In the EU27, 94% of enterprises had access to the internet in January 2007, compared with 92% in 2006, and 77% had a broadband connection, compared with 73% in 2006.

This data come from Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, and forms part of the results of a community survey conducted at the beginning of 2007 on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in enterprises in the EU27 Member States, Norway and Iceland. Besides the indicators presented, the survey also covers e-commerce, e-government and e-skills.

Proportion of enterprises with internet access highest in Finland

In 2007 in the EU27, the highest proportions of enterprises with internet access were recorded in Finland (99%), Slovakia (98%), Belgium, Denmark, Austria (all 97%) and the Netherlands (97% in 2006). The percentage was less than 90% in only six Member States: Romania (58% in 2006), Bulgaria (75%), Latvia and Hungary (both 86%), Cyprus (88%) and Lithuania (89%).

The proportion of enterprises with a broadband connection in 2007 was also highest in Finland (91%), followed by Spain (90%), Malta (89%) and Sweden (87%). In Romania (31% in 2006), Lithuania and Poland (both 53%), Latvia (57%) and Greece (58% in 2006) less than 60% of enterprises had a broadband connection.

Outsourcing of ICT functions most common in Denmark

Nearly half of enterprises in the EU27 (44%) used external suppliers to fully or partly perform ICT functions during 2006. The highest shares of enterprises with outsourced ICT functions were found in Denmark (76%), Finland (70%) and Cyprus (66%), and the lowest in Hungary (20%), Lithuania (21%) and Bulgaria (22%).

In 2007, 65% of EU27 enterprises had a website: 92% of large enterprises (250 or more persons employed), 82% of medium sized enterprises (50-249 persons) and 61% of small enterprises (10-49 persons). In Sweden (85%), Denmark (84%) and Finland (81%) more than 80% of the enterprises had a website. The lowest shares of enterprises with a website were found in Romania (24% in 2006), Bulgaria (31%) and Latvia (39%).