EuroISPA General Meeting: 2023 wrap-up and 2024 outlook

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Brussels, November 30th-December 1st, 2023

As 2023 comes to an end and we approach 2024, our members gathered in Brussels for the last General Meeting of the year.

The participants came together to reflect on a successful year for the Association and to assess the results of the hard work. Here is a recap of the Association’s output in 2023:

  • More than 20 meetings held with policymakers, law enforcement bodies, and other sessions: we held multiple meetings and workshops with the European Commission, the Council, the European Parliament, EuroJUST, Europol, EUIPO and many more on the topics of piracy, e-evidence, Data Retention, CSAM, DSA and more.
  • More than 10 policy positions published, among papers, letters, recommendations, consultations and joint industry statements on CSAM, e-evidence, piracy, CRA, AI, Data retention, and more.

The biggest milestone of 2023 has been the publication of the EuroISPA Manifesto for the 2024 European elections, which will continue to be the centre of the Association’s policy work and engagement efforts in 2024.

Read our Manifesto here

EuroISPA’s Committees had the chance to present the work done in 2023 and kick-off the discussions for the 2024 focus areas. In particular, members actively engaged in an exchange of views on the role that EuroISPA can take in the debate on Artificial Intelligence, becoming more and more prominent in the EU digital policy environment.

Together, they agreed that EuroISPA will aim to establish a harmonised and globally accepted framework for AI deployment that encourages innovation, upholds ethical standards, and mitigates potential risks and the regulatory burden for Internet Service Providers while looking out for excessive liability for AI-Generated content and respecting copyright laws.

This will be the starting point for EuroISPA’s work on AI in 2024, in addition to the policy work done on other longstanding topics such as data, cybersecurity, online content moderation, and more.

Participants to the General Meeting also had the pleasure of hearing several guest interventions:

  • Connectivity Unit of DG CNECT on the Future of Connectivity: Results of the consultations and next steps.
  • Cate Nymann, Head of Policy and Membership affairs at the ALDE Party, offering insights and reflections on the party’s plans ahead of the elections.
  • Karolina Mojzesowicz, Deputy Head of the data Protection Unit at DG JUST, on the upcoming GDPR review.

Finally, the EuroISPA Board elections were held during the General Meeting: EuroISPA Council members elected Lars Steffen from eco Association of the Internet Industry as Vice-President, and Romain Bonenfant from FFTélécoms as Board Member. You can read the full announcement here.

EuroISPA’s new Board Officers
The General Meeting of November 30th and December 1st was the ideal setting to wrap up the work done in 2023 and set the tone for the year ahead, between European elections and ever-changing topics and debates in EU digital policy.

EuroISPA elects new Board Officers: new leadership and November General Meeting highlights

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Brussels, 4 December 2023 – EuroISPA, the pan-European association of Internet Services Providers (ISPs) associations, elects new Board Members during the General Meeting held on November 30th and December 1st, 2023, in Brussels.

EuroISPA members gathered in Brussels for their last General Meeting of 2023, which saw the election of new members of the Board. Lars Steffen, Head of International, Digital Infrastructures & Resilience at eco – Association of the Internet Industry, was unanimously elected Vice-President, while Romain Bonenfant, Managing Director at FFTélécoms, was appointed Board Member. They join President Elina Ussa (FiCom) and Treasurer Alex De Joode (AMS-IX) who are already one year into their mandate, in leading the Association’s work until the end of 2024.

Lars Steffen, newly elected Vice-President, stated: “I recognise the crucial role that EuroISPA plays in shaping policy and advocating for the interests of Internet Service Providers across Europe. Several current issues in the European Internet landscape are increasingly being handled at infrastructure level, placing EuroISPA in a favorable position to share the experience and expertise of its members to EU discussions. As Vice-President of EuroISPA, I intend to intensify member engagement and strengthen our links with the wider industry, raising EuroISPA’s voice even higher”.

Romain Bonenfant, newly appointed Board Member, said: “EuroISPA actively contributes to interactions with EU institutions both directly and through its members. I am deeply convinced that the EU level is the right level to influence the digital landscape we all work and live in, and I hope to positively contribute to the important work of EuroISPA with my new role as Board Member”.

The final General Meeting of 2023, which was held the day after EuroISPA’s 25th Anniversary Event, gathered members in person at EuroISPA’s office in Brussels. The two-day programme consisted of committee meetings, Association updates and strategy discussions for the year ahead, in addition to the election of new Board Officers. EuroISPA also welcomed contributions from guest speakers from the European Commission and the ALDE Party, who spoke on the future of connectivity, the upcoming GDPR review, and the run up to the 2024 European elections.

