|
Report
on
the
CSTI
plenary
working
meeting,
28
October
2004 The
Prime
Minister,
Mr
Jean-Pierre
Raffarin,
called
this
meeting
of
the
Strategic
Advisory
Board
on
Information
Technologies
(CSTI)
at
Hôtel
Matignon
The
purpose
of
these
minutes
is
not
to
give
the
complete
text
of
the
proceedings
but
to
describe
the
discussions
sparked
by
this
debate
and
their
conclusions.
The
following
members
attended
the
Board
meeting
:
Mr
Jean
François
Abramatic;
Mr
Thierry
Breton;
Mr
Patrick
Cocquet;
Mr
Jean
Pierre
Corniou;
Mr
Michel
Dahan;
Mr
Michel
Didier;
Mr
Claude
Guéguen;
Mr
Yves
Guillemot;
Mrs
Simone
Halberstadt
Harari;
Mr
Jean
Charles
Hourcade;
Mr
Gilles
Kahn;
Mr
Patrick
Le
Lay;
Mr
André
Lévy
Lang;
Mr
Philippe
Lemoine;
Mr
Jean
Bernard
Lévy;
Mrs
Colette
Lewiner;
Mr
Joël
Monnier;
Mr
Jean
Mounet;
Mrs
Isabelle
Parize;
Mr
Gilles
Pélisson;
Mr
François
Henri
Pinault;
Mr
Denis
Ranque;
Mr
Gérard
Roucairol;
Mr
Claude
Satinet. The
following
members
were
excused
:
Mr
Alain
Bravo;
Mr
Daniel
Kaplan;
Mr
Arnaud
Lagardère;
Mr
Grégoire
Olivier;
Mr
Jacques
Stern;
Mr
Serge
Tchuruk.
THE
PLENARY
WORKING
MEETING Welcome
by
the
Prime
Minister,
Mr
Jean-Pierre
Raffarin The
CSTI
has
been
given
a new
life
and
a new
momentum,
and
needs
to
be
a forum
for
the
identification
of
new
growth
paths,
nourished,
supported
and
forwarded
by
the
ICTs. The
ICTs
are
a decisive
engine
of
economic
growth
and
competitiveness.
The
idea
is
not
just
to
improve
the
performance
of
the
French
ICT
sector
but
also
to
use
ICTs
to
boost
the
performance
of
our
entire
economy
and
our
entire
business
community. We
need
to
rediscover
which
resources
will
allow
our
country
to
make
the
most
of
its
strengths
in
the
international
arena
and
to
use
growth
better
and
faster
than
others.
These
resources
include
dissemination
of
ICTs
in
the
French
business
community
and
French
society
in
general
and
increased
research
and
innovation
in
this
area.
In
today's
knowledge
society,
today's
intelligence
economy,
it
is
our
responsibility
to
make
the
most
of
information
technologies. The
CSTI
needs
to
present
the
government
with
proposals
reflecting
analysis
of
the
coherence
of
the
government's
general
efforts
in
favour
of
the
information
society,
the
challenges
facing
the
information
society,
the
quality
of
its
architecture,
its
strengths
and
weaknesses
and
the
relevance
of
its
priorities. The
CSTI
must
also
evaluate
the
French
ICT
position
in
the
global
economy.
Special
attention
should
be
paid
to
the
conditions
on
which
French
businesses
and
public
institutions
apply
information
technologies
to
improve
productivity
and
competitiveness,
compared
with
the
initiatives
taken
by
their
chief
rivals
in
the
international
arena. Lastly,
the
CSTI
needs
to
look
closely
into
the
situation
of
IT
manufacturers,
including
their
economic
performance,
and
examine
the
need
to
continue
developing
high
value-added
technologies
in
France,
which
are
and
will
remain
of
critical
importance
for
our
economic
efficiency.
The
Prime
Minister
assigned
the
CSTI
the
following
five
priority
themes
for
analysis: -
the
contribution
of
ICTs
to
competitiveness;
-
access
to
new
usages
for
private
citizens;
- research
and
innovation
in
the
area
of
ICTs;
-
international
competitiveness
of
ICT
businesses;
-
development
of
ICT
related
training
programmes.
Address
by
Mr
Jean-Michel
Hubert,
Deputy
Chairman
Our
work
needs
to
be
organised
in
such
a way
as
to: -
ensure
that
the
RESO
2007
plan
continues
to
be
implemented
and
comes
onstream
efficiently;
- factor
known
and
potential
ICT
issues
into
the
concerted
actions
taken
by
the
authorities
and
the
economic
players.
