector of Europe.

He added that personal responsibility and security is crucial in computer network issues.

"This is something we are discussing in the context of global security issues," Niebel said.

Mitchell-Pitts said the thought of personal information floating freely through smart cards is a major concern.

"How much of your personal data can be swapped around?" she said.

"These are issues I'd like to address."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.