Internet usage at all time high across EU

12.00.00am GMT Sat 2nd Dec 2000

The European Commission has released figures showing a huge rise in the number of people using the Internet across the EU.

One year on from the launch of eEurope, a plan created in December 1999 aiming to create a digitally literate Europe, with consumer confidence and social inclusiveness at the forefront, Internet usage has grown at a phenomenal rate.

A rise of 55% in the last six months is a sign of how Europe is becoming increasingly wired up to new technologies and means of communicating, according to Diana Wallis MEP.

"These figures are very encouraging," she commented, "but there is still much to be done.

"28 percent of EU households are hooked up to the Internet, but that leaves over two thirds that are not.

"Although progress has been rapid, we must not lose sight of the fact that many people find access to the Internet an expensive business; the digital era must not be a divisive force."