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This paper discusses the implications of the concept of the European information society for the development of Europe's regions. Many policy documents of the European Union express general optimism that information and communications technologies (ICTs) will have a positive influence on the regions and will increase regional coherence. As a review of pertinent research shows, however, the effect of ICTs on regional development is more complex than offical policy statements acknowledge. Of the various policy instruments the EU employs to foster the development and usage of ICTs, some are likely to lead to increased regional disparities (e.g. the ICT‐related R&D programmes), whereas others are designed to reduce these disparities (e.g. ICT‐related actions under the Structural Funds). The paper pleads for a more systematic approach to this complex interrelation and stresses the need to develop an information society policy that is carefully tuned to the different needs of different European regions.
