EUROCITIES Economic Development Forum Cities’ approaches to eInclusion Tallinn, 8th October 2009

Strategic framework for action European Union Riga Ministerial Declaration (adopted in June 2006); The current financial crisis and globalization urge cities to stay vibrant, delivering services to citizens and driving economic development; Social exclusion and digital exclusion overlap and must be considered jointly; European Commission started discussions on Territorial Cohesion: There are factors specific to eInclusion, like access to services and telecom infrastructure.

Specific situation within cities In EU member states citizens are receiving approx. 75% of overall public services from local municipalities; Approximately 80 % of European citizens live in cities; Cities are motors of economic, cultural and social development, but also experience condensed and intensive forms of exclusion and fragmentation and face extremely high demands of service delivery. Cities are considered territories – But districts within cities are also territories

It is important… that European Institutions and governments recognize the special role that cities play on the delivery of services - involvement of cities in the European e-Inclusion strategy is crucial; that target groups to be addressed and supported are clearly identified; that solutions are citizen-centred; that the “social network” (e.g. neighbourhood organisations, NGO’s) is included when developing content and defining objectives; to have an integrated understanding of social exclusion and digital exclusion.

Public services triangle Citizens – Municipality - State State Offices 25% Local Offices, Municipalities Population Register, Land Cadastre, State digital map, etc. 75% Examples – City Land Register City Building Register, etc.

Social eInclusion projects in Estonia and in Tallinn City 2009, Wifi areas in Estonia: 1153 (488 in 2005) WiFi covered areas in Estonia; 359 in Tallinn, (213 in 2005), incl 65 (7 in 2005) WiFi areas managed by Local Authority free of charge Source: www.wifi.ee

Tallinn City Public Libraries in general Tallinn City Central Library, incl.: 19 City district libraries; 100% connected to Internet; 15 of City district libraries are equipped with WiFi access free of charge.

Tallinn City Public Libraries fighting exclusion Regular training courses “50+” for elderly people free of charge; Activities for young and active people; Chat-service (answering to information request, etc.); Individual consulting on use of ICT; Public opinion polling about new eServices request; Library on Wheels – first bus-library started in spring 2008;

VIRTUAL ID ticket ID card Tallinn City ID-ticket in use Phone Mobile POPULATION REGISTRY Phone Mobile Internet Cash ID card ID CARD holder can buy VIRTUAL ID-ticket using: e-TICKETS INFORMATION VIRTUAL ID ticket Checking ID-tickets

Tallinn City ID-ticket – a success story ID-ticket is granting everybody flexible access to public transportation; Over 120 000 active ID tickets vs 400 000 registered citizens (September 2008); Over 70% of passengers use an ID ticket; Over 60% of public transport revenue comes from ID tickets.

Concluding remarks Cities know the target groups, because they work locally! Tallinn and other municipalities offer valuable experiences to share! They are important partners when developing integrated approaches on national and European level!

Thank you for attention! Think Globally, act Locally! Thank you for attention!