MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the renewal of the mandate of the Internet Governance Forum
4.2.2015 - (2015/2526(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 123(2) of the Rules of Procedure
David Borrelli, Dario Tamburrano, Laura Ferrara, Marco Zullo, Isabella Adinolfi, Tiziana Beghin, Rolandas Paksas on behalf of the EFDD Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0099/2015
B8‑0131/2015
European Parliament resolution on the renewal of the mandate of the Internet Governance Forum
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its resolution of 23 June 2005 on the information society[1],
– having regard to its resolution of 14 March 2006 on a European information society for growth and employment[2],
– having regard to its resolution of 17 January 2008 on the second Internet Governance Forum, held in Rio de Janeiro from 12 to 15 November 2007[3],
– having regard to the Geneva Declaration of Principles and the Plan of Action of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), adopted in Geneva on 12 December 2003,
– having regard to the Commission communication of 13 July 2004 entitled ‘Towards a Global Partnership in the Information Society: Translating the Geneva principles into actions’ (COM(2004)0480),
– having regard to the WSIS Tunis Commitment and Agenda for the Information Society, adopted in Tunis on 18 November 2005,
– having regard to the Council of Europe submission of 10 August 2007 to the second Internet Governance Forum, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 12 to15 November 2007,
– having regard to the Commission communication of 27 April 2006 entitled ‘Towards a Global Partnership in the Information Society: Follow-up to the Tunis Phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)’ (COM(2006)0181),
– having regard to its recommendation of 26 March 2009 to the Council on strengthening security and fundamental freedoms on the Internet[4],
– having regard to its resolution of 15 June 2010 on ‘internet governance: the next steps’[5],
– having regard to the joint statement of the EU delegation to the Internet Governance Forum held in Istanbul from 2 to 5 September 2014,
– having regard to Rule 123(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the purpose of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is to carry out its mandate from the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) to convene for democratic, transparent and multi-stakeholder policy dialogue;
B. whereas the main role and function of the IGF is to discuss a wide range of issues relating to internet governance and, where appropriate, to make recommendations to the international community to help develop solutions;
C. whereas the internet is becoming one of the fundamental communication instruments, with a tremendous impact on society as whole, and whereas, furthermore, it represents a decisive tool for adequately addressing transversal problems falling within different policy areas, and, if used fairly and properly, is one of the most powerful resources for successfully addressing the social, cultural, educational and economic challenges facing a globalised society;
D. whereas the last IGF, held in Istanbul from 2 to 5 September 2014, attracted more than 3 300 people and many more participated remotely;
E. whereas the 2014 IGF has been able to play a role in facilitating timely policy debates, bringing people together from all stakeholder groups to engage as equals in a dialogue on public policy issues relating to the internet and its governance;
F. whereas the priorities for the European Union during the ninth IGF, held in September 2014, were the expansion of internet access globally, maintenance of the internet as a global, open and common resource, non-discriminatory access to knowledge, rejection of the idea of a state-controlled internet, greater accountability and transparency in the ‘multi-stakeholder’ internet governance model, a stable and secure mandate for continuation of the IGF, and recognition that our fundamental freedoms and human rights are not negotiable and must be protected online;
G. whereas significant participation in the last IGF demonstrated citizens’ willingness to discuss the internet’s governance challenges and its opportunities to boost economic growth, competitiveness and societal and cultural benefits;
H. whereas the IGF has proven to be an efficient platform for the coordination of information exchange, the creation of knowledge, the sharing of best practices, and multi-stakeholder implementation activities;
I. whereas it is essential to ensure participation by civil society and SMEs in order to take into account the diversity of their situations and to evaluate the consequences of proposals on the businesses concerned;
J. whereas it is worth continuing the IGF model, which should preserve its main characteristic of being an independent, open forum for dialogue and the exchange of best practices between governments, and one of the main contributors to free competition in the context of the internet;
K. whereas in 2005, in Tunis, the WSIS committed to building a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented information society premised on the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and which respects fully and upholds the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
L. whereas the protection of minors’ rights on the web and the protection and promotion of freedom of expression need to be guaranteed;
M. whereas it is important to guarantee protection of citizens’ right to privacy;
1. Considers that the internet must be for all, with the same rules, as it is a powerful instrument of communication and its benefits should be shared by all the world’s citizens;
2. Believes that the Internet Governance Forum is indeed a valuable platform for an international dialogue on internet issues and is worth preserving; points out that the revolving five-year mandate is a barrier to long-range planning and investment; believes that there is a need to establish a stable platform to facilitate and increase global participation; considers that longer-range planning is necessary in order to guarantee credibility and meet the needs of the multi-stakeholder community;
3. Stresses that the IGF is an open forum with the aim of achieving a common vision and a shareable commitment to building an inclusive and development-oriented information society; underlines the need to secure an open and independent internet forum based on the initiatives and needs of stakeholders; stresses the importance of preserving its independence from multinational companies;
4. Notes that the IGF offers a positive and concrete context for a democratic dialogue on the internet’s future on the basis of an issue-oriented agenda; considers that an inclusive and coordinated approach at the national, regional and international levels is fundamental; stresses the importance of all the political groups being represented at international forums;
5. Highlights the importance of interactive and transparent consultations with representative associations, civil society and SMEs, and believes that medium-sized enterprises are capable of creating jobs and stimulating growth in the ICT sector; stresses that it is important to remove unnecessary barriers and to stimulate entrepreneurship;
6. Emphasises the need to guarantee net and technology neutrality, to reduce the digital divide between states and regions, to develop ICT through genuine competition between operators and service providers, to bring about the comprehensive harmonisation of copyright and related rights in the information society so as to safeguard citizens’ rights as enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, while complying with copyright principles and protecting, in any case, the rights of authors and creators, and to consider the web to be a shared space for the free and full circulation of culture and knowledge;
7. Believes in the importance of keeping the internet an open and censorship-free zone where all the world’s citizens can communicate freely with each other in line with the principles of transparency, multilateralism, democracy, protection of human rights, and freedom of expression;
8. Highlights the strategic value of the internet in bringing the Institutions closer to citizens’ interests and improving their performance, effectiveness and transparency; recalls the internet’s underlying role of strengthening civic commitment and the democratic and direct participation of civil society in community life at all levels;
9. Calls for more attention to be given to reinforcing the safe exploration of the internet by children, and to strengthening international cooperation in the fight against damaging and illegal content online, in particular with regard to the sexual abuse of children on the internet;
10. Underlines the importance of combating cybercrime, in particular with a view to increasing the protection of personal data security and privacy without restricting the open nature of the internet;
11. Believes that the internet can only continue to drive democracy and economic development if freedom of expression and access to information are guaranteed;
12. Calls on the UN General Assembly to renew the mandate of the IGF, to strengthen its resources and to maintain the multi-stakeholder model of internet governance;
13. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.