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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dear all</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>In order to save a great amount of carbon
dioxyde emission for the "public" to travel to Brussels for attending the May
6th Hearing, EU Commissioner Viviane Reding has already worked out the
Meeting (draft) Report and proposes it for possible minor amendments and
endorsement (see below) by the "invited partipants".</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>As Meryem would say : Enjoy !</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Jean-Louis Fullsack</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: right" align=right><B><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">IP/09/696</SPAN></B><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: right" align=right><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Brussels, 4 May 2009<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<H1 style="MARGIN: auto 0cm"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt">Internet
Governance: EU Commissioner Reding calls for full privatisation and full
accountability of ICANN as of 1 October<o:p></o:p></SPAN></H1>
<H2 style="MARGIN: auto 0cm"><I><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt">In
a video posted on her website this morning, Viviane Reding, EU- Commissioner for
Information Society and Media, called for greater transparency and
accountability in Internet Governance as of October 2009. Key decisions related
to Internet Governance, like top level domains and managing the internet's core
directory, are currently made by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers (ICANN), a private not-for profit corporation established in California.
So far, ICANN has been operating under an agreement with the US Department of
Commerce. However, this agreement expires on 30 September this year. For the
time after, Commissioner Reding today outlined a new governance model for the
internet. This would include a fully private and accountable ICANN, accompanied
by an independent judicial body, as well as a "G12 for
Internet</SPAN></I><I><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">
</SPAN></I><I><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt">Governance"
– a multilateral forum for governments to discuss general internet governance
policy and security issues. </SPAN></I><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></H2>
<P><I><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">"I trust that President
Obama will have the courage, the wisdom and the respect for the global nature of
the internet to pave the way in September for a new, more accountable, more
transparent, more democratic and more multilateral form of Internet Governance,"
</SPAN></I><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">said EU<I>
</I>Commissioner Viviane Reding in her Internet video message this morning.<I>
"The time to act is now. And Europe will be ready to support President Obama in
his efforts."</I> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Reding stressed that<I> "a
moment of truth will come on 30 September this year, when the current agreement
between ICANN and the US Government expires. This opens the door for the full
privatisation of ICANN; and it also raises the question of to whom ICANN should
be accountable, as from 1 October."</I><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">ICANN deals with some of
most sensitive issues related to Internet Governance, such as top level domains
or management of the internet address system that ensures that millions of
computers can connect to each other. ICANN was established in 1998 in
California, under an agreement with the US government.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><I><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">"Accountability of ICANN
is a must,"</SPAN></I><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"> said
Reding. <I>"The Clinton administration's decision to progressively privatize the
internet's domain name and addressing system is the right one. In the long run,
it is not defendable that the government department of only one country has
oversight of an internet function which is used by hundreds of millions of
people in countries all over the world."</I><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">EU Commissioner Reding also
outlined how <B>a new model of Internet Governance</B> could be shaped after 30
September. It could include in particular the following: <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<UL type=disc>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt"><B><SPAN
lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">A fully privatised and independent
ICANN</SPAN></B><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"> complying
with the best standards of corporate governance, in particular with those on
financial transparency and internal accountability, and subject to effective
judicial review. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">A multilateral forum where
governments can discuss general internet governance policy issues, such as a
<B>"G12 for Internet Governance"</B> – an informal group of government
representatives that meets at least twice a year and can make, by majority,
recommendations to ICANN where appropriate. This group would provide swift
reaction in case of threats to the stability, security and openness of the
internet. To be geographically balanced, this "G-12 for Internet Governance"
would include two representatives from each North America, South America,
Europe and Africa, three representatives from Asia and Australia, as well as
the Chairman of ICANN as a non-voting member. International Organisations with
competences in this field could be given observer
status.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></LI></UL>
<P><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">On 6 May, the European
Commission will host a first public hearing in Brussels to give Europe's
Internet Community a chance to voice their expectations for the future of
Internet Governance.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><B>Background</B><o:p></o:p></P>
<P><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">For many years, the
European Union has played a major role in international discussions on Internet
Governance. The European Commission has repeatedly called for a system of
internet governance fully entrusted to the private sector without government
interference in the internet's day-to-day management (see </SPAN><A
href="http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/1297&format=HTML&aged=1&language=EN&guiLanguage=fr"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">IP/06/1297</SPAN></A><SPAN
lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">) and has been supporting an open
multi-stakeholder policy dialogue on internet governance and development
(</SPAN><A
href="http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/1491&format=HTML&aged=1&language=EN&guiLanguage=en"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">IP/06/1491</SPAN></A><SPAN
lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">). The European Commission also
participates in the </SPAN><A href="http://gac.icann.org/"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Governmental Advisory Committee</SPAN></A><SPAN
lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"> of the Internet Corporation for
Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), whose main purpose is to advise ICANN on
public policy aspects of its coordination activities.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><B><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Commissioner Reding's
video message is available at</SPAN></B><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><A
href="http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/reding/video/index_en.htm"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/reding/video/index_en.htm</SPAN></A><SPAN
lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Further information on the
public hearing on Internet Governance, organised by the European Commission on 6
May in Brussels will be available at the following link:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><A
href="http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/internet_gov/index_en.htm"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT
color=#800080>http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/internet_gov/index_en.htm</FONT></SPAN></A><SPAN
lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV></BODY></HTML>