Digital 2008

The DG Information Society and Media (DG Infso) of the European Commission (EC) and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) have launched a number of focused initiatives over the years aiming at strengthening S&T cooperation between Europe and the P.R. China in the ICT field. The “EU-China Cooperation on Digital Olympics” is one of these focused initiatives, this theme having been specifically listed in the Joint declaration of April 2002 (English / Chinese), considering that:

• The organisation of the 2008 Olympic Games is today one of the main drivers of Chinese developments in many fields, including the ICT field,

• The Chinese authorities are determined to develop a very demonstrative “Digital Olympics Programme” (or “High Tech Olympics”): download a synthesis of the “Digital Olympics Action Plan”.

A dedicated Working Group, the “EU-China Working Group on Digital Olympics”, was thus created by the European Commission and MOST at the end of 2002 to develop a general cooperation framework, issue recommendations, and initiate practical cooperation projects involving European and Chinese organisations.

This initiative has been developing quite satisfactorily, since it has been estimated at the end of 2005 (download a document assessing the detailed impact of this cooperation) that:

• Over 1000 delegates have been involved in the cooperation events organised in Europe and in China in the framework of this initiative,

• Over 130 presentations have been made during these events,

• 20 technical visits have been organised for European and Chinese organisations interested in the cooperation perspectives,

• 50 TV reporters or journalists have attended the press conferences, organised in China and focusing on this cooperation,

• The activities above have succeeded in encouraging the emergence of 130 cooperation initiatives.

We are happy to provide you below with an easy way to access the information produced these last years in the framework of the "EU-China Cooperation on Digital 2008".