Global Information Network for SMEs/How to participate

The G-7 Information Society Pilot Project
"A Global Marketplace for SMEs"
Objectives and Framework for Action

CONTENTS

Introduction to this Document

Theme 1:Global Information Network for SMEs
Theme 2:SME Requirements - Legal, Institutional and Technical
Theme 3:International Testbeds for Electronic Commerce

Structure for Coordination

Participation

Annex I. Theme 1: Action Plan
Annex II. Theme 2: Action Plan
Annex III. Theme 3: Action Plan

I. Introduction to this Document

This document defines the objectives and framework for action of the G-7 Information Society Pilot Project "A Global Marketplace for SMEs". It provides the overall context for the individual component activities.If particular component activities require specific agreements between the participants these are the responsibility of the participants in the activities themselves.
However, no part of any such agreement may contradict any part of this document. Annexes I,II and III outline the component activities of the project, and will be revised from time to time as the project progresses.
Changes to any part of this document shall only be made with the consensus of the project's Policy Group (see V below).

II. Background

The G-7 members took the opportunity of the G-7 Ministerial Conference on the Information Society held in Brussels on 25 & 26 February 1995 to identify a number of international pilot projects whose aim is to demonstrate the potential of the Information Society and stimulate its development.
In this context, the G-7 members noted that small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) are the foundation of economic activity and the key to innovation and job creation, but observed that business opportunities for SMEs in the global marketplace are limited by a variety of factors, including difficulties in accessing appropriate information and integrating themselves in global trade.
Consequently, the G-7 members launched as one of the projects "A Global Marketplace for SMEs", whose overall objective is to facilitate increased competitiveness and participation in global trade for SMEs by exploiting the opportunities offered by the development of the Global Information Society.

III. Objectives

The overall objective is to facilitate increased competitiveness and participation in global trade for SMEs by exploiting the opportunities offered by the development of the Global Information Society.The first specific objective is to contribute to the development of a global electronic environment for the open and non-discriminatory exchange of information (e.g. data on technologies, products, human resources, etc.), overcoming obstacles of distance, time and country borders, for the benefit of SMEs.
The second specific objective is to expand global electronic commerce in order to enable enterprises to carry out their business operations/management more effectively and more profitably.

IV. Principles

Private Sector
The project must be driven by the explicit needs of SMEs, who should be consulted on all aspects.
Industry and organisations representing its interests should play the major role in defining and executing the project.

Public Authorities
Public authorities should address the legal and regulatory barriers to a global electronic marketplace, in the framework of an open competitive market.
Public authorities should play a catalytic role, and should promote the widespread awareness and use of electronic commerce by SMEs.
Any privacy or security issue that impacts law enforcement and national security must be addressed under the jurisdiction of the competent public authorities in each participating country.

Approach
Electronic commerce systems should be multi-lingual and respect the differing cultural backgrounds of users.
The project should take a pragmatic, step-by-step approach.
The project should build on existing activities and organisations, to the extent that this is possible.

Participation
The project should be open to participation by non-G-7 countries and international organisations.

V. Project Structure

Following a Preparatory Phase during 1995, the project's Implementation Phase spans the three years from 1996 to 1998.
The project is structured according to three themes:
(1) global information networkfor SMEs;(2) SME requirements - legal, institutional and technical and (3) international testbeds for electronic commerce.The Theme 2 activities will also provide a basis for focusing, prioritising and assessing the Theme 1 and 3 activities, so as to ensure that the project as a whole responds to the explicit needs of SMEs.
In addition they will provide the basis for coordinating the activities of the project as a whole with related non-project activities.

Theme 1: Global Information Network for SMEs

Objectives
In line with the first specific objective of the project, Theme 1 will contribute tothe development of an open non-discriminatory environment for enabling SMEs to accessthe information they need and disseminate information on their products, technologies, and so forth, using international information networks.

Theme 2: SME Requirements - Legal, Institutional and Technical

Objectives
In the context of the first specific project objective, "to contribute to the development of an open global marketplace for SMEs based on non-discriminatory access to information and electronic commerce", the specific objectives of Theme 2 are as follows.
- To ensure that the systemic issues associated with an open global marketplace for SMEs are addressed.In this context, the systemic issues span a broad range that includes:"globalisation" (e.g.identification, information services, multi-lingual and multi-cultural systems, etc.); "financial aspects" (e.g. contracts,billing, payment, taxation, accounting, etc.); "ownership" (e.g.intellectual property rights, copyright, etc.); privacy and security (including confidentiality, authentication, certification, etc.); interconnectivity & interoperability (including standards, etc.); and "deployment" (including awareness, promotion, best practice, education and training, etc.).
- To provide a framework based on the systemic issues that will ensure that the project as a whole responds to the explicit needs of SMEs.
Theme 2 is thus concerned with:
(1)identifying the issues and requirements that should be addressed by the project as a whole;
(2)determining the priorities for action;
(3)guiding the project's activities (in line with the above issues,requirements and priorities);
(4)launching actions relating to specific systemic issues;
(5)and assessing the results of the project's activities.

