Liikanen to launch e-Europe campaign for 2000

Erkki Liikanen, European Commissioner for Innovation, will next year launch a framework for an electronic Europe.

His e-Europe project will set up a three-fold strategy for creating an information society.

Speaking to delegates at last week's "Entrepreneurial Europe" conference, hosted by the Centre for European Reform, Liikanen said: "We need more entrepreneurship, more innovation and a better developed market for risk capital."

Liikanen said it's ridiculous that it takes, on average, ten days and 500 euros to set up a company in the US, but eleven weeks and 1,600 euros in Europe.

The Commissioner hopes to give full details on his strategy at the Lisbon Summit in March.