The city of Linz is Austria’s digital beacon. With a multitude of offers, the city of Linz has created a range of so called ‘Open Digital Commons’ that are unique in Austria and have also been setting unique accents in Europe for many years: 120 Internet hotspots in public places throughout the city, free WLAN in all trams, a free ‘Public Space Server’ for all citizens of Linz or the free provision of ‘Open Government Data’ are just the most important examples. Linz is also home to the Ars Electronica Festival, which places the interactions between art, technology and society at the centre of its exhibition spaces; the Tabakfabrik, which has become a home for Austria’s creative industries and serves as an incubator for them within its 38,148 square metres and Peak Technology, which is one of the world’s leading companies in the field of lightweight construction and composites and has supplied parts of the European Ariane rocket.
The European Parliament’s intergroup, RUMRA* & Smart Villages, together with the European Smart Villages Forum is undertaking a fact finding mission to Linz and its surroundings between 8 and 10 February, in order to explore what lessons we can learn from the Linz example for the whole of Europe.
The Delegation is headed by Austrian MEP Hannes Heide and Slovenian MEP Franc Bogovic. The other accompanying Members of this parliamentary Intergroup for rural development are Austrian MEP Simone Schmiedtbauer, Bulgarian MEP Atidzhe Alieva-Veli and Italian MEP Dino Giarrusso. MEP Angelika Winzig will be represented by her assistant Andy Weber and the Austrian Mission to the EU is sending Christoph Klemencic to accompany our MEPs.
Former MEP, President of the SME Forum and friend of the RUMRA and Smart Villages Intergroup, Paul Rübig, will be joining the delegation on Linz from Austria.