Neelie Kroes continent seething press fully wired-up with 4G and lined with fiber optic cabling

In the 1980s, Neelie Kroes, said that the Dutch response to Margaret Thatcher. Three decades later, the iron lady is retired, but Kroes, now in his second term as Commissioner European battles.

During his time as Commissioner of Competition, she beat Microsoft and Intel billions of euros fine. Later, when the financial crisis, forcing banks and risk reduction including ransoms have lobbied their governments deeply in debt.

More recently, as a Commissioner for the Digital Agenda, the surveillance of telecommunications and the Internet, Neelie Kroes has made a populist measure to reduce the exorbitant fees "roaming" taken by mobile phone to corporate customers using phones abroad.

now Kroes, whose full title is Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda for Europe, led by David Cameron.

While British Prime Minister pushing for a freeze on EU spending and considers the use of its veto at the summit of the European Council, November 22, the Commissioners Kroes and colleagues spoke by telephone to persuade ministers agreed a ? 50 billion (£ 39 billion) to finance infrastructure projects between 2014 and 2020.

"I need all the support you can think now is a great opportunity to make a big step forward," said Neelie Kroes.

most of the money is not subsidies, but will be paid by the European Investment Bank in the form of equity participation in projects or loans to private companies and regional councils municipal.

The committee believes that every dollar that is committed to "Connecting Europe" will attract 15 to 20 times more in the private sector.

AAA support European Bank for Reconstruction and Development should attract pension funds and sovereign wealth funds, which are willing to invest more than a decade or two instead of three or four years, and eager to spread the risk in the European region.

Although most of the money that is set aside for transportation projects, and a small part of the energy, Kroes said that ? 7 billion for the construction of broadband and fixed broadband wireless, especially in rural and suburban areas. ? 2 billion for public service projects.

"Not a huge cost to taxpayers. Conversely, loans and bonds will be paid. 'Ai was explained to the ministers of the United Kingdom who are involved that it is a win-win situation for them, "he said.

Kroes wants Europe lined with fiber optic cables and 4G mobile connections complete.

China, Japan and the United States are racing ahead of the United Kingdom and many other European countries, replacing the old copper networks with fiber, and Europe needs keep pace.

objective of the commission is to all households with download speeds of at least 30 megabits per second by 2020, half of households subscribing to services that offer more than 100 Mbps. This is a big change from the current speed of 9 Mbps average UK

Kroes think of a Europe at this stage will cost ? 270 billion, but the amount governments spend on infrastructure, on average, it falls to leave this investment to the private sector.

Without the intervention of telecommunications companies in the EU, studies suggest, could spend ? 50 billion on digital networks in the period before 2020.

were privatized telecommunications and postal services, leaving Dutch politics in 1989 became director of a professional advisor Volvo, McDonald Dutch and French defense group Thales, to name a few them.

Described as "resolute and coherent" of his predecessor, Mario Monti, which is initiated City "extraordinary, prickly, focused, like hugging barbed wire," Neelie Kroes admitted: "I do not know a Commissioner would be if there was no positive discrimination ".

Appointed in 2004 was chosen because Holland said he could have a plum role when presented a female candidate. Therefore, it was somewhat disconcerting last month when he decided not to support the proposal of his colleague Viviane Reding, listed companies provided 40% of board seats for women.