European Parliament wants all households online by 2013

The European Parliament wants broadband access and training for every citizen

The European Parliament has called for every household in the European Union to have access to broadband by 2013, and to be trained to use the technology to make the most of the "digital society".

The resolution, adopted by the Parliament yesterday, said that 50 per cent of households should be connected to very high-speed networks by 2015, and all homes by 2020.

European citizens, especially "disadvantaged members of the population" such as the elderly, the disabled and those on low incomes, should be given training to get the most from the internet.

"ICT training and e-learning should become an integral part of lifelong learning activities, enabling better and accessible education and training programmes," the resolution said.

The EU called on the European Commission to develop "a proposal for an ambitious digital agenda and action plan enabling Europe to progress towards an open and prosperous digital society".

A clear legal framework needs to be introduced to ensure "a fair balance between right-holders' rights and the general public's access to content and knowledge", while digital security is mentioned as a prime concern.

The Parliament also emphasised the need for the EU to maintain its position as the world's "mobile continent" in order to remove any barriers to cross-border online trade.