Elina Ussa, who recently took up her role as President, said: “We are delighted to welcome Lars Steffen and Romain Bonenfant to the Board of EuroISPA, especially at such a crucial moment with the European elections coming up. The Board can count on two more expert and dedicated people to lead the Association into 2024, and to contribute to the ambitious goals that we put forward in our Manifesto”.

EuroISPA is committed to fostering the growth of an innovative and fair European Internet ecosystem, encouraging the continued development of a free and open telecommunications market, as highlighted in the recently published Manifesto. The work of the Association in 2024 will focus on collaborating with EU policymakers to achieve a fully functioning internal market, a long-term vision on privacy online, a harmonised European strategy for cybersecurity, and legislative coherence for digital infrastructure.

EuroISPA launches its new Manifesto for an innovative and fair European Internet ecosystem ahead of the 2024 European elections

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We are excited to share EuroISPA’s new Manifesto for the 2024 European elections!

Our Manifesto advocates for putting innovation and fairness in the European Internet ecosystem at the core of the next mandate’s policymaking in the digital sphere.

In this manifesto, the result of the shared knowledge and collaborative effort of our wide and varied membership, we ask EU legislators to commit to the joint implementation of actions towards:

  • A fully functioning internal market
  • A long-term vision on privacy online
  • A harmonised European Strategy for Cybersecurity
  • Legislative Coherence for Digital Infrastructure

By focusing on legislative coherence, data protection, cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure, we believe the EU can enhance its competitiveness, safeguard fundamental rights, and unlock the benefits of new technologies.

Read our full manifesto here: EuroISPA Manifesto for the 2024 European elections

READ OUR MANIFESTO
Read the press release

EuroISPA and other European Internet industry associations join forces and publish third joint statement on encyption and detection orders under the proposed CSAM Regulation

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Building on two previous joint statements published in April 2023 and June 2023, EuroISPA and other European Internet industry associations AFNUM, CISPE.cloud, CCIA Europe, CZ.NIC, Developers Alliance, DOTEurope, eco, FiCom, Freedom Internet, i2Coalition, ISPA Austria, and ITI now call on policymakers to ensure the protection of encryption and to limit detection orders in the EU Regulation laying down rules to prevent and combat child sexual abuse (CSA Regulation).

We firmly stand behind the European Commission’s overarching objective to prevent and combat child sexual abuse, but we believe certain improvements need to be introduced in the proposed CSAM Regulation.

To this end, we call on EU policymakers to:

1) defend the rights to privacy and confidentiality of communications through the specific protection of encryption;

2) make sure that detection orders are a last resort measure;

3) limit detection orders to those with the ability to act.

The undersigned industry associations remain deeply committed to making the digital space safer for everyone and in particular to protecting children online.

Read the full statement: CSAM – Joint call for safeguarding encryption and limiting detection orders

READ THE JOINT INDUSTRY STATEMENT

PRESS RELEASE: Worldstream joins EuroISPA, the world’s largest association of ISPs

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Brussels, 27 June 2023 – EuroISPA, the pan-European association of Internet Services Providers Associations, officially welcomed its new Forum member, Worldstream, a Dutch Infrastructure-as-a-Service provider during the Association’s General Meeting in June. With Worldstream’s addition, EuroISPA’s Industry Forum can now rely on eight companies active in the Internet industry to participate in the Association’s activities under an advisory capacity.

EuroISPA is the representative body of Internet Services Providers (ISPs) across the European continent. Founded in 1997, EuroISPA functions as an ‘umbrella’ association representing ISP associations on policy and legislative issues and facilitates the exchange of best practices between members. The association is structured around different, topical, Committees, which allow members to regularly exchange ideas and views on specific policy matters and dossiers. EuroISPA engages at EU level on behalf of its members on a wide range of policy issues, including intermediary liability, data protection, cybersecurity and safer Internet.

Alex de Joode, President of EuroISPA, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Worldstream as the newest addition to the EuroISPA Industry Forum. Thanks to their longstanding expertise, we are sure Worldstream will provide valuable advice to EuroISPA Council members, actively contributing to our discussions on the policy issues impacting the European Internet industry and supporting us in achieving our goal of representing the interests of European ISPs at EU level”.

Worldstream is an Infrastructure-as-a-Service provider headquartered in Naaldwijk, close to the Hague and Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. Since 2006, Worldstream provides server infrastructure, connectivity, and cloud infrastructure to SMEs, system integrators (SIs), Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. Their services range from customised dedicated servers to private cloud with the inclusion of distributed denial-of-service protection.

