The announcement of WEMA's creation was made at the European Electronic Message Association's (EEMA) annual conference and exhibition held recently in Brussels.

The five organizations teaming up on WEMA are: the Asian Oceania Electronic Messaging Association, the Electronic Commerce Association of Australia, the Electronic Messaging Association of the US, EEMA, and the Japan Electronic Messaging Association.

Avi Corfas, EEMA's chairman, said that formalizing WEMA as a coalition will have "direct benefits" for users, suppliers, and all parties involved in business communications, since the group will able to approach issues on a global scale.

"For example, we can: work towards resolving regulatory issues; tackle concerns such as information security; provide an information resource for users, suppliers and developers; and provide them with a stronger vehicle to influence governments and super-government organizations," he said.

At the inaugural meeting of WEMA recently, the association agreed to propose the simple naming and addressing standard outlined earlier this year by EEMA as a global standard. The idea is that every electronic messaging user should be addressable by at least their given name, initials, and family name, irrespective of the messaging system they are using -- for example, X.400 or the Internet.

According to Roger Dean, the executive director of EEMA, the international recommendation is based on existing international X.400/X.500 standards for e-mail exchange and directories. "It represents a significant step, both for EEMA and the newly formed WEMA," he said. "It's the first stage in the formation of a level playing field for electronic messaging worldwide, a vital requirement if multi-national organizations are to benefit from true global electronic commerce."

(Sylvia Dennis/19960617/Press Contact: Noiseworks, +44-1628-522122, Internet e-mail noiseworks@attmail.com; Reader Contact: EEMA, +44-1386-793028, Internet e-mail eema@attmail.com)