Belgian presidency pitches EU Council overhaul over digital diplomacy

The Belgian presidency of the EU Council of Ministers proposed changing the internal structure of the EU institution dealing with digital matters to make Europe’s voice better heard at the international level.

The Council is divided into over 150 working parties, preparatory bodies where the technical work is carried out before political approval. The fact that the Council’s internal structure is inadequately placed to deal with digital matters is a recurring theme in the institution representing European governments at the EU level.

The main technical body dealing with digital policy is the Telecom Working Party, a legacy of the pre-internet era. The Horizontal Working Party on Cyber Issues was established in 2016 to deal more specifically with cybersecurity matters.

However, the horizontal nature of digital technologies means legislative files in this area are often scattered around several working parties, limiting the formation of a consistent approach to digital matters.

For instance, the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act, two of this mandate’s most influential digital files, were assigned to the Working Party on Internal Market and Competitiveness Working Party, respectively.

Belgium is only the last country to attempt to rationalise the current arrangement, with the latest attempt by the Czech presidency in the second half of 2022.

While there is significant inertia and resistance to changing the existing setting, the Belgian presidency might have a better chance considering the upcoming EU elections and the fact that the European Parliament is adopting an overall reform of its internal bodies.

EU countries mull strengthening cooperation on digital diplomacy

At a Working Party on Telecommunications and Information Society meeting on Wednesday (15 February), European governments all seemed to agree the digital dimension of the EU’s foreign policy needs to be enhanced, but how to do it still needs to be decided.

The prompt for the Belgian proposal, seen by Euractiv, to be discussed in a joint Cyber and Telecom Working Party meeting on Friday (12 January), comes from the external dimension, as the current setting is seen as hampering the EU’s role as the world’s self-appointed digital regulator.

Push for digital diplomacy

In July 2022, the Council adopted conclusions calling for digital diplomacy to become an integral part of the EU’s external action. The discussion picked up pace early last year as several member states pushed for the UN telecom agency International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to set up an office in Brussels.

Although the idea of the ITU office did not fly, the overall discussion on how to better ensure the coordination of EU countries internationally was kept alive upon the insistence of countries like Poland, Portugal, and Lithuania.

“The opportunities for the EU to have a strong impact and role are legio, building on its position as a global frontrunner in developing regulatory measures, its role as a trusted standard-setter, its multilateral and multistakeholder involvement, the ongoing efforts to support partners worldwide and to genuinely tackle the digital divide,” reads the Belgian note.

The document lists a series of options that result from informal consultations Belgium has been running with national delegations, the Council’s secretariat, the Commission, and the European External Action Service (EEAS).

“A clear majority of interlocutors expressed a sentiment that the current situation and approach is detrimental to defending European interests. The current exercise to reflect on a better approach was therefore explicitly welcomed,” the note continues.

EU ministers to discuss roadmap to bolster coordination at UN telecom agency

European governments are set to discuss how the EU can better make its voice heard at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations telecom agency, and might request the EU executive and diplomatic branches provide a roadmap.

The point regarding …

The problems indicated are the fragmentation of the topics covered in international initiatives like the EU-US Trade and Technology Council, with no technical body having clear ownership of digital diplomacy, resulting in member states’ limited involvement.

The technical nature of digital technologies and the diversity of international fora covering these issues are seen as increasing the complexity and need for coordination.

Thus, the Belgian proposal is centred around the principles of political ownership, effective engagement of EU countries, coherence between internal and external policies and keeping up with international development.

Regarding the process, the Belgians suggest having orientation debates on digital diplomacy at the Foreign Affairs Council and Telecom Council, regular discussions at the ambassador level and dedicated time to debate the international agenda within the working parties.

The note also asks the Commission and EEAS to systematically brief national delegations on the external dimension of digital affairs more, providing a calendar of the upcoming engagements in multilateral, international, regional, and bilateral initiatives.

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This article was updated with a correction on the role of the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications.

The United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is considering opening up a new office in Brussels amid calls from EU countries to represent …

Laying out options

In terms of institutional setup, the presidency’s document outlines four options. The first one envisages formalising the current acquis, with the Cyber Working Party in charge of digital diplomacy and the Telecom one responsible for other external digital issues.

The second scenario would centralise all the digital discussions, including on diplomacy, in the Telecom Working Party, which would then become divided into two subgroups focused on internal legislative files and external aspects, respectively.

The third setting mirrors the second one but moves all external digital actions to the Cyber Working Party.

Finally, the Belgians mull establishing a new working party since “by focusing on these international topics in a specific working party we could allow for the mainstreaming of digital topics into EU foreign policy.”

This option would require a formal decision by EU ambassadors with a clear mandate. According to the note, in the long run, this new working party could also absorb the cyber diplomacy portfolio and include the appointment of a digital coordinator on the model of the counter-terrorism one.

[Edited by Nathalie Weatherald]

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