Last year only 5 per cent of European schools had access to an electronic schools network or to the Internet, according to a report on education and training prepared for the Union for Europe meetings in Galway.
However, many EU schools are working on schemes to connect themselves to communication networks, train teachers and develop software for the classroom.
In France, schools belonging to 13 academies are due to be connected using the RENATER research network.
In Italy, a task force has been set up to plan to equip 20 per cent of primary schools and 30 per cent of secondary schools with multimedia equipment and software by 2005.
In Denmark and Finland, the education authorities plan to connect all schools to information networks by the end of this century.
A forthcoming bill in Sweden will make the use of new technologies compulsory in the basic training of teachers.
However, any similar initiatives here may be curtailed by the ending of the current round of structural funding in 1999. Ireland's "Objective One" status is unlikely to continue beyond 1999, although some regions may continue to enjoy it if a sufficiently strong case is made for them.
The EU supports vocational training through the European Social Fund, which is worth £1.6 billion to the State between 1994 and 1999. The ESF plays a crucial role in creating opportunities for people who are entering the labour market.
The Department of Education's allocation of ESF funds amounts to £730 million, which is used to support investment in secondary and third-level education. FAS has been allocated £428 million in ESF funds to support training in industry, programmes for the long-term unemployed and other schemes.
Will these agencies be able to carry out the large-scale investments needed to fully avail of the technological revolution once the EU gravy train grinds to a halt in 1999? The issue has scarcely been debated.