In February, EuroISPA joined forces with nine industry associations in a joint letter to the Ambassadors of Finland and Tunisia, jointly leading a key UN negotiation New York. The letter calls on the UN General Assembly to ensure that the process for reviewing the progress in implementing the international community’s policy framework for information technology takes place with all stakeholders around the table.

The industry letter also suggests that World Summit on the Information Society’s ten year review (WSIS+10) timelines and goals can be fully aligned with the concurrent review of the UN’s eight Millennium Development Goals “to ensure that the WSIS goals and accompanying measurable targets are fully connected to the outcomes of the MDG review process.”

The signatories underscored the need for “concrete, measurable targets” in pursuing the objective of a people-centred networked future and a “bottom-up-driven review process” for WSIS+10 that invites broad stakeholder involvement from governments, private sector groups, civil society and multilateral institutions.

The letter has been signed by ASUT, CCIA, EDiMA, EITESAL, EurolSPA, i2Coalition, ITIC, IDEA, and SIIA.

On 11 February, the European Commission issued a Communication on Internet Policy and Governance: Europe’s role in shaping the future of Internet Governance. The proposal calls for more transparent, accountable and inclusive governance. The paper focuses on specific areas and sets actions that will be assessed in a progress report in 2015:

1. Concrete actions:

• Establishment of a clear timeline for the globalisation of ICANN and the “IANA functions”
• A strengthening of the global IGF
• 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. Commitment to improve the transparency, accountability and inclusiveness of the multi-stakeholder processes and those who participate in these processes
3. A commitment to create 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.

Find full Communication here.

On 3 December, during the last General Meeting, EuroISPA Council elected its new board. EuroISPA’s new Officers will start to represent the interests of Internet service providers across Europe immediately.

Oliver J. Süme, who served as Vice-President of EuroISPA since 2009, was elected as President of EuroISPA. Oliver  is also Vice-Chairman of the German Internet Industry Association (eco):

“I am looking forward to my duties and will advocate for the interests of the European ISPs in Brussels and at the international level. The infrastructure operated by the ISPs is fundamental for European industry and citizens. It can only continue to be operated stable and secure in a free Internet and on the basis of a reliable legal framework. The performance of the ISPs is guarantees the future capabilities of the information society and the digital market.”

Oliver will follow Malcolm Hutty as President of EuroISPA. Malcolm, who has performed his duties as President since December 2008, said on the occasion of his retirement:

“The Internet industry is making an enormous contribution to economic development and productivity, as well as improving people’s lives on a day-to-day basis. It has been an honour to serve as President of the industry’s European association, and a pleasure to leave it for Oliver to proceed “.

Bart -Jan Van Dijk has been elected as Vice-President of EuroISPA. Bart-Jan is the Official representative of the Belgian Internet Service Providers Association, ISPA Belgium to EuroISPA.

Innocenzo Genna has been re-appointed EuroISPA’s Treasurer. Innocenzo is the director of AIIP, the Italian ISP association, with specific responsibilities on European policy.

The EuroISPA members welcome the election and are looking forward to working with the new Officers for the year to come.

On October 2nd, EuroISPA joint forces with CCIA, EDIMa, EDRi, EEA and EMOTA to express concerns regarding the developments in the legislative process surrounding the Regulation on Market Surveillance and Product Safety. EuroISPA urges European institutions, and particularly the European Parliament,  not to distort the scope and intention of the proposals with far-reaching amendments that would negatively affect online commerce.

EuroISPA calls to keep the scope of the legislation limited to products safety. Extend the scope to cover also intellectual property would undermine legal certainty and put an excessive burden on businesses, particularly SMEs.

A number of amendments tabled also undermine the principle of technology neutrality and would burden Internet intermediaries with inappropriate obligations of general monitoring, in contravention of European law, the Charter of Human Rights and rulings from the European Court of Justice.

The digital industry has collaborated to provide a collective voice on the proposed Directive on Collective Rights Management ahead of the vote in the lead committee (Legal Affairs Committee, JURI).

Brussels, July 2013 the digital industry (represented by the European Digital Media Association (EDiMA), DIGITALEUROPE, BITKOM, EuroISPA, the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA), the Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec), and Mixcloud) has collaborated to provide a collective voice on the proposed Directive on Collective Rights Management. The proposed Directive aims to establish important principles to ensure that collecting societies efficiently administer the rights and represent the interests of their members and should help improve the efficiency of the licensing process as well as promote new services for the benefit of European consumers, creators, and cultural diversity.

The industry group’s joint statement emphasized key principles and criteria which should be enhanced and maintained in the course of amendment considerations including:

• ensuring repertoire transparency;
• removing obstacles to the Digital Single Market;
• enabling commercial flexibility in negotiations for digital music services;
• ensuring operational transparency of Collective Management Organisations;
• guaranteeing workable reporting processes.

Signatories of this joint statement include:

EDiMA
EuroISPA
DIGITALEUROPE
BITKOM
ECTA
Coadec
Mixcloud