Trans-European networks (TENs) are a key theme in the process of integration for the EU as it enters the next millennium. The attainment of these networks stretches across many different areas of European policy and economy. The development of TENs is about establishing a series of infrastructure networks that complement the broad changes in the European economy facilitated by the development of the Single European Market. The book examines the development of TENs in the three key sectors: transport, energy and telecommunications, noting key themes and issues that need to be faced in their attainment. Attention is also paid to common problems in their realisation most notably the financing problems. The EU's strategy to develop these networks is essentially market-led yet, as the financing issues indicate, a consensus between the states in allowing commercial investment in infrastructure is proving elusive.

This study gives an overview of the powers of local and regional authorities in the EU in the following policy areas: education and youth issues; culture, public health, trans-European networks and regional policy. It highlights the diversity of EU local and regional bodies and also looks at the national and regional variations in policy implementation.

This book provides an overview of the current state of discussion from different perspectives. It starts with the European view. Representatives of the CEC present the political strategies and objectives of the IV Framework Programme regarding education and training supported by technology and telematics. International experts join the discussion, specifying political, cultural, sociological, psychological and market factors which determine the success of the implementation of new learning environments. How should learning systems be developed and evaluated: this question is tackled in the following section. Specific project desciptions show how the involvement of different user groups has been achieved: home learners, small and medium-sized enterprises, large companies, secondary and tertiary education. The perspective then shifts to the different components of learning systems: the management of virtual space, the economical production of learning material, the use of simulation... A more technology-oriented section discussing questions of different technologies and standards concludes the publication.