The world s largest association of Internet Services Providers

The world s largest association of Internet Services Providers

WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT As an organisation we promoted the benefits of establishing a workable legislative framework to build trust in the network and enhance security. In this area our advocacy touched on several important topics, from developing the network and information security resilience of Member States, to protecting citizens privacy and ensuring the Internet is a safe place for children. In addition, we engaged in constructive dialogue with policymakers to help ensure the current copyright framework is fit for the digital age and supportive of innovation. In this, and other important issues such as the future of Internet governance, we echoed the Internet industry s views at the international level. From Istanbul to São Paulo, EuroISPA was a consistent contributor across the spectrum of issues facing the global Internet sector. We warmly welcome the decision of Commission President Juncker to create the new position of Commission Vice President for the Digital Single Market, a move EuroISPA had recommended for a number of years. Indeed, I would also like to welcome the election of our new colleagues in the European Parliament; EuroISPA looks forward to working alongside MEPs from across Europe and across the political spectrum. The past year was an exciting and eventful one for EuroISPA. The European Parliament elections in May and the accession of the Juncker Commission in the autumn constituted just two of the many important events that had an impact on the Internet sector in 2014. Throughout 2014, EuroISPA continued to advocate to key European-level policymakers on the issues that matter most to our members. Indeed, in 2015 we will continue this effort, working to create a legislative environment that encourages innovation and secures the fundamental open characteristics of the Internet. As the early actions of the Juncker Commission illustrate, there is a growing awareness at policymaking level that the Internet sector will be the engine driving the European economy forward in the coming years. This is exactly in line with our association s vision - as set out in the EuroISPA 2020 strategy. By leveraging the insights of its varied membership, EuroISPA would like to contribute to these ongoing discussions by highlighting to European policymakers in both the Commission and the Parliament how the sectors we represent are key enablers across many areas of the economy. This document reflects upon our activities in the past year, activities aimed at creating an integrated digital market across Europe that works for both consumers and business. Equipped with this report and the strategic direction set out in EuroISPA 2020, we will build on last year s work and continue to contribute effectively to the debates surrounding Europe s move from the so-called digital economy to an economy that has become digital. Oliver Süme President of EuroISPA 3

ABOUT EUROISPA About EuroISPA and its Members The European Internet Services Providers Association, EuroISPA, is the world s largest association of Internet Services Providers (ISPs) representing the interests of more than 2.300 ISPs across the EU and the EFTA countries. EuroISPA is a major voice of the Internet industry on information society subjects such as cybercrime, data protection, e-commerce regulation, EU telecommunications law and safe use of the Internet. Council Association Members and Forum Members of EuroISPA represent several different types of intermediaries through the whole internet value chain. SMEs/multinational companies Platforms Hotlines Internet exchanges Hosting providers EuroISPA Activities Telecom operators EuroISPA activities covered a broad range of activities in 2014 following the interests of its Members, the developments of the internet industry as well as the legislative agendas of the European Institutions. In 2014 the following main activities can be identified as core activates of the association : European legislative monitoring and industry positioning By following the work of European institutions EuroISPA ensures that Members are up-todate on all relevant European developments. In matters of common interest the association also ensures that industry opinions are channeled in the institutional discussions. Policy discussions in dedicated working groups The policy work covered by EuroISPA concentrates on the dedicated working groups of the association. The policy committees ensure the smooth cooperation and best-practice exchange through mutual exchange of information and priority-setting. European institutional engagements Participation at the European institutions stakeholder dialogues and working groups ensure that the association members remain closely involved as key stakeholders in the European Institutions work. Industry coalition building EuroISPA works together on common policy matters with other European associations to amplify the key messages of the association. Event organization Through the organization of events and via participation at international conferences EuroISPA ensures the visibility of the association and its members at important industry fora. Communication and media outreach Via its Communication pilot project and social media engagement, EuroISPA ensures the opportunity for media outreach on specific topics. International network of information exchange EuroISPA presence in all major internet events provides an opportunity for Members to be part of international discussions. The association also offers the possibility to exchange information and cooperate with other international associations. 4

