Arrangements for a European IGF and Future EuroDIG events – PL 04 2009

15 September 2009 | 15:00-16:00
Programme overview 2009

Keywords and questions

Is there a need/desire for a European IGF? What should be its mandate and objectives? If so, how should such a regional forum work? How should it link to national, global and other regional Internet governance initiatives? How could it help to improved e-participation in internet governance?

Session focus

Plenary focus: Is there a need/desire for a European IGF? What should be its mandate and objectives? If so, how should such a regional forum work? How should it link to national, global and other regional Internet governance initiatives? How could it help to improved e-participation in Internet governance?

Messages

There was full support for the creation of a pan-European platform to discuss Internet governance. The European movement for such regional dialogue, including the engagement of European entities, organisations and delegates, had significantly grown and evolved since 2008.

Information and experiences were shared about existing national IGF and IGF-like structures, namely France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and United Kingdom, and about others that were being planned (i.e. Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland) including those from Central and South Eastern European countries (i.e. Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine). Certain participants from outside Europe stressed the importance of the establishment of a European IGF as a way to enhance European presence and credibility at the global level through the IGF. Better European cooperation with other regions of the world was also called for.

The objectives of a European dialogue platform should not only be for information exchange but also for the sharing of best practice, experience creation and expansion of knowledge, helping European stakeholders to be better informed in their decision making, developing and facilitating multi-stakeholder action, tracking national, regional and global progress in the use of ICTs, and enabling Europe to have a stronger voice at the global level through the IGF. There was consensus that a European IGF should help to influence the UN processes of deciding on the renewal of the IGF mandate in 2010 taking into account the influence of ICANN and its post JPA phase.

It was stated that the objective should not be for Europe to have only one voice but to identify common ground which is shared by all and spread through several voices which convey the same messages. This was pointed out to be one of the main strengths of Europe within this global process.

Discussion on the modus operandi of future EuroDIG – European IGF events highlighted:

• EuroDIG – the European IGF should operate as a platform network for national IGFs which allows for balanced multi-stakeholder participation (ensuring industry/private sector, youth and parliamentarian participation) supported by a light organisational structure with a flat organisational hierarchy and a small permanent centralised secretariat. The participants welcomed both the Council of Europe’s offer to provide secretariat support and the offer of assistance from OFCOM Switzerland to EuroDIG. The support of other European countries and institutions/organisations, such as the European Parliament, was also underlined, in particular as a follow-up to and outcome of the EuroDIG. The incoming Spanish Presidency of the European Union offered the possibility to take advantage of their semester to boost and to support the launch and the first EuroDIG – European IGF, allowing for a proper preparation of the 5th UN IGF that will take place in autumn 2010.

EuroDIG – the European IGF could usefully follow the rhythm of the IGF and its devolved structures and consultations such as the dynamic coalitions and IGF consultation meetings. For 2010, bearing in mind the planning of the 2010 IGF in Lithuania, the ICANN meetings on 7-12 March in Nairobi and on 20-25 June in Brussels, and the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference on 4-22 October in Veracruz (Mexico), it was deemed most appropriate for the EuroDIG-European IGF to be convened in late May or early/mid-June 2010.