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EuroDIG (fourth edition)
Welcome statement
Prime Minister,
I would like to start by thanking the Prime Minister and the State Secretary for the Digital Agenda of Serbia, for hosting this fourth edition of the European Dialogue on Internet Governance. In particular, I would like to thank you for supporting the multi-stakeholder dialogue in Europe upon which EuroDIG is built and which serves as a model in the way we innovate, invest and build the Internet together. I would also like to welcome the more than 500 participants meeting in Belgrade and in particular the youth representatives whose presence has been possible thanks to the efforts of the New Media Summer School and the European Youth Forum. A warm welcome as well to those connecting to EuroDIG via the 12 remote hubs in and beyond Europe and special thanks to the many supporters and sponsors of this year’s EuroDIG. For an increasing number of reasons, we are encouraged to go online to accomplish an array of professional and personal tasks. Several European countries already offer their citizens a legal right to access broadband Internet. Social networking is becoming an essential part of people’s right to communicate and assembly. It is thus not surprising that time spent on the Internet is ever increasing. Moreover, we are discovering the enabling effects that Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) can have on democracy as demonstrated by the “Arab Spring” and we are beginning to understand that access to the Internet contributes to the achievement of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals while, creating better chances for employment, education and general well-being. I do not need to convince you about the interest of the Internet for our progress and advancement. We all feel part of the internet community and want to participate in the development of its potential. And rightly so. But how? For the Council of Europe, the key to a successful and sustainable process is trust. Trust in the governments, the business community and other forces influencing the net, trust in the system, the technologies and the services, trust in the capacity of all stakeholders to address the challenges together. Trust implies adhering to a community of values which serve to achieve the necessary checks and balances, protecting individuals and communities from wrongdoings. Online as offline, tensions between freedoms and rights have to be resolved following a series of principles. Criminal behaviour and abuses need to be prevented, reported and punished. Vulnerable users need to be empowered and protected. Positive action is needed in order to avoid the “digital exclusion” of some categories of population. Building trust in the internet means understanding and respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms in the design and provision of Internet services and technologies. It implies reinforcing the ability of the authorities and the internet users to protect and control personal data. It also means investing in children’s empowerment, protection and safety. It requires co-operation to prevent and address cybercrime. The confidence to do business online, and the ability to complain and seek redress are also key elements of trust in using the Internet with confidence. For the Council of Europe, trust is first and foremost about ensuring a maximum of rights, a minimum of restrictions and a level of security and dignity for Internet users. It is on this basis that the Council of Europe is making work on Internet governance a priority starting with the launch later this year of the CoE Strategy on Internet Governance 2012 - 2015. Last Friday, the G8 leaders closed their meeting in Deauville with a declaration called “renewed commitment for freedom and democracy”. Not surprisingly, the declaration contains a complete chapter on Internet in which the G-8 leaders confirm their commitment to human rights for the Internet. They reiterate the need to protect freedom from censorship, to guarantee openness, to secure the protection of personal data, preserve net neutrality, and promote transborder data flow.1 The Council of Europe welcomes this declaration and confirms its readiness to continue translating these values into concrete guidance and tools, together with its partners. To conclude, in wishing you a successful EuroDIG, I would add that this is not a typical conference event. It is rather a common endeavour, an experience. It is a process which culminates in sending inspiring “messages” to the global, regional and national communities. It is a space which is appropriated and shared by you as individuals, organisations, experts and other bodies that organise and drive EuroDIG forward. Rest assured that your voices are being heard, especially by the Council of Europe. Ladies and Gentlemen: Our societies face many important challenges and there is little chance we can address them if we fail to build trust. Trust in our institutions, communities, neighbours: trust in our future. I encourage you all, and especially the people of Serbia, to remain confident and keep promoting the values which will make this trust take root and help society as a whole to move towards economic and social progress. Thank you for your attention. |
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