An EU workshop on benchmarking local and regional strategies for assisting SMEs to 'go digital' will take place in Brussels on 21 and 22 January 2002.

The Committee of the regions and the European Commission are sponsoring the workshop, which will examine key strategies and actions that governments, regional and local authorities have launched in order to help SMEs increase their use of information and communication technologies.

The event aims to:

- present a wide-ranging picture of current policy initiatives in support of e-business for SMEs in Member States;

- present the suggested analytical framework and benchmark indicators to benchmark such policy initiatives;

- invite all participants to assist in completing the picture of main e-business policies for SMEs by providing information about the main regional/local activities in their area.

National, regional and local e-business policy makers, SME associations, academics, policy analysts and experts from international organisations will participate in the workshop.