Policy Observatory

The EU is all about bringing down barriers: barriers to movement, to trade, to opportunity. And that needs to continue.

The evidence shows that – within the EU alone – a digital single market could be worth 4% of GDP; that's on average an extra 1500 dollars a year pocket of each of our half a billion citizens. Make that digital single market transatlantic – and the benefits are there to see: for innovation, for prosperity, for freedom.

A few weeks ago, the European Parliament had a strong position on net neutrality after adopting its first reading of the Telecoms Single Market Regulation in April. Meanwhile, the Council does not have an agreed position on the subject. Also, since the beginning of November, the new European Commission has taken office, with “better regulation” at the centre of its stated priorities. However, despite the efforts of the Parliament to improve the previous Commission's net neutrality proposals, there are persistent rumours that the new Commission may withdraw it.

EDRi has re-launched their campaign platform savetheinternet.eu and they ask everyone to play their part. They also wrote to the Council of the EU and issued a press release.

Vice-President Ansip and Commissioner Jourová released an announcement on the EU Data Protection Reform. In their note, the commissioners urge for quick adoption of newly prepared reform which is a necessary part allowing creation of European Digital Single Market.

The European Union and the United States today held the 13th bilateral Information Society Dialogue and issued a statement highlighting issues discussed and agreed. The two government entities covered topics such as the EU Digital Single Market, digital skills, open internet, the data-driven economy, internet governance, the United Nations review of the 2003-2005 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), and cooperation on international telecommunications policy.

Leaked copies of the upcoming Digital Single Market Strategy and its supporting Evidence file show the European Commission is ready to propose vast regulatory reforms that could affect everything from sales taxes and e-privacy to Internet searches and big data.

In the framework of the Cannes Festival a symposium on copyright was organized with the participation of Günther Oettinger Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society. The European Commission put forward an extensive action plan to create a unified EU digital market and a reformed and unique EU copyright instead of having 28 national ones.