Global internet and telecommunications

Article

The European Commission works at the international level together with other global players to shape the developments of the internet and the telecommunications world.

It is hard to imagine life without modern telecommunications systems and the Internet, and the technological benefits of the digital age seem to be just the beginning. However, the Internet poses considerable political, social and economic challenges.

What digital world do we want?

The strength of the Internet lies in its open, distributed nature. A resilient, secure and robust Internet, as well as the protection of fundamental rights online are essential to build user trust. At the same time, the European digital economy must take full advantage of the innovation power of the Internet, building on a strengthened digital single market, interconnected to the world.

The vision of the European Commission is summarised in the COMPACT concept: the Internet as a space of Civic responsibilities, One unfragmented resource governed via a Multistakeholder approach to Promote democracy and Human Rights, based on a sound technological Architecture that engenders Confidence and facilitates a Transparent governance both of the underlying Internet infrastructure and of the services which run on top of it.

What are our goals?

To defend and promote fundamental rights and democratic values, thanks to a model that enables the participation of all stakeholders, including the technical community, the private sector, civil society and governments;
To ensure that Europe plays a leading role in this area, also reaching out to developing countries and maintaining an inclusive dialogue with all players;
To ensure that international rules are in line with EU legislation and policy;
To engage in capacity-building in countries and regions that need help to understand and deal with Internet-related policies. In this context, the creation of the Global Internet Policy Observatory will play a key role as a resource for the global community;
To ensure everyone sees the benefits of a bottom-up and inclusive approach to the governance of the Internet.

The European Commission actively engages at the international level to contribute to the discussions on the evolution of global internet and telecommunications. This action is carried out in various international organisations, fora and technical bodies.

Towards a modern networked society

Every European citizen must be fully empowered to continue to benefit from a single, open, secure and free Internet, in which all rights and laws enjoyed in other areas of their every-day lives also apply on-line.