Theme 3: International Testbeds for Electronic Commerce

Objectives
In the context of the second specific objective of the project, "to expand global electronic commerce", the major objectives of Theme 3 are as follows.
- To promote awareness of the issues that must be addressed to realise a "Global Marketplace for SMEs" through global electronic commerce.
- To encourage the development of testbeds, pilot projects, and other cooperative ventures that evaluate/demonstrate approaches to addressing the issues.
- To publicise successful demonstrations of global electronic commerce involving SMEs.
Theme 3 will receive information and general guidance from Themes 1 and 2 and will attempt to identify or create testbeds and pilot projects for evaluating/demonstrating their recommendations.
Theme 3 is primarily concerned with evaluating/demonstrating technological approaches, but it also encompasses testbeds and pilot projects concerned with evaluating/demonstrating structures and processes addressing the legal and institutional issues.

VI. Structure for Coordination

(a) The European Commission, Japan and the USA are the Coordinators of the project. The three share equally the responsibility of overall project coordination.
(b) The project will be overseen by a group, termed the Policy Group,consisting of Representatives of each of the G-7 countries and the European Commission.
(c) The Secretariat for the Policy Group will be provided by the European Commission.
(d) The Policy Group will conduct its business using electronic means whenever possible.However, it will meet twice yearly during the project's Implementation Phase.
(e) Each Policy Group meeting (and any associated events) will be chaired and organised by the Coordinator that hosts the meeting. In the case that none of the coordinators hosts the meeting, the project coordinators will agree on the chair as appropriate.
(f) A Theme Coordinator will coordinate each of the project's three themes on behalf of the Policy Group. The Theme Coordinator for Theme 1 will be Japan, for Theme 2 the European Commission and for Theme 3 the USA.
(g) Three Regional Contact Points will be designated, one each by the European Commission, Japan and the USA. The Regional Contact Points will be responsible for providing any person or organisation outside the Policy Group with information on the project. The Regional Contact Points will be responsible for specific geographic regions: the European Commission for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the former Soviet Union; Japan for Asia and Australasia; and the USA for the Americas. The Regional Contact Points will also undertake actions to promote the project as a whole. Specific actions relating to each Theme or individual component activities will be the responsibility of the associated Theme oordinator or participants in the component activities themselves.
(h) Full contact details for the Coordinators, the Policy Group,the Secretariat, the Theme Coordinators and the Regional Contact Points will be accessible via the Global Information Network for SMEs (see Theme 1).

VII. Participation

General
(i) Individuals or organisations from any participating country or international organisation may participate in any activity during the Implementation Phase, provided that they are willing to abide by the project's objectives and framework for action defined in this document and any additional conditions specific to the activity.
(ii) Although the Policy Group consists only of the G-7 countries and the European Commission,individuals or organisations from any participating country or international organisation may be invited to participate in specific meetings of the Policy Group (or any associated events), with the consensus of the Policy Group.

Non-G-7 Countries and International Organisations
(i) Any country or international organisation may participate in the project, provided that they are willing to abide by the objectives and framework for action defined in this document.
(ii) Any country or international organisation that wishes to participate in the project shall inform the appropriate Regional Contact Point (see V above) and provide the contact details of a Representative, with whom the Policy Group and the other Representatives will liase. (This act is taken as "signing-up" to abide by the objectives and framework for action defined in this document.) The Regional Contact Point will inform the members of the Policy Group and the other Representatives of the new Representative.

Annex II. Theme 2: Action Plan

Implementation Plan

Introduction
On the basis of the Theme 2 objectives, the action plan has two components:one concerned with an ongoing dialogue on SME requirements and the other with specific actions to address particular systemic issues. The results of the dialogue will provide the framework for guiding and assessing the activities undertaken in the project as a whole.