Wouter van Zwieten, Chief Legal Operations Officer at Worldstream, stated: “We are extremely glad to join EuroISPA’s Industry Forum. This membership provides us with valuable insights and the opportunity to contribute to discussions by providing input and commenting on proposed regulations, allowing us to explain how certain processes and technologies work, ensuring that the outcomes align with the practical needs of ISPs like us. We believe it is crucial for us to have a strong presence at EU level, and we are looking forward to actively participating in EuroISPA to effectively represent the interests of our industry, as we are firm believers that joint forces make stronger decision-making”.

About Worldstream

Worldstream was founded in 2006 by childhood friends with a shared passion for gaming. Dissatisfied with the high costs and unreliability of game servers, they came up with the idea of offering better solutions. Since then, the Westland-based IT company has grown into an international player of IT infrastructure (IaaS).

Worldstream aims to simplify IT infrastructure and make it accessible to all IT decision makers at technology-driven companies. As a provider of data center, hardware, and network services, Worldstream serves various business markets, including Managed Service Providers (MSPs), System Integrators (SIs), Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), and web hosting companies. The key business objective of Worldstream is to give IT decision makers peace of mind by providing high-quality infrastructure, industry-leading service, and strong partnerships that will get them excited about their IT infrastructure again.

For more information: [email protected]

EuroISPA and other European Internet industry associations join forces and publish second joint statement on the proposed CSAM Regulation’s risk mitigation measures

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Building on their initial joint statement published in April 2023, European industry associations ACT | The App Association, CCIA Europe, Developers Alliance, DOT Europe, eco, EuroISPA, FiCom, and ITI call on policymakers to maintain the flexibility for providers to choose the most appropriate risk mitigation measures and to acknowledge the value of voluntary measures to combat child sexual abuse online in a follow-up paper.

The associations and their members, active in the European Internet industry, agreed on the importance of the European Commission’s proposal to ensure the EU is committed to making the digital space safe for everyone, especially for children.

However, they are now together pointing at a specific part of the text, namely risk mitigation measures, which needs to be improved in order to achieve a legislative framework that helps the detection and prosecution of crimes, and the safeguarding of children.

To do so, the signatories recommend:

  • To broaden the risk mitigation efforts recognized by the proposal to account for voluntary efforts, including prevention work ;
  • To maintain the possibility for providers to take into account relevant differences, including between content types and services, when selecting appropriate and proportionate mitigation measures ;
  • To create an express legal basis for ICS providers to process communications data for the purposes of prevention, detection and reporting with appropriate safeguards ;
  • To expressly authorize broader voluntary efforts to fight CSA for all providers within the scope of the Regulation.

This joint industry statement is the result of a substantial joint effort between the signatories, coordinated by DOT Europe, that shows the unified commitment of several associations with a diverse membership and active in the sector at European level to protect children online.

READ THE JOINT INDUSTRY STATEMENT

EuroISPA Annual Policy Report 2022 – Brussels Outlook 2023

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EuroISPA is delighted to present to you its Annual Policy Report 2022 – Brussels Outlook 2023, which contains an overview of the Association’s main activities of 2022, with dedicated insights on its policy focus areas, as well as a presentation of what’s ahead in 2023.

In 2022, EuroISPA and its committees were busy bringing their work forward on a number of key policy areas for European ISPs, and contributed to shaping the debate around policy files such as the proposed CSAM Regulation, the Digital Services Act, the upcoming Regulation on the online piracy of live events, and more.

But other than EuroISPA’s work in the past work, this report will give a chance to have an outlook on what the EU policy landscape holds in 2023 on a number of relevant areas for the European Internet industry.

Our officers and committee chairs describe the opportunities and the challenges coming up, and the broader vision of the association going forward

Lastly, read the report to dive into EuroISPA’s 25th anniversary celebrations, with a timeline of our dedicated work and expansion during over two decades, and our view for the years to come.

Once again, EuroISPA is happy to have worked alongside our members with the goal of contributing to the development of the sector to ensure its safety and sustainability.

We hope that you enjoy reading our Annual Policy Report 2022 – Brussels Outlook 2023!

Read the full report
Read the summary

EuroISPA and other European Internet industry associations join forces and publish a joint statement on the proposed CSAM Regulation

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European industry associations ACT | The App Association, CCIA Europe, CISPE Cloud, Dot Europe, eco, EuroISPA, FiCom, ISPA Austria and ITI have published a joint industry statement in which they call the European Commission to amend some key points of the proposed Regulation laying down rules to prevent and combat child sexual abuse.

The associations and their members, active in the European Internet industry, agreed on the importance of the European Commission’s proposal to ensure the EU is committed to making the digital space safe for everyone, especially for children.