1
- A
FORUM
FOR
DISCUSSION
BETWEEN
THE
GOVERNMENT
AND
THE
MARKET:
The
CSTI
needs
to
be:
Able
to
respond
rapidly
because,
while
the
actual
time
needed
to
implement
new
technologies
is
sometimes
longer
than
expected,
the
competitive
environment
may
nevertheless
demand
the
rapid
adoption
of
positions
to
create
or
preserve
a future
market. Open
because
the
diversity
of
competencies
- and
therefore
most
likely
of
positions
- gathered
around
this
table
is
a source
of
exceptional
value
added
which
will
be
enriched
by
sharing. The
foremost
task
of
the
CSTI
is
not
to
draft
sophisticated
reports
aimed
at
impossible
and
even
unnecessary
unanimity
but
to
send
out
simple
and
strong
signals
about
France's
position
in
Europe
and
the
rest
of
the
world,
particularly
as
regards
the
pace
of
economic
modernisation
and
the
penetration
of
the
information
society
and
therefore
the
place
of
ICTs
in
growth
and
employment.
In
short,
what
is
required
is
a clear
analysis
of
ways
to
reduce
weaknesses
and
to
build
strengths. Coordinated
action
to
promote
ambitious
international
strategies
- primarily
with
and
for
Europe
- requires
a common
vision
on
the
part
of
the
public
authorities
and
economic
players.
Many
institutions
are
conducting
in-depth
high-quality
studies
of
particular
aspects.
Because
of
its
position
and
membership,
the
CSTI
should
not
be
an
"additional
structure"
commissioning
reports
about
isolated
aspects
but
propose
terms
of
reference
for
coordinated
overall
action.
Direct
discussion
will
be
the
key
to
sharing
viewpoints
and
to
providing
an
efficient,
confidence-inspiring
approach. 2
- BUT
ALSO
A PLACE
FOR
SHARED
STRATEGIC
REFLECTION The
Board
members
need
to
be
personally
involved,
not
just
because
the
texts
say
so
but
because
this
is
the
only
way
to
get
to
grips
with
the
body
of
ideas,
expectations
and
structuring
choices
which
will
ensure
the
growth
of
your
companies
and
the
competitiveness
of
the
economy.
Thus,
we
could
focus
on
measurement
of
the
degree
in
which
businesses
and
private
citizens
assume
ownership
of
technologies
and
services
and
on
the
position
of
innovation,
its
role
as
an
engine
of
growth,
its
level,
its
effectiveness.
In
fact,
in
the
area
of
ICTs,
innovation
is
the
key
to
economic
effectiveness
since
innovation
embraces
industrial
research
and
development
activities
and
future
market
needs. The
CSTI
cannot
reasonably
be
expected
to
work
only
at
plenary
meetings.
The
purpose
of
plenary
meetings
is
to
adopt
positions
expressed
by
the
members.
Reflection
and
analysis
will
mostly
have
to
take
place
at
smaller
meetings
on
predetermined
issues.
Discussion
can
be
freer
and
more
direct
at
such
encounters,
which
should
probably
be
organised
as
part
of
government
response
to
the
CSTI's
proposals
- i.e.
as
part
of
an
interactive
dialogue.
*
*
*
TOPICS -
Theme
A «
The
international
competitiveness
of
businesses
in
the
ICT
sector
»
- Theme
B «
Research
and
innovation
»
- Theme
C «
Contribution
of
ICTs
to
competitiveness
»
-
Theme
D «
Private
citizens:
access
to
new
usages
»
-
Theme
E
«
Development
of
training
programmes
»
Theme
A :
«
The
international
competitiveness
of
businesses
in
the
ICT
sector
»
The
participants
stressed
the
following
points: -
Volume:
Sales
in
the
ICT
sector
consists
for
70%
of
services
and
for
30%
of
hardware.
This
sector
accounts
for
5%
of
French
GDP,
compared
with
8%
for
the
United
States.
In
this
total,
French
manufacturing
output
is
half
that
of
the
United
States.
Its
weight
continues
to
drop
in
France
and
to
increase
in
the
United
States; -
Exports
and
international
trade:
World
trade
in
ICT
hardware
has
increased
three-fold
in
ten
years.
The
US
and
the
EU
hold
stable
shares
in
trade
while
the
Japanese
share
is
declining.
Within
the
European
Union,
the
shares
of
Sweden
and
Finland
have
increased
while
those
of
the
United
Kingdom,
Germany
and
France
have
decreased.
The
share
of
the
French
export
market
is
half
that
of
Great
Britain
or
Germany. -
Competitiveness:
The
"double
risk
of
losing
twice"
has
been
mentioned,
i.e.
the
risk
of
losing
competitiveness
due
to
high
costs
(labour
and
indirect
costs)
and
the
risk
of
losing
ground
through
lack
of
innovation
and
slow
response.