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 Increasing number of ISPs represented in Europe Thanks to the dynamic nature of the Internet sector, and the continuously evolving national and European legislative environment, EuroISPA s national membership base reached an unforeseen level in 2014. The association now represents the interest of more than 2300 ISPs across the European Union and the EFTA countries. Information and national experience exchange 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 900 Total represented companies EuroISPA Council members 2006-2014 1000 1700 1800 2295 2006 2008 2009 2010 2014 The Secretariat provided members with up-to-date information and analysis on European developments of interest. The committee mailing lists ensured that the latest policy developments reached all interested members, while the monthly reports allowed all members to receive a general overview of the Association s overall activity. Internal policy papers summarised background information, association messaging, and action points on each policy followed by EuroISPA. Active policy discussions in dedicated policy Working groups and continuous development of industry positions EuroISPA member policy discussions and best practice exchanges were supported by dedicated mailing lists and committee conference calls. This coordinated approach enabled EuroISPA to contribute to the development of the European policy framework on several fields. Cybercrime & security Data protection & privacy Innovation & growth Intermediary liability Market & services Network neutrality Safer internet International affairs 5

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 In order to ensure an innovation-friendly environment for European businesses and the realisation of a truly Digital Single Market, the EuroISPA contributed to the copyright public consultation and actively followed discussions on Intellectual property rights enforcement. The establishment of security and trust is crucial for both citizens and for the development of businesses in Europe, therefore EuroISPA provided regular inputs to policy discussions on the General Data Protection Regulation and the Network and Information security Directive. At the same time the association made sure that policy makers also take into account citizens fundamental rights while considering questions related to data retention. EuroISPA continuously followed the developments on European Data retention legislation within the Commission working group and the consequence of the Court of Justice judgment cancelling the Directive. At the same time, thanks to the support of dedicated hotline members, the association tries to keep track of the future Safer Internet for Kids related projects and funding and exchange information about national developments in the field. Alongside ensuring regular presence at key international internet events, the association also engaged in dialogue with the European Commission to ensure a united European approach to an Open Internet with the participation of all relevant stakeholders. In 2014 EuroISPA was happy to welcome the renewed European Institutions. The association and its high level digital coalition partners advocated for the prioritization of ICT and digital matters during the restructuring of the European Commission and contacted Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker s to support him in his intention to complete the Digital Single market as high priority. European institutional engagements Throughout 2014, EuroISPA continuously engaged with policy makers through face-to-face meetings, attending Commission working groups, stakeholder briefings, workshops and hearings in both the Commission and the European Parliament. The main dedicated working groups and platforms of interest this year included : European Commission s data retention expert group Commission s Network and Information Security (NIS) Public-Private platform European Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights Media Talks European Internet Foundation in the European Parliament Transatlantic Trade and investment partnership stakeholder briefings Industry coalition building EuroISPA worked together on common policy matters of interest together with other associations to amplify the key messages of the association : Industry Coalition on Data Protection (ICDP) Content Coalition with ETNO, ECTA, Cable Europe and GSMA Copyright for Creativity group (C4C) Security Alliance for Europe (SAFE) 6