However, they are now together drawing attention to how certain measures contained in the proposed Regulation need to be amended in order to reach the goals the Regulation is set to achieve.

To do so, signatories have formulated recommendations to amend six key aspects of the proposal:

  • The narrowing of the scope and definitions
  • The risk assessment, mitigation and reporting
  • The inclusion of voluntary measures
  • The use of detection, removal and blocking orders
  • The importance of safeguarding encryption
  • The role of the EU Centre

This joint industry statement is the result of a substantial joint effort between the signatories, coordinated by EuroISPA, that shows the unified commitment of several associations with a diverse membership and active in the sector at European level to protect children online.

READ THE JOINT INDUSTRY STATEMENT

EuroISPA hosts expert roundtable on privacy and encryption

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On Thursday, 23rd of March 2023, EuroISPA hosted an in-person expert roundtable on privacy and encryption, organised in the context of the European Commission’s proposal for a Regulation to prevent and combat child sexual abuse.

The event gathered a distinguished expert panel comprised of Mr Matthew Green, Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins University and expert on applied cryptography and cryptographic engineering, Ms Arda Gerkens, CEO and founder of EOKM, as well as Ms Ella Jakubowska, Senior Policy Advisor at EDRi.

EuroISPA’s Board member, Thomas Bihlmayer (eco), moderated the discussion and introduced EuroISPA’s views from its position as a constructive contributor to child protection and privacy debates, thanks to its diverse membership (hotlines, ISPs of all sizes, platforms, cloud infrastructure services, etc.) that is at the forefront of the efforts to protect children online.

He highlighted EuroISPA’s commitment with the Commission’s objective to prevent and combat child sexual abuse and noted concerns over several aspects of the proposal. He focused on the operability of the regulation and on the dangers of breaking encryption, which will have a direct impact on the technical Internet infrastructure and impede efforts to create an Internet which enhances trust, user privacy, and freedom of expression.

Professor Matthew Green expressed concerns about the lack of understanding of the technical implications of the Commission’s proposal, and the possible harm that could bring to the security of global communications systems. During his intervention, he stressed the technical limitations of such proposed measures and the issue of over-relying on them, considering encryption is a very young area. For him, the proposal would benefit from an in-depth evaluation by scientists and researchers in Europe, which in his view should be seen as a pre-condition for mandating new technologies. (He shared his intervention in a more extensive version on his blog).

Representing the Dutch hotline, Arda Gerkens highlighted the issues of weakening encryption, compromising the security both for children and adults. She also noted the potential positive points, especially when it comes to the creation of a EU Centre as a centre for knowledge and support in the EU. She further explained how the approach of the Netherlands to fight child sexual abuse is working, noting some of the main elements that could be brought to EU level.

Finally, Ella Jakubowska raised the perspective of civil society. She explained why the proposed measures will lead to unreliable client-side scanning practices, undermining end-to-end encryption and making our devices more vulnerable to attacks from malicious actors, all without addressing the core issues or finding the right solutions to tackle child sexual abuse.

The panel discussion was followed by a Q&A session were participants had the opportunity to exchange about the compatibility of these measures with privacy legislation, the potential for improvement of scanning technologies as well as other solutions to allow fighting child sexual abuse without hindering privacy safeguards and fundamental rights.

This session is one of the different actions that EuroISPA is taking around encryption, privacy and the Commission proposal to fight Child Sexual Abuse Material online.

If you would like to know more about EuroISPA’s work on the topic, you can contact [email protected].

To read our Position Paper on the proposed CSAM Regulation, click on the button below.

READ OUR POSITION PAPER

EuroISPA Annual Policy Report 2021

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January 17th 2023 – EuroISPA is delighted to launch its Annual Policy Report 2021, which contains an overview of the Association’s main activities of 2021, as well as dedicated insights on its policy focus areas.

The year 2021 was a busy and eventful one, with EuroISPA working on several important policy areas. Our Association has continuously worked on files dealing with intermediary liability, cybersecurity, safer internet, innovation, and data protection. EuroISPA was able to progress on priority files such as the Digital Services Act (DSA), and the Directive on Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, among many others.

In the year of its 25th anniversary, EuroISPA is happy to have worked alongside our members and to have actively participated in the discussions of key files and followed the legislative developments at EU level. Our mission is to contribute to the development of the sector to ensure its safety and sustainability.

We hope that you enjoy reading our 2021 Annual Policy Report, that it offers you some interesting insights into the ongoing work of EuroISPA and, finally, that it reflects the commitment of our membership to promote a sustainable approach in the ISP sector.

Happy reading!

Download the Policy Report

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