In
France,
ICT
R&D
accounts
for
6%
of
the
value
added
of
ICTs,
which
is
slightly
above
the
EU
average
but
30%
below
the
US
figure.
Some
countries
and
regions,
such
as
the
United
States,
Scandinavia,
Asia
and
Ireland,
have
managed
to
improve
productivity,
albeit
in
different
ways.
While
the
United
States
and
Scandinavia
have
adopted
a differentiative
positioning,
Asia
has
opted
for
low
costs
and
inexpensive
labour
and
Ireland
has
chosen
tax
incentives.
Recently,
productivity
gains
have
surged
in
France.
This
improvement
is
not
only
driven
by
costs. -
The
concept
of
economic
competitiveness
needs
to
be
made
an
integral
part
of
the
strategic
objective:
mastery
of
ICTs
goes
well
beyond
commercial
issues.
It
affects
Europe's
independence.
ICTs
are
a strategic
national
resource.
They
have
invaded
the
defence
sector
as
well
as
the
civilian
world.
Nevertheless,
few
people
are
sufficiently
aware
of
this.
Today,
civilian
ICT
applications
are
driving
the
market
for
military
ICTs
and
civilian
security
ICTs.
ICTs
are
making
businesses
more
vulnerable
and
boosting
opportunities
to
siphon
off
information.
The
defence
sector
is
not
yet
sufficiently
aware
of
the
importance
of
networking
the
available
capacities.
Defence-oriented
ICTs
are
organised
at
State
level.
However,
the
two
strategic
aspects
of
ICTs
(competitiveness
and
defence)
are
not
organised.
The
State
needs
to
improve
the
coordination
between
these
two
complementary
aspects.
Theme
B :
«
Research
and
innovation
»
-
This
theme
raises
such
questions
as
the
organisation,
protection
and
structuring
of
the
information
sphere.
In
this
respect,
the
specialisation
("pure
players")
of
companies
at
the
end
of
the
20th
century
was
a failure.
Today,
we
must
be
able
to
backtrack
and
to
use
the
available
tools: a)
The
idea
is
not
to
specialise
but
to
have
large
broadline
groups;
b)
All
major
innovations
are
driven
by
and
born
in
the
shadow
of
large
corporations.
We
therefore
need
sound,
global
companies,
European
champions,
which
will
strengthen
the
fabric
of
SMEs;
c)
The
reference
for
engineers
and
scientists
is
the
system
used
in
the
United
States.
Asia
gets
trained
in
the
United
States
and
there
are
fewer
students
in
France's
Classes
préparatoires
(preparatory
courses)
and
Grandes
Ecoles,
especially
of
engineering;
d)
Standards:
the
internet,
Minitel
and
GSM
were
born
in
France.
We
need
the
capacity
to
create
"the
right
standards";
e)
The
digital
divide
needs
to
be
tackled
head-on. -
ITC
R&D
accounts
for
0.3
point
of
GDP
in
France,
compared
with
0.7
for
the
United
States
and
0.6
for
Japan.
ICT
R&D
is
USD
28
billion
higher
in
the
United
States
than
in
the
European
Union.
The
difference
is
smaller
in
other
sectors,
such
as
pharmaceuticals,
chemicals
and
so
on.
In
other
words,
sector-specific
measures
are
required.
It
is
necessary
to
highlight
the
rising
spiral
sparked
by
R&D
for
the
industry.
As
regards
ICT
R&D,
such
initiatives
as
Eureka
- whose
effectiveness
is
acknowledged
by
all
industrial
players
- need
to
be
strengthened.
It
is
essential
to
restore
the
situation.
This
issue
needs
to
be
analysed
by
the
think
tank
constituted
by
the
CSTI. -
France's
scientific
level
is
very
high
and
recognised
as
such.
We
need
to
reflect
on
what
our
main
economic
activity
will
be
in
30
years.
R&D,
which
is
underpinned
by
quality
training
and
creativeness,
will
necessarily
become
increasingly
important
for
such
a small
developed
country
as
France,
particularly
in
the
light
of
China's
development.
It
is
legitimate
to
give
the
public
research
sector
not
only
the
mission
to
maintain
a very
high
level
of
scientific
competence
but
also
to
attract
industrial
R&D
centres
to
our
country. Theme
C :
«
Contribution
of
ICTs
to
competitiveness
»
-
The
industrial
sector
is
lagging
far
behind
in
the
use
of
ICTs,
especially
as
regards
trade,
of
which
there
is
least. -
The
e-administration
has
a significant
spillover
effect.
