<div dir="ltr">fyi - regards,<br>Lorena<br><br><a href="http://www.euractiv.com/sections/innovation-enterprise/eu-internet-governance-franco-german-alliance-303421" target="_blank">http://www.euractiv.com/sections/innovation-enterprise/eu-internet-governance-franco-german-alliance-303421</a><br>
<div><div><div><p>A
new report from the French Senate outlines a strategy for greater
European internet governance spearheaded by the Franco-German alliance.
Only then can the EU compete with US’s online hegemony. <a href="http://www.euractiv.fr/sections/innovation-entreprises/le-couple-franco-allemand-appele-au-secours-de-la-gouvernance-du-net" target="_blank">EurActiv France reports</a>.</p>
<p>In a report published on 9 July, the French Senate proposed a new
form of internet governance for Europe. The senators called on the EU to
play a key role in ensuring that internet governance is independent and
democratic.</p>
<p>According to Senator Gaëtan Gorce, head of the Senate’s mission, appropriately titled <a href="http://www.senat.fr/espace_presse/actualites/201311/quel_role_pour_lue_dans_la_gouvernance_mondiale_de_linternet.html" target="_blank">New role and new strategy for the European Union in the global governance of the internet</a>,
“the Snowden affair came as a blessing”, because it exposed the
companies which store huge amounts of personal data. The revelations
shook up public opinion, and people realised the importance of healthy
internet governance.</p>
<p>The US is the global leader of the digital sector: 36 of the 50 top digital media companies are American.</p>
<p><strong>>> Read: <a href="http://www.euractiv.com/infosociety/eu-challenges-us-hegemony-global-news-532137?__utma=1.1941482581.1377502382.1404984083.1404993689.261&__utmb=1.31.9.1404999357969&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1404920422.257.23.utmcsr=google%7Cutmccn=%28organic%29%7Cutmcmd=organic%7Cutmctr=%28not%20provided%29&__utmv=-&__utmk=188486568" target="_blank">EU challenges US hegemony in global internet governance</a></strong></p>
<p>“Internet governance has become a geopolitical issue. It is a new global battleground,” said Senator Catherine Morin-Desailly.</p>
<p><strong>Reforming internet governance</strong></p>
<p>The report contains 62 proposals aimed at “establishing a national
and European strategy to secure our place on the digital world stage,”
said Morin-Desailly. The Senate wants to improve internet governance
through “an international treaty open to all states and an online
ratification process for internet users.” It also wants to transform the
Internet Governance Forum into a World Internet Council, which would
control the conformity of decisions regarding internet governance.</p>
<p>The report also proposes to restructure the <a href="https://www.icann.org/" target="_blank">ICANN</a>,
a non-profit organisation that coordinates the Internet's global domain
name system. It would become the World ICANN (WICANN), conform to
international law instead of Californian law, and be accountable to the
World Internet Council. An independent and accessible appeal mechanism
would be set up to allow revision of WICANN decisions.</p>
<p><strong>>> Read: <a href="http://www.euractiv.com/sections/infosociety/french-concerns-over-geographical-indications-will-hamper-ttip-talks-302856?__utma=1.1941482581.1377502382.1404984083.1404993689.261&__utmb=1.37.9.1405000189134&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1404920422.257.23.utmcsr=google%7Cutmccn=%28organic%29%7Cutmcmd=organic%7Cutmctr=%28not%20provided%29&__utmv=-&__utmk=18103865" target="_blank">French concerns over geographical indications will hamper TTIP talks</a></strong></p>
<p>On 26 June, the French Secretary of State for Digital Affairs, Axelle Lemaire, took an assertive stance against the ICANN. In a <a href="http://www.economie.gouv.fr/presse/communiques/37192" target="_blank">press release</a>, she said that she did not see the ICANN as “a suitable body to discuss internet governance.”</p>
<p><strong>Europe must make itself heard</strong></p>
<p>The authors of the report claimed that Europe is not vocal enough in
discussions about internet governance. It supports a previous report by
Catherin Morin-Desailly,<em> The European Union, digital colony?</em>
(December 2013). In it, Morin-Desailly stressed that Europe had fallen
behind: “Europe’s position is shrinking. Two years ago 12 European
companies featured in the world’s top-hundred largest high-tech
companies, but now there are only eight.”</p>
<p>Morin-Desailly wants the EU to “take its digital destiny into its own
hands and make it a top political priority”. She believes that the EU
should “build a European industrial strategy to gain more control over
our data and convey our values". It would be linked to digital diplomacy
“with a clear doctrine and financial means” in order to promote
European values online.</p>
<p><strong>Franco-German partnership</strong></p>
<p>There is a lack of political will. Paris could spearhead the action,
but it needs allies. The senators believe that the France-German
partnership could be the engine behind Europe’s ambitions of internet
governance.</p>
<p>A Franco-German alliance based on data-security is possible because
of Germany’s interest in the area. The report proposes two concrete
industrial projects: a mobile operating system and a secure and open
European Cloud.</p>
<p>Gaëtan Gorce said it is in the EU’s interests to “affirm its
principles and not to be shy,” emphasising the need to “speak as one and
be coherent".</p></div></div></div><div><a href="http://www.euractiv.com/bylines/anne-claude-martin-i-euractivfr-article-translated-french" target="_blank">Anne-Claude Martin I EurActiv.fr - article translated from French</a></div>
<br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div><span style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-size:13px;font-family:arial,sans-serif">Lorena Jaume-Palasí, M.A. </span><font color="#888888" face="arial, sans-serif">∙ Coordinator of the Global Internet Governance (GIG) Ohu<br>
</font></div>
<div style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-size:13px;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(102,102,102)">Internet & Gesellschaft Co:llaboratory e.V.</span></div><div style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-size:13px;font-family:arial,sans-serif">
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