Explanatory Memorandum

1. The right to education is enshrined in Article 2 of Protocol 1 to the ECHR. The Recommendation CM/Rec(2007)16 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on measures to promote the public service value of the Internet encourages the creation and processing of and access to educational, cultural and scientific content in digital form, so as to ensure that all cultures can express themselves and have access to the Internet in all languages, including indigenous ones. Internet users should be able to freely access publicly funded research and cultural works on the Internet. Access to digital heritage materials, which are in the public domain, should also be freely accessible within reasonable restrictions. Conditions on access to knowledge are permitted in specific cases in order to remunerate right holders for their work, within the limits of permissible exceptions to intellectual property protection.

2. Internet users should have the ability to acquire basic information, education, knowledge and skills in order to exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms on the Internet. This is in line with the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers standards which promote computer literacy as a fundamental prerequisite for access to information, the exercise of cultural rights and the right to education through ICTs.

3. Internet literacy programmes and initiatives enable Internet users to critically analyse the accuracy and trustworthiness of Internet content. The Committee of Ministers has recommended that Council of Europe Member States should facilitate access to ICT devices and promote education to allow all persons, in particular children, to acquire the skills needed to work with a broad range of ICTs and assess critically the quality of information, in particular that which could be harmful to them.

Please see here the full text of the Explanatory Memorandum.