Developments in European information issues: Networks and relays – Services – Products, April 2000

Register of President Prodi's Mail goes live

On an initiative of Romano Prodi to promote openness and transparency, a web site has now gone live at http://europa.eu.int/comm/commissioners/prodi/mail_en.htm which provides a register of the President's incoming and outgoing mail. Information contained includes the date sent, name of sender and organisation, a registration number and the subject matter. At the moment it is simply presented in the form of a calendar of active dates. Clicking on a date displays a list of correspondence. However more sophisticated plans are in the pipeline. A database with search and sort functions is to be made available shortly, though meantime it is possible to use your browser's 'Find' function to do more than simply scan the contents. Within the rules governing right of access to documents it is possible to request specific items which will be supplied by post in their original language.

EU Interactive launched
LAWTEL's new service EU Interactive which incorporates the Spicer's Centre for Europe database is now available on the web. Because of the size of the database, it has been remodelled into 8 sections, soon to become 10 sections, to facilitate the targeting of specific types of information but it is possible to search globally also. As well as the search facilities, EU Interactive features a daily bulletin called EU Daily Update which can be customised to specify which databases should be included and how the information should be delivered. This can be online as a customised web page or by email in text or HTML format. The choice currently on offer is from Case Law from the Court of Justice and Court of First Instance; Advocate-General opinions; Articles Index giving abstracts from key legal journals; Adopted legislation with hyperlinks to Eur-Lex for the full text and to LAWTEL's Statutory Instrument's for implementing measures; Proposed legislation; Background information; Notices, such as state aid and tariff quota changes; and Commission reports. Coming shortly is a database of Merger decisions. Spicer's database is now no longer available through third party hosts, but only through direct subscription which may be with or without the UK implementation. The service also offers a document delivery service called EU Transcripts Express. Information is supplied by email, fax, DX or post and covers any EU document and recent articles from a selection of legal journals. The EU Information Centre provides a helpdesk and training. This service is another of the new generation of web-based products which makes extensive use of hyperlinks to the full text of documents available electronically and offers added value by simplifying and organising access to EU information. The synergy of the linking of Spicer's data - essentially abstracts - with LAWTEL's full text, combined with the alerting and document delivery service, should be a boon to legal professionals. For more information and a free trial visit the website at http://www.lawtel.co.uk/EUindexlog.htm/ or contact:
EU Interactive
St Giles House
50 Poland Street
London W1V 4AX
Tel: +44-(0)20-7970-4818
Fax: +44-(0)20-7970-4694
Email: enquiries@EUinteractive.com

Netd@ys Europe 2000

An invitation has gone out for participation in the Netd@ys Europe 2000 initiative, which seeks to promote the use of new media in education and culture. The invitation is open to all kinds of organisations able to demonstrate good use of online technology in teaching and learning. The Netd@ys week this year will run from 20 to 27 November 2000 and the successful projects will form part of a major awareness raising demonstration of how the Internet and new technologies can be of educational and cultural benefit. To participate, projects can be submitted at any time before the Netd@ys week and, provided they meet the aims of the initiative, they can be endorsed as 'Netd@ys 2000 Projects', thus gaining wider promotion. Proposals which seek a Community grant however have to be submitted by the deadline of 3rd May and in order to be eligible must meet a number of key criteria. Included amongst these is the requirement that the project will be undertaken by a co-operative network of partners from at least three different European countries.

The Netd@ys initiative was first launched in 1997 as part of the Commission's 'Learning in the Information Society' Action Plan. For Netd@ys 2000 the emphasis is on social inclusion and equal opportunities. Priority objectives are helping citizens to acquire the skills to enable them to participate in the information society, promoting access to education and culture for young people in isolated or disadvantaged circumstances, and encouraging participation from outside the EU, in particular from the Eastern European countries. The original scheme in 1997 involved 15,000 schools and 1,000 events. By 1999 there were 150,000 participating organisations and 1,300,624 labelled projects. Any guesses for 2000?

To find out more about the initiative and how to participate go to http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/netdays/index.html/. The Netd@ys 2000 website - obviously still under construction - will be at http://www.netdays2000.org/. It will develop over the course of the year culminating in the Netd@ys week in November.

R.Cade and Eurostat data

In the light of feedback from academic librarians, R.cade has recently revised its licence for academic libraries. Eurostat requires a full audit trail so the licence does still have quite tight restrictions but helpful explanatory notes are also being distributed which clarify the reasons for some of the clauses. A training document suitable for a one-hour introductory session for staff or students is also to be sent out shortly together with a new promotional flyer.

Later in the year R.cade hopes to launch a new service for the academic sector, giving access to a wider collection of datasets and streamlining end-user access. Options such as IP address or ATHENS passwords are being investigated. For more information about the service and data content currently available visit the R.cade website at http://www-rcade.dur.ac.uk/

CEDEFOP launches an electronic media newsletter

All those who have an interest in vocational training will want to know about the new newsletter launched in January by CEDEFOP's Electronic Media team. The first issue has been sent to all subscribers to CEDEFOP's Electronic Training Village at http://www.trainingvillage.gr/ and includes contributions on technology supported learning, helpful websites on vocational training for people with disabilities, new publications and forthcoming events. It also gives a useful pointer to national and European employment and training legislation and agreements at http://www.trainingvillage.gr/etv/SocialPartners/index.asp/. To receive the newsletter monthly free of charge in your e-mail box , simply subscribe by completing the form online at http://www.trainingvillage.gr/etv/newsletter/subscribeform.asp/