Unlocking the ICT growth potential in Europe : enabling people and businesses : using scenarios to build a new narrative for the role of ICT in growth in Europe : final background report

The Main Report identifies four scenarios which show that ICT can be a major source of growth for the EU. In particular, if global growth would resume and the single market was deepened, ICT could bring more than half of GDP growth. Also, unrestrained use of ICT across the single market could mitigate the consequences on the EU of possible decelerating global growth. The Report outlines the policy measures needed for realising this growth potential. It calls on the EU to act urgently so that it is ready to drive the new wave (cloud computing, big data, Internet of Things ...). It stresses that current supply-focussed policies should be strongly complemented by policies that promote the demand and thus the use of ICT in order to empower users, both individuals and businesses, to leverage economies of scale and scope in the single market and secure Europe's competitiveness. The Background Report contains a review of expert opinions and of literature on the macroeconomic and employment effects of ICT. It discusses the importance of investments in intangible assets and of considering spill-over and network effects of ICT. It also highlights the role of the public sector in leading by example. A stand-alone Executive Summary is also available.