Mr Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission, will today announce an ambitious drive to hook every EU citizen up to the Internet as quickly as possible and increase the growth of electronic commerce.

Mr Prodi believes Europe is not fully exploiting the potential of the information society and not moving fast enough into the digital age. He is spearheading the e-Europe initiative - a project he claims is on a par with the introduction of the euro and the creation of the single market.

The initiative includes a 10-point action plan. This will include measures to reduce the charge for local phone calls and the cost of internet access.

The proposals aim to provide fast Internet access for students, Internet connections for the disabled, healthcare online as well as risk capital for hi-tech small businesses and smart cards for secure electronic access.