Information Society Development Guidelines 2014-2020 (hereinafter referred to as “Guidelines”) are worked out in order to continue the current action policy in the field of information society development and determine the priorities of the ICT field for the EU Structural Funds planning period 2014-2020. The Guidelines are a medium term development planning document.
Information Society policy aim is to build a knowledge-based economy and to improve the quality of life, where everyone has the ability to use an information and communication technologies (ICT) and to use opportunities of the content to achieve this aim.
Implementing an information society, it is necessary to create for everyone equal opportunities to use ICT and e-Services, to reduce the digital gap (the difference) and to improve opportunities and quality of life for those citizens who do not use modern technology.
To introduce and to develop the information society, it is necessary to achieve several objectives:
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every Latvian citizen has the opportunities and skills to use ICT and available e-Services;
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citizens and business have access to rich variety of services and to content that will make life easier and will allow to develop fully;
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active use of ICT for innovations in business, creating value added growth.
Information Society is:
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An educated and a creative person – skills of citizens to use the new technology are essential to use opportunities offered by the information society and to promote a knowledge-based economic development. The information society development requires not only technological skills of population but also an information ability – skills to search and to find an information as well as turn it into a knowledge – the ability to convert a knowledge of newly created value;
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Merchants’ technological excellence and flexibility – an information society development contributes to an economic growth and a development offering new services and using new technology for the business innovation performance, as well as developing ICT as an industry itself;
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State and society development – the information society, especially the e-Government development directly affect improvements of the government service quality and accessibility, and promote an effective, an efficient, a democratic and a transparent governance work;
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Human welfare growth – the information society development provides for citizens an opportunity to improve the quality of life, having access to knowledge and cultural resources, as well as using e-health and distance learning services.