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ByBy Michiel van Hulten, ICOMP Secretariat New Digital Agenda Commissioner sets out her agenda. With the new Commission set to take office in early February, Neelie Kroes, who will take on the newly-created Digital Agenda portfolio, set out her ideas for the future.
In a public confirmation hearing with the European Parliament's Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) on 14 January, Ms Kroes explained her priorities, including:
- Infrastructure. Investment in dense, open high-speed broadband networks
- A truly online single market "for goods, for both commercial and cultural content and for services not yet imagined"
- Trust and Security in the online market place
- Open standards and interoperability
- A deeper commitment towards research and innovation
- Improving internet access and skills needed to benefits of ICT technologies
Ms Kroes described Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as the drivers for growth and employment in Europe, expressing the hope that the new Digital Agenda would produce "European solutions that enable better and more prosperous daily lives for all Europeans".
Her favoured approach is to work closely with industry and stakeholders, but has made it clear that if that does not produce proper solutions "the public authorities have to take their responsibilities in order to achieve our common objectives".
When questioned by MEPs about net neutrality, Ms Kroes replied that the Commission supports the concept and intends to protect it. The core issue was that internet providers "shouldn't be allowed to limit the access to service or content out of commercial motivation but only in cases of security issues and spamming", she explained.
Although "not a goal in itself, but a means to make changes", Ms Kroes spoke of her ambition to create a single European online market by the end of her mandate in 2015, suggesting that this could be achieved by bringing together industry, users and regulators.
Ms Kroes had a shaky start to her new tenure: her initial public hearing was followed by a second meeting behind closed doors after she failed to impress lawmakers. Following the second meeting, MEPs seemed confident that they could work with the new Commissioner, who has already assembled a strong team around her.
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