The European Commission, in collaboration with the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, is organising “IST 2004 – Participate in your Future”, one of the most important events in the Information Society Technologies (IST) field. This year the event will be held in The Hague, Netherlands, from 15 to 17 November 2004. Its aim is to examine how IST can contribute to the prosperity of European citizens and to the development of the European Research Area.