However,
it
is
necessary
to
pay
attention
to
the
real
cost
of
changes
for
the
business
community:
the
real
focus
is
the
market
and
adaptations
to
the
market. -
Financial
aspects
of
ICT
sector
:
The
French
financial
sector
has
always
been
very
active
in
the
IT
segment.
The
demand
exists.
We
have
a supply
problem,
not
so
much
with
large
corporations
as
with
SMEs.
This
is
a genuinely
weak
area.
France
inter
alia
lacks
two
to
five
thousand
business
angels.
While
there
are
many
venture
capitalists
and
seed
capital
companies,
there
is
problem
with
investments
from
€
1 million
on
up.
We
lack
repeat
entrepreneurs,
i.e.
people
or
entities
who
reinvest
in
other
ventures
once
their
own
company
succeeds.
This
accounts
for
about
half
of
the
estimated
lack
of
two
to
five
thousand
business
angels.
Theme
D :
«
Private
citizens:
access
to
new
usages
»
Some
aspects
of
this
multiform
issue:
-
Sales
of
plasma
screens
are
soaring
by
400
to
500%
p.a.
However,
the
interoperability
of
platforms
remains
an
open
question;
-
Young
people
have
learning
possibilities
but
training
efforts
need
to
be
maintained.
This
does
not
just
concern
the
degree
to
which
schools
are
equipped
but
also
and
especially
the
use
of
such
equipment
during
courses.
-
One
of
the
objectives
which
has
not
yet
been
achieved
is
to
arrange
for
the
exchange
of
contents
on
separate,
interoperable
media;
-
User
friendliness
is
improving
on
the
back
of
"convergence";
mobile
technologies
and
roaming
uses
in
particular
will
increase
personal
freedom;
-
The
consumer
is
destabilised
vis-à-vis
ICTs:
proprietary
purchases
are
dramatic
since
captive
options
keep
the
market
limited;
-
The
abstract
concept
of
"convergence"
should
permit
easy
mobility;
-
Technologically,
the
16/9th
format
is
already
available
for
television
receivers
but
does
not
match
the
actual
broadcasting
format:
the
pictures
on
these
new
sets
are
shortened.
The
four
major
US
channels
are
broadcast
in
high-definition
format,
as
are
the
Japanese
and
Korean
channels.
Significant
quality
improvements
remain
to
be
made.
There
is
an
abundance
of
resources:
many
programmes
and
distribution
networks,
many
different
terminals.
This
makes
it
necessary
to
consider
the
order
to
be
brought
into
the
system.
Mobility
should
not
result
in
a loss
of
quality.
The
scope
of
possibilities
is
unprecedented.
Theme
E :
«
Development
of
training
programmes
»
-
ICTs
have
become
part
of
basic
education.
Now
we
need
to
go
beyond
PCs
and
look
at
contents
and
software.
Let's
not
say,
"use
a computer"
but
"use
a computer
and
software"; -
Vocational
training:
the
first
steps
have
been
taken
in
the
United
States,
but
French
software
players
can
only
gain
user
confidence
if
the
available
French
software
is
taken
into
account. -
French
engineering
schools
are
excellent
and
exceptional.
However,
universities
consider
software
a "demon".
Universities
need
to
train
their
professors
to
give
software
a positive
image; -
Universities
do
not
publish
enough
information
on
the
internet.
They
need
to
put
more
information
on
line
and
their
sites
need
to
be
better
organised.
The
main
shortcoming
is
lack
of
dissemination
of
information; -
To
reconcile
the
three
stakeholders
(teachers,
students
and
employers)
in
the
business
community,
the
following
proposals
were
made:
a)
conduct
practical
research
during
training,
in
collaboration
with
businesses
and
targeted
at
precise
results;
b)
conduct
more
applied
research
with
a specific
commercial
purpose;
c)
organise
overall
access
to
research;
d)
develop
sector-specific
training
geared
to
the
companies
in
question. *
*
*
Address
by
Mr
Patrick
Devedjian,
Minister
Delegate
for
Industry
The
ICTs
are
an
integral
part
of
the
economy.
They
have
ushered
in
a new
industrial
revolution.
This
is
visible
in
productivity:
increased
use
of
ICTs
equals
improved
productivity. We
need
an
industrial
policy
(a
term
which
has
been
rehabilitated,
also
in
Brussels)
which
factors
in
the
particularities
of
ICTs. Adaptation
and
government
action: -
as
regards
training
for
engineers,
we
need
to
deal
with
the
dispersal
of
training
programmes,
the
lack
of
training
possibilities,
the
unattractive
image
of
industrial
training; -
as
regards
the
ICT
industry,
the
CSTI's
forecasting
efforts
will
be
important
for
marketing
purposes:
targeting
technologies
in
the
light
of
demand.
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