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Technology Stocks : Discuss Year 2000 Issues -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ken Salaets who wrote (2898)	12/3/1998 5:30:00 PM
From: jwk	Respond to of 9818

EU worried about millennium bug preparations BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union governments should take urgent action to ensure that public authorities are prepared for the Year 2000 computer glitch, the European Commission says. The Commission said it was especially concerned with the lack of information about steps taken to ensure local administrations and transport and energy networks will continue functioning. ''The report aims to draw the urgent attention of the heads of state and government to this matter,'' the EU executive said in a statement. The Commission, whose report will be presented to the EU summit in Vienna next week, said most governments had taken action to increase awareness about the millennium bug -- the inability of many computer systems to recognise dates correctly after December 31, 1999. It said the financial and telecommunication sectors had made significant progress, carrying out testing with the help of international associations. ''Nevertheless, the decentralization of administrations and many national infrastructures and utilities has tended to impede the central collection of information,'' it said. ''The absence of confirmation that matters have been investigated, rectified and tested raises serious concerns,'' it said. ''These concerns are greatest for local administrations and the energy and transport sectors.'' It urged EU countries to speed up Year 2000 preparations by public authorities, especially at local and regional level, and to develop contingency plans to protect vital public business and infrastructure. It proposed that EU leaders set up an ad hoc working group to coordinate millennium bug activities.