Answer given by Mr Oettinger on behalf of the Commission
8.1.2015
The Cloud Select Industry Group (C-SIG) was established with the aim of involving all relevant stakeholder groups in the implementation of the Cloud Computing Communication[1]. Any particular group or type of company may join at any time and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) do participate in its work. The C-SIG Subgroup on the Code of Conduct, as well as the Subgroup on Service Level Agreements, both include representatives of individual SMEs that provide cloud services, as well as organisations that represent SMEs. More information about both Subgroups of the Cloud Select Industry Group (C-SIG) can found on the website of the European Commission[2].
The Commission has sought to ensure that the concerns of SMEs are taken into account during the drafting process of the Code of Conduct, which is still in preparation. This has included inviting greater SME participation in the relevant drafting group, as well as working with all those involved to ensure that the Code, while representing a solid and credible basis for ensuring adequate data protection, is appropriate to the needs and resource constraints of SMEs. This reflects the wider efforts of the Commission in 2014 to get qualitative feedback in order to assess how well aligned the deliverables of the Cloud Computing Communication are to the needs of cloud service users in the private sector, including SME cloud users.