Digital Single Market
Ansip plans new EU cybersecurity centre
EU digital chief Andrus Ansip wants to set up a new office to certify the cybersecurity level of technology products -- which would make them more competitive globally -- as part of an overhaul of the bloc's rules in September.
MEPs and ministers hit back on EU plan for longer spectrum licenses
MEPs and national ministers are stripping down an EU proposal to change how wireless radio spectrum is sold to telecoms companies.
New lead MEP could shift talks on contentious copyright bill
More rifts have opened up in the European Parliament's negotiations over a contentious copyright law overhaul after a new MEP stepped in to lead on talks.
MEPs to give telecoms regulators new muscle to police big firms
MEPs in charge of a sweeping new telecoms reform want to give national watchdogs new powers to control operators in countries where there is not enough competition.
Gabriel confirmed as new EU digital chief
Mariya Gabriel was confirmed Tuesday (4 July) as the next EU digital Commissioner and will become the youngest person ever to take on a top Commission post.
Juncker ‘depends’ on Estonia’s cybersecurity know-how
Council presidencies of “smaller member states are always the most effective,” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Friday (30 June) in Tallinn, one day before Estonia takes over for a six-month leadership role that will focus on digital policies and EU unity.
Digital skills: who is being left behind?
Some people are being left behind by the digital revolution. But how do you help people who don’t want to be helped?
Ansip: Estonia isn’t perfect enough to teach other countries tech
Andrus Ansip told EURACTIV.com in an interview that Estonia's digital success can't be copied everywhere and the 2007 cyber security attacks there would have been worse if EU countries hadn't shared information to help out.
Europe should tear down digital walls to help SMEs prosper
European SMEs operating in cyberspace need better legislation to facilitate cross-border trade and the Digital Single Market is the best platform to address the issue, writes Alf Nagel.
Member states and tech firms wary of EU ‘data flows’ plan
Tech companies want the European Commission to propose new legislation in autumn that they hope will bring down data storage costs in some countries. But rumoured changes have worried firms that France could pressure the executive to weaken the rules.
Half-digital Czech Republic anxious about cyber stability
The Czech Republic is one of the EU leaders in e-commerce. However, it is one of the worst in e-government. For example, one of the ministries uses 125 mutually unconnected databases. EURACTIV.cz reports.
Facebook hosts Brussels summit to help EU’s digital businesses grow
Whether you’re a furniture maker from Berlin, a traditional Aran sweater manufacturer in Ireland or a Polish wedding stationery designer, there’s no reason why national borders should hold your business back, writes Facebook's Ciaran Quilty.
Kallas: We’re ‘a very small bit closer’ to a digital single market
MEP Kaja Kallas told EURACTIV.com in an interview that Europe needs a law guaranteeing data flows across the bloc and shared her concerns about Digital Commissioner-designate Mariya Gabriel.
String of e-commerce bills struggle to keep pace
One-and-a-half years after the European Commission proposed a string of new laws aimed at making it easier for e-commerce businesses to sell and for customers to buy across the EU, negotiations on those bills are trudging ahead at different speeds.
EU telecoms watchdog: ‘We are independent and we bother powerful people’
Sébastien Soriano spoke to EURACTIV about what Yoda can teach us about EU telecoms law, accusations that he is lobbying to change draft rules, net neutrality and the likely new Digital Commissioner Mariya Gabriel.
Seventeen EU leaders ask Tusk for digital talks on ‘highest level’
On the eve of an EU summit, leaders from 17 EU countries have asked European Council President Donald Tusk for highest-level talks on EU digital policy, saying it was the single market’s main engine and should receive stronger political support.
Gabriel breezes through cozy hearing on way to top EU digital job
Mariya Gabriel, the 38-year-old Bulgarian MEP tipped to become the new EU digital chief, told MEPs during her approval hearing that she wants to “comply” with the European Commission's policy priorities.
Mobile roaming fees disappear, but MEPs want more EU rules
European mobile phone contracts are required to charge domestic rates for calls, SMS and data use when users travel in the EU starting today (15 June), capping off a ten-year fight to get rid of roaming fees.
The Brief, powered by Eni: EU wants us out of the roam zone
Hats off to the European Commission for squeezing two crowd-pleasing stories into one week. Just yesterday, Jean-Claude Juncker celebrated the 1 million 'Erasmus babies' (TMI, really) during a celebration of the programme. Tomorrow the EU wants to score again when it gets rid of mobile roaming fees within Europe.
Darknet guru: New technology can help build European identity
Modern technology could shore up the European project, boost transparency and help governments collect taxes. Author Jamie Bartlett told EURACTIV.com that the EU should become the great technological innovator but warned that politicians simply aren’t prepared for massive changes ahead.
EU agrees to fund free Wi-Fi for European towns with no internet coverage
European Union legislators agreed yesterday (29 May) to set aside €120 million to provide free wireless internet connections by 2020 to up to 8,000 municipalities in the EU in areas with no internet coverage.
EU cybersecurity agency seeks funds and power to police attacks
The EU cybersecurity agency ENISA will get a makeover in September when the European Commission renews its mandate and presents a batch of new cybersecurity measures. The director of the Athens-based agency has been asking for a bigger budget to deal with the rise in attacks on internet-connected devices.
Member states want to change investment rules in telecoms overhaul
EU countries have changed measures on network investment in a major telecoms bill and are kicking negotiations into the second half of this year.
Member states want looser data rules in draft ePrivacy bill
EU member states are divided over a proposal to change privacy rules for telecoms operators, with some countries calling for looser rules on when they can use consumers' personal data.