Internet Policy in the EU

Latest news and information on the Internet policies of the European Union.

Google hit by EU anti-trust charges over Android — 21 April 2016, 16:14 CET

The European Commission accused Google Wednesday of breaching EU antitrust rules, 'abusing its dominant position' in the Android market by imposing various restrictions on manufacturers and mobile operators.

EU scientists to benefit from 'European cloud' — 19 April 2016, 19:10 CET

A new 'European cloud', unveiled by EU Science Commissioner Carlos Moedas, is to give Europe's researchers and scientists a new virtual environment to help them reap the benefits of a revolution in 'big data'.

Commission plans to digitise Europe's industry — 19 April 2016, 19:08 CET

The European Commission set out plans Tuesday to help European industry make the most of new digital technologies and to boost investment in the sector.

MEPs back EU directive on use of Passenger Name Records — 14 April 2016, 17:31 CET

Airlines will have to hand national authorities passengers' data for all flights from third countries to the EU and vice versa under a directive regulating the use of Passenger Name Record data in the EU, approved by the European Parliament.

EU votes in new rules for personal data protection — 17 April 2016, 23:37 CET

Euro-MPs have given the green light to new EU data protection rules aiming to give citizens back control of their personal data and create a high, uniform level of data protection across the EU.

EU set to strengthen data protection rules — 12 April 2016, 00:57 CET

The EU is set to give the final nod to a legislative package on reform of its data protection rules, following first reading adoption by the Council.

EU-U.S. Privacy Shield legal texts — 29 February 2016, 13:47 CET

The European Commission issued on 29 February the legal texts that will put in place the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield as well as a Communication summarising action taken to restore trust in transatlantic data flows since the 2013 surveillance revelations.

The Digital Economy & Society Index (DESI) — 25 February 2016, 17:14 CET

The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) is a composite index that summarises relevant indicators on Europe’s digital performance and tracks the evolution of EU member states in digital competitiveness.

How digital is your country? Digital Economy and Society Index 2016 — 25 February 2016, 16:37 CET

The European Commission published on 25 February the results of the 2016 edition of the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI). The findings show that EU Member States have made progress in areas such as connectivity and digital skills, as well as in public services, since the publication of the Commission's Digital Single Market Strategy last year.

5G and the EU — 24 February 2016, 16:01 CET

The 'fifth generation' of telecommunications systems, or 5G, will be the most critical building block of our "digital society" in the next decade. Europe has taken significant steps to lead global developments towards this strategic technology.

EU-US Privacy Shield — 02 February 2016, 18:49 CET

The European Commission and the United States agreed on 3 February a new framework for transatlantic data flows: the EU-US Privacy Shield.

EU data protection reform to boost the Digital Single Market — 16 December 2015, 00:39 CET

The European Commission, Parliament and Council agreed in final negotiations between the three institutions on 15 December EU Data Protection Reform first put forward by the Commission in 2012, with the aim of making Europe 'fit for the digital age'.

European Commission plans to modernise EU digital contract rules and promote access to digital content and online sales across the EU — 09 December 2015, 16:53 CET

The European Commission presented on 9 December a proposal to allow Europeans to travel with their online content and an action plan to modernise EU copyright rules.

EU - China partnership on 5G — 28 September 2015, 22:49 CET

The EU and China have signed a milestone agreement in the global race to develop 5G networks, during today's EU-China High Level Economic and Trade Dialogue in Beijing.

EU-US data protection "Umbrella agreement" — 09 September 2015, 00:29 CET

The EU has finalised negotiations with the United States on high data protection standards for transatlantic law enforcement cooperation. The finalisation of the Umbrella Agreement negotiations is seen as an important step to strengthen the fundamental right to privacy effectively and to rebuild trust in EU-US data flows.

Stronger data protection rules for Europe — 15 June 2015, 23:41 CET

Ministers in the Justice Council sealed on 15 June a general approach on a European Commission proposal on the Data Protection Regulation. Modern, harmonised data protection rules will contribute to making Europe fit for the digital age and are a step forward to the EU Digital Single Market. Trilogue negotiations with the Parliament and the Council will start in June; the shared ambition is to reach a final agreement by the end of 2015.

Antitrust: formal Commission investigation into Amazon e-book distribution arrangements — 11 June 2015, 16:24 CET

The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation into certain business practices by Amazon in the distribution of electronic books ("e-books").

Digital Single Market for Europe — 07 May 2015, 15:40 CET

The European Commission unveiled on 6 May detailed plans to create a Digital Single Market, thereby delivering on one of its top priorities.

E-commerce sector inquiry - factsheet — 06 May 2015, 15:57 CET

The European Commission has launched a competition inquiry into the e-commerce sector in the European Union in the context of the Digital Single Market Strategy. The sector inquiry will focus on those goods and services in which e-commerce is most widespread such as electronics, clothing and shoes, as well as digital content. It will cover all EU Member States.

EU investigation against Google in relation to Android mobile operating system — 15 April 2015, 13:37 CET

The European Commission has opened formal proceedings against Google to investigate in-depth if the company’s conduct in relation to its Android mobile operating system as well as applications and services for smartphones and tablets has breached EU antitrust rules.

EU investigation into Google comparison shopping service — 15 April 2015, 13:39 CET

The European Commission has sent a Statement of Objections to Google outlining the Commission's preliminary view that the company is abusing a dominant position, in breach of EU antitrust rules, by systematically favouring its own comparison shopping product in its general search results pages in the European Economic Area (EEA).

Digital Single Market Strategy — 25 March 2015, 20:04 CET

The European Commission's College of Commissioners on 25 March had a first discussion on the Digital Single Market Strategy due in May. It set out the main areas the Commission will focus its work on with the aim of triggering real changes for consumers and businesses alike.

How digital is your country? - Digital Economy and Society Index progress by country — 21 May 2018, 14:01 CET

Find here the most recent analysis and data by country. A selection of key documents and graphs are shown about topics such as broadband, internet activity and skills, egovernment, ICT in schools, research and innovation, as well as other main indicators.

ICT usage in enterprises in 2014 - Eurostat survey — 09 December 2014, 23:05 CET

Instead of building their own IT infrastructure, enterprises have the possibility to access computing resources hosted by third parties on the internet. This shared pool of resources is most commonly known as "cloud computing". As cloud computing services are delivered on-line, enterprises must have internet access to be able to use them, which was the case in 2014 for almost all enterprises (97%) employing 10 persons or more in the EU28. Although the share of firms with internet access was at very similar high levels across Member States, only a fifth (19%) used cloud computing services in 2014.

Public-Private Partnership for Big Data — 13 October 2014, 19:11 CET

The European Commission and Europe's data industry have committed to invest EUR 2.5 billion in a public-private partnership (PPP) that aims to strengthen the data sector and put Europe at the forefront of the global data race. Mastering big data could mean: up to 30% of the global data market for European suppliers; 100,000 new data-related jobs in Europe by 2020; 10% lower energy consumption, better health-care outcomes and more productive industrial machinery.