The conference V4DIS 2007 in Hradec Králové is over

04/04/2007, Hradec Králové, Česky

Simultaneously with the conference ISSS/LORIS 2007, which was held in the days of 2 and 3 April 2007 in Hradec Králové, there was also already for the fourth time held a meeting of the working groups of the Visegrád Four countries--V4DIS (Visegrad Four for Developing Information Society). Representatives of public administration as well as various initiatives and non-governmental organizations from the V4 countries discussed here further development of informisation in the Visegrád region, exchanged valuable experience and presented chosen solutions from their countries.

The meeting of this year Visegrád conference was opened by the President of Senate of CR Přemysl Sobotka, under whose personal auspices the event was held, the executive director of the International Visegrád Fund Kristof Forrai and the President of Vysočina Region Miloš Vystrčil. The crux of the programme lay mainly in two important themes--e-government and e-tourism. In both cases a significant role was played by the chosen "best practices" from each V4 country. Other steps and common activities in the area of development of e-government were discussed also in the wider European context, taking into account the Initiative i2010 or eGovernment Action Plan. In the course of discussions about the question of using ICT technologies in the area of tourism and promotion of separate destinations as well as the whole region there were presented also new Web pages of Visegrád group, which are created with cooperation of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of all four countries, same as European Quartet Pages which are aimed at common promotion of V4 countries as attractive tourism destination.

"Experience of the past few years shows that a prestigious conference event creates an ideal background for similar working meetings, such as V4DIS," says Tomáš Renčín, director of the ISSS/LORIS conference. "The participants have namely besides discussing the scheduled agenda also an opportunity to meet with a number of experts as well as colleagues from the area of public administration from other countries and to discuss aspects of creating information society in a far more wider context."

"I believe that exactly this conference is the best thing, by which we can contribute to even more perfect mutual collaboration of the Visegrád Four countries," declared on the occasion of opening the V4DIS meeting the President of Senate of CR Přemysl Sobotka. "It is good that these four countries collaborate and search common important themes such as for example support of education, which will be also presented within the programme of this meeting."

The project V4DIS is at present a very important element of development of information society and mutual informedness of the representatives of public administration, parliaments as well as local and regional self-governments in the Visegrád Four countries and simultaneously it helps to promote mutual collaboration of EU as well as Visegrád within their common interests. The meeting was this year held in Hradec Králové already for the fourth time and apart from official delegations of Visegrád countries, it was attended also by deputies of many towns of V4 countries--capital cities of Prague, Bratislava, Warsaw and Budapest as well as other towns such as for example Banská Bystrica, Dubnica nad Váhom, Moldava nad Bodvou, Nitra, Nová Dubnica, Martin, Púchov, Trenčín (Slovakia) Polish towns Walbrzych and Wroclaw or Hungarian towns Encs, Karcag or Nyíregyháza.

The main organizer of the V4DIS conference is Association Czech At, the partners are then the Union of Towns of Slovakia, Hungarian National Association of Local Authorities (TÖOSZ), Polish Alfa Omega Foundation, National Association of Intelligent Settlements--ITOSz Hungary, University of Hradec Králové, Option.hu Technology Development and Cultural Service Provider Ltd., Hungary, Capital City Prague, City of Nyíregyháza, Hungary, City of Moldava nad Bodvou, Slovakia.