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 Events On 4th June 2014, Innocenzo Genna, Officer of EuroISPA represented the association at the IFCLA 2014 Conference (International Federation of Computer Law Association), in Antwerp. On 19 March 2014, EuroISPA co-organised with eco, the Association of the German Internet Industry, a policy Breakfast in the European Parliament. The event hosted by MEP Nadja Hirsch gathered around 40 participants, including members of Parliament and their staff, permanent representatives and company representatives to discuss The Future of Internet Governance who rules the Internet. In cooperation with the Security Alliance for Europe (SAFE Coalition), EuroISPA organized a high level cyber security dinner. Malcolm Hutty, chair of the Cybercrime and security committee, and the secretariat represented the association at the event. The dinner provided a great opportunity for Members of the coalition and Member States representatives to discuss the issue of how Europe can achieve a cyber-resilient internal market. On 10 June 2014, Oliver Sueme President of EuroISPA, represented EuroISPA at the event Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group General Meeting (MAAWG) in Brussels. Oliver gave a presentation on the General Data Protection Regulation and state of play of discussions. The 7 th European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG) took place on the 12 th and 13 th of June in Berlin. Over 700 participants from 67 countries attended the event sponsored, amongst other organisations, by the European Internet Services Providers Association. EuroISPA co-organised a panel discussion moderated by Oliver Süme, EuroISPA President, which focused on A secure and non-fragmented cyberspace : Rule of law in a cross-border environment. This year, HostingCon is expanding to Europe for the first time with an event in Amsterdam on the 14 th and 15 th of October. Following the successful panel that EuroISPA organised at EuroDIG, EuroISPA supported the first HostingCon in Europe with the organization of panel discussion. The discussion focused on the subject of data protection revision and particularly the debated Right to be forgotten. On 3 December 2014, Oliver Süme, President of EuroISPA was invited to give a speech on The Future of Internet Governance - visions of multi-stakeholder governance at the IEEE Summit on Internet Governance. The one-day Summit brought together influential policy specialists alongside prominent engineers and scientists, to discuss critical issues in technology policy for Europe and beyond. 7

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 International network of information exchange EuroISPA s presence at the main international events is regularly guaranteed by its Members. In 2014 the association was present at the following events : CDMSI: media working group of the Council of Europe ICANN: Participation in 3 ICANN meetings (March, June and October) IGF meeting in Istanbul 2-5 September 2014. EuroDIG: sponsored the event and moderated a panel discussion 12-13 June, in Berlin. 23-24 April, Global Stakeholder Meeting on the future of Internet Governance in São Paulo, Brazil I2C US: meeting and contact with the US Internet Infrastructure Coalition On 23, 24 April 2014 the Global Multistakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance took place in São Paulo, Brazil. Following the US announcement to transition key Internet domain name functions to the global multistakeholder community, the conference focused mainly on net neutrality and mass surveillance. Ahead of the meeting EuroISPA contributed to the NETmundial consultation launched by the organisers, and emphasized that the global structure of the Internet must be preserved. The association s commitments were renewed as observer of the CDMSI working group of the Council of Europe with a future engagement regarding the Human Rights Guidelines review. International networking and industry cooperation is an important task of EuroISPA. As part of this dedication EuroISPA contribute to the Australian copyright consultation. Communication In 2014 EuroISPA launched a Communication Pilot project in order to increase the outreach to European media and decision makers. Via weekly press releases and varied social media channels the association s key positions successfully reached the new institutions. @euroispa company/euroispa secretariat@euroispa.org www.euroispa.org 8

EUROISPA TEAM EuroISPA Officers Oliver J. Süme President Bart-Jan van Dijk Vice-President Innocenzo Genna Treasurer Michael Rotert Honorary Spokesman EuroISPA committee Chairs Maximilian Schubert Chair of Cybercrime and security committee Oliver J. Süme Chair of Data protection and privacy committee Innocenzo Genna Chair of Innovation and growth, Net neutrality committees Malcolm Hutty Chair of International affairs, Intermediary liability committees Paul Durrant Co-Chairs of Safer Internet committee Nicolas D Arcy Co-Chairs of Safer Internet committee EuroISPA Council Members Austria Belgium Czech Republic Finland France Germany Ireland Italy Norway Romania United Kingdom Association des Fournisseurs d Accès et de Services Internet Associazione Italiana Internet Providers Asociatia Nationala a Internet Service Providerilor din România Správce Domény CZ Association of the German Internet Industry Fédération Française des Télécoms 9

EUROISPA TEAM FiCom IKT Norge Internet Service Providers Austria Belgian Internet Service Providers Association Internet Service Providers Association of Ireland The Internet Services Providers Association The London Internet EuroISPA Forum Members Secretariat Andrea D Incecco Head of Policy Isabelle De Vinck Head of Secretariat Esther Bley Accountancy Eszter Bako Policy Executive Wieke van der Kroef Intern 10

EuroISPA - European Internet Services Providers Association Rue Montoyer 39-1000 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 (0)2 550.41.14 e-mail: secretariat@euroispa.org website: www.euroispa.org