Introduction
The aim of the conference was to disseminate the results of the European Union's (EU) RTD Telematics Application Programme (TAP) and related research programmes. Combined with a number of Central and Eastern European (CEE) case studies and a small exhibition, the conference:
- Raised awareness to the Telematics Applications Programme (TAP);
- Presented the results of good-practice Telematics research and demonstartion projects in the fields of Environment and Transport;
- Discussed the needs in CEE for Telematics related technologies and the problems associated with their implementation;
- Facilitated participation of CEE countries in future Information Society Technology (IST) programmes
In the longer term, the conference expects to facilitate the uptake of Telematics related applications in CEE, thereby raising the standard of information related activities and assisting the countries of the region become part of the broader "European Information Society."
Target Audience
- Local and municipal authorities
- Senior decisionmakers
- Research institutes and environmental authorities
- Industry and business
- Consultants
- International organisations
DETERMINE what?
In 1998/99 the European Union will launch the 5th Research and Technical Development Framework Programme (RTD-FP 1998-2002) which will provide further opportunities for the participation of CEE countries. In the previous FP, some 898m ECU were made available for projects in the Telematics Application Programme (TAP) field, with 21m ECU assigned for the environment. The 5th FP expects to see the funding for environment-related research significantly increased, and thus, through the Information Society Programme with its action on environment, will serve as an important funding source for future related Telematics-type projects. This conference will serve as an opportunity to DETERMINE the needs of CEE and EU stakeholders in terms of future environmental TAP projects as well as to present the results of existing EU Telematics projects. The conference language will be English.
Conference Proceedings
All papers presented at this conference, the two panel discussions and the political sessions can be found under the Final Conference Programme. A full Participants List giving contact information to some 140 persons involved in the European Telematics field is also included.
The Szentendre Statement
Sealing the success of the meeting was the approval of the 'Szentendre Statement' by all represented CEE countries, a non-binding political declaration that seeks to encourage closer collaboration between CEE Environment and Research Ministries, and the European Commission. Under the aegis of the EU's forthcoming Fifth Framework Programme this can begin to be achieved. The organizers of the Determine conference, in particular the Regional Environmental Center through its network of representatives and activities in Central and Eastern Europe, would like to stress its readiness to serve as a forum for the exchange of experiences and as a facilitator for this cooperation in the future. In the long term, this open dialogue will help to seal the success of the Determine conference.
REC * PROGRAMS * TELEMATICS * DETERMINE
