[governance] EU internet governance: Franco-German alliance

Mon Jul 14 07:24:57 EDT 2014

fyi - regards,
Lorena

http://www.euractiv.com/sections/innovation-enterprise/eu-internet-governance-franco-german-alliance-303421

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. EurActiv France
reports
<http://www.euractiv.fr/sections/innovation-entreprises/le-couple-franco-allemand-appele-au-secours-de-la-gouvernance-du-net>
.

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.

According to Senator Gaëtan Gorce, head of the Senate’s mission,
appropriately titled New role and new strategy for the European Union in
the global governance of the internet
<http://www.senat.fr/espace_presse/actualites/201311/quel_role_pour_lue_dans_la_gouvernance_mondiale_de_linternet.html>,
“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.

The US is the global leader of the digital sector: 36 of the 50 top digital
media companies are American.

*>> Read: EU challenges US hegemony in global internet governance
<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>*

“Internet governance has become a geopolitical issue. It is a new global
battleground,” said Senator Catherine Morin-Desailly.

*Reforming internet governance*

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.

The report also proposes to restructure the ICANN <https://www.icann.org/>,
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.

*>> Read: French concerns over geographical indications will hamper TTIP
talks
<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>*

On 26 June, the French Secretary of State for Digital Affairs, Axelle
Lemaire, took an assertive stance against the ICANN. In a press release
<http://www.economie.gouv.fr/presse/communiques/37192>, she said that she
did not see the ICANN as “a suitable body to discuss internet governance.”

*Europe must make itself heard*

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,* The European Union, digital colony?* (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.”

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.

*Franco-German partnership*

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.

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.

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".
Anne-Claude Martin I EurActiv.fr - article translated from French
<http://www.euractiv.com/bylines/anne-claude-martin-i-euractivfr-article-translated-french>

-- 
Lorena Jaume-Palasí, M.A. ∙ Coordinator of the Global Internet Governance
(GIG) Ohu
 Internet & Gesellschaft Co:llaboratory e.V.
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