SME Dialogue
The dialogue will be based on a set of fora involving SMEs (in general via representative organisations) and other key actors (in particular, information and communications systems and service providers, the financial sector, the legal sector, and public authorities). These fora are intended to identify the issues and requirements that should be addressed by the project as a whole,determine the priorities, and stimulatethe launch of, or launch directly,appropriate actions.Initially it is proposed to centre the fora on the tentative list of issues in the Theme 2 objectives.
(i) "Globalisation" (e.g. identification, information services, multi-lingual and multi-cultural systems, etc.)
(ii) "Financial Aspects" (e.g. contracts, billing, payment, taxation, accounting,etc.)
(iii) "Ownership" (e.g. intellectual property rights, copyright, etc.)
(iv) Privacy and Security (including confidentiality, authentication,certification, etc.)
(v) Interconnectivity and Interoperability (including standards, etc.)
(vi) "Deployment" (including awareness, promotion, best practice, education and training, etc.)At the end of each year a "Conference on the Global Marketplace for SMEs" will be organised to bring together the set of fora to report and coordinate in a plenary forum.To implement the action plan the following steps will be taken.
(a) Each participating country or international organisation will nominate a Theme 2 Local Coordinator responsible for the operational aspects of the Theme 2 activities and inform the European Commission, as the overall Theme 2 Coordinator.
(b) The Theme 2 Local Coordinators will form the Theme 2 Local Coordinators Group,chaired by the European Commission.The role of the Theme 2 Local Coordinators Group will be to (i) establish the individual fora and (ii) contribute to the organisation of the annual "Conference on the Global Marketplace for SMEs".
(c) The exact structure and modus operandi of each forum will be the concern of the forum itself.However, each forum will appoint a Chair, who will be responsible for coordinating the forum's activities with the other fora, through their Chairs and the Theme 2 Local Coordinators Group, and for the forum's participation in the annual "Conference on the Global Marketplace for SMEs".

Specific Action
According to the results of the dialogue, the fora will either stimulate or launch directlyspecific actions related to particular systemic issues. These include: raising the awareness and promoting the use of electronic commerce amongst both SMEs and other key actors; the development of solutions to particular systemic issues; the launch of testbeds and pilot projects;standardisation efforts in collaboration with the appropriate international organisations; or recommendations for political action in the context of the appropriate internateional fora.

Timetable
January '96 Theme 2 Local Coordinators nominated
Spring/ 1st Working Group Meetings
Summer '96
Dec. '96 1st Conference on the Global Marketplace for SMEs
Dec. '97 2nd Conference on the Global Marketplace for SMEs
Dec. '98 3rd Conference on the Global Marketplace for SMEs

Annex III. Theme 3: Action Plan

Implementation Plan

Selecting Testbeds
Testbeds will be selected according to the following criteria.
-The activity should address one (or more) of the issues identified in Theme 2.
-The activity should make a real contribution to the general understanding of how the issue (or issues) could be addressed and advance best practice.
-The activity may be based on a commercial product or research project when the activity addresses issues identified in Themes 1 and 2.
-The activity should be of international interest, and involve at least three countries (G-7 or non-G-7) or international organisations.
-The activity must involve SMEs (and any other of the key actors necessary, e.g.information and communications systems and service providers, the financial sector,the legal sector, and public authorities).
-There should be a commitment to funding, from either or both of the private or public sectors.
-Each testbed must commit to self publicity and information dissemination in appropriate fora (e.g. independent journals, conferences, workshops,newsgroups,e-mail, etc.).
-Overall, there should be a broad sectorial and Theme-2-issue coverage.The Policy Group will review the criteria and the list of testbeds on an ongoing basis.Testbeds will be selected according to the following process.
(i) Any group of at least three representatives from participating countries or international organisations may propose a testbed meeting the above criteria for inclusion in the list at any time. Proposals should be submitted to the USA, as Theme 3 Coordinator,who will distribute copies to the Policy Group. Proposals should contain the following information:
-Testbed name and participants
-Contact person(s)
-Description of the testbed activity, including:
-Theme 2 issues addressed and approach
-Expected results
Together with the proposal, each participant should submit a copy of this 'Objectives and Framework for Action' signed by a duly authorised person attesting that the activity will adhere to the objectives and principles setout herein.
(ii) If no objections are raised by any member of the Policy Group,the testbed will be included in the list.If objections are raised, by submitting them to the USA as Theme 3 Coordinator,they will be circulated amongst the Policy Group by the USA as Theme 3 Coordinator.The USA as Theme 3 Coordinator will establish a consensus.

Publishing the List of Testbeds
The USA, as the Theme 3 Coordinator, will maintain a public list of testbeds,which will include a short description of each. This list will be dynamic with testbeds being added (according to the selection process described above) or deleted (either at the request of the testbeds themselves or with the consensus of the Policy Group) on an ongoing basis. This list will be accessible from the Global Information Network for SMEs Home Page (see Theme 1).
Testbed descriptions should contain at least the following information:
-Testbed name and participants
-Contact person(s)
-Description of the testbed activity, including:
-Theme 2 issues addressed and approach
-Expected results
-Current status
-List of published material
Testbeds which offer solutions or highlight best practices, with respect to the Theme 2 issues, will also be promoted by the Theme 1 and Theme 2 Coordinators as appropriate.

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