ICANN ICANN Email List Archives

[bc-gnso]


<<< Chronological Index >>>    <<< Thread Index >>>

RE: [bc-gnso] EC Communication on Internet Governance

  • To: "'bc-gnso@xxxxxxxxx'" <bc-gnso@xxxxxxxxx>
  • Subject: RE: [bc-gnso] EC Communication on Internet Governance
  • From: Caroline Greer <greer@xxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2014 11:31:00 +0100

I attach the Communication text and set out the PR below, as there is currently 
a password issue with the EC website for some.
 
Kind regards,
 
Caroline.
 
European Commission
Press release
Brussels, 12 February 2014
Commission to pursue role as honest broker in future global negotiations on 
Internet Governance 
In the wake of large-scale Internet surveillance and reduced trust in the 
internet, the European Commission today proposes a key reform to the way the 
Internet is managed and run. The proposal calls for more transparent, 
accountable and inclusive governance.
Commission Vice-President Neelie Kroes said: "The next two years will be 
critical in redrawing the global map of Internet governance. Europe must 
contribute to a credible way forward for global internet governance. Europe 
must play a strong role in defining what the net of the future looks like.”
The Commission is committed to an internet that continues to serve fundamental 
freedoms and human rights, Kroes noted: “Our fundamental freedoms and human 
rights are not negotiable. They must be protected online.”
The Commission proposes:
1.      Concrete actions such as: 
·         Establishment of a clear timeline for the globalisation of ICANN and 
the “IANA functions” 
·         A strengthening of the global Internet Governance Forum 
·         Launching an online platform for creating transparency on internet 
policies, the Global Internet Policy Observatory
·         A review of conflicts between national laws or jurisdictions that 
will suggest possible remedies
2.      An ongoing commitment to improve the transparency, accountability and 
inclusiveness of the multi-stakeholder processes and those who participate in 
these processes
3.      A commitment to creating a set of principles of Internet governance to 
safeguard the open and unfragmented nature of the Internet 
4.      A commitment to globalise key decision-making (for example the 
coordination of domain names and IP addresses) to safeguard the stability, 
security and resilience of the Internet.
Kroes said: “Some are calling for the International Telecommunications Union to 
take control of key Internet functions. I agree that governments have a crucial 
role to play, but top-down approaches are not the right answer. We must 
strengthen the multi-stakeholder model to preserve the Internet as a fast 
engine for innovation.”
The Commission firmly supports a real multi-stakeholder governance model for 
the Internet based on the full involvement of all relevant actors and 
organisations. 
Today's Communication is a foundation for a common European approach in global 
negotiations, such as the Netmundial meeting in Sao Paulo, Brazil (April 2014), 
the Internet Governance Forum (end-August) and the High Level ICANN meeting. 
This approach will be further developed with the European Parliament and the 
Council. 
 
Background
Internet Governance is a term used to describe the global arrangements that 
organise the resources and functions of the Internet. It is meant to ensure the 
proper functioning of the Internet, for example that any website is accessible 
from anywhere around the world, and that technical systems all work together no 
matter where you are, or what web addresses can be used around the world. The 
Internet developed as a distributed network of networks and operates without a 
centralised governing body. It is governed by various actors and organisations 
in multi-stakeholder arrangements.
Recent revelations of large-scale surveillance have called into question the 
stewardship of the US when it comes to Internet Governance. So given the 
US-centric model of Internet Governance currently in place, it is necessary to 
broker a smooth transition to a more global model while at the same time 
protecting the underlying values of open multi-stakeholder governance of the 
Internet.
The EU has been a key player in the 2002-2005 World Summit on the Information 
Society, which led to the design of the Internet governance system we have 
today. In 2009 the European Commission adopted a Communication (COM(2009)277, 
"Internet governance: the next steps"). The European Parliament and the Council 
have repeatedly called for an inclusive approach to Internet governance, 
safeguarding the multi-stakeholder model while making sure that European 
priorities are duly taken into account. 
 
 
From: owner-bc-gnso@xxxxxxxxx [mailto:owner-bc-gnso@xxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of 
Caroline Greer
Sent: Wednesday, February 12, 2014 11:25 AM
To: bc-gnso@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bc-gnso] EC Communication on Internet Governance
 
Dear all,
 
In case of interest – 
 
The European Commission Press release for its Communication on Internet 
Governance (published today) and a link to the Communication text therein: 
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-142_en.htm 
 
Kind regards,
 
Caroline.
 

Attachment: CommunicationonInternetPolicyandGovernance.pdf
Description: Adobe PDF document



<<< Chronological Index >>>    <<< Thread Index >>>

Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Cookies Policy