Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-06-22-Speech-3-155"
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"en.20050622.18.3-155"2
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".
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I believe that this report on the information society, dealing with the UN World Summit in Tunis in November, is a useful and timely initiative. It confirms the interest you have already shown in this summit, both through the participation of several Members of Parliament in the Geneva session in December 2003 and through your regular debates on the information society.
The Commission attaches a great deal of importance to the summit and is also devoting considerable efforts to it in close liaison with the Member States. This is no coincidence, for the vision of the information society adopted by the international community in the UN framework is in line with European thinking, which extends beyond the technological dimension to encompass the impact of the relevant technology on society and social welfare. I should therefore like to emphasise our concordance of views with the analysis presented by Mrs Trautmann and to tell you how much the Commission appreciates the work that has been done on its behalf. Indeed, the report clearly identifies the main issues of the summit, namely the development dimension and the importance of the social component of the digital divide, the role of technology in improving essential public services, in increasing popular participation in decision-making processes and, ultimately, in developing participatory democracy. The same applies to the subjects on the agenda, such as governance of the Internet, financing, partnerships and the follow-up to the summit.
In addition, your report rightly stresses the significance of a consistent approach on the part of the Community. It also underlines the importance of participation by civil society and mobilisation of the private sector. For the future, it supports the Commission’s proposals in general and proposes a follow-up focusing on targeted initiatives in the various areas of Community competence.
In this context, I should like to inform you that, on 2 June of this year, the Commission adopted a communication which lays the foundations of the European position for the summit, a position that the Council should set out in the form of conclusions in Luxembourg this coming Monday.
What we expect from Tunis may be summed up as follows: confirmation of the Geneva declaration on an inclusive information society respecting human rights, freedom of expression and cultural and linguistic diversity; a summit focused on action and devoting its attention to a limited number of priorities; an agreement on financing which will result in higher priority being attached to information and communication technology within the existing mechanisms and which incorporates the Digital Solidarity Fund created in Geneva.
The Internet has become an essential resource for all countries; for this reason, we should be committed to a more international form of governance of the Internet, the practicalities of which must be compatible with the responsibility of governments to their citizens. A new model of cooperation is needed in order to translate into practice the provisions of the declaration of principles adopted at the Geneva summit relating to the crucial role of all parties involved in this governance. As far as the follow-up to the summit is concerned, our wish is for a simple, effective, decentralised solution that makes use of existing organisations and their coordination mechanisms.
Lastly, I should like to say to the rapporteur and her collaborators that I share their concern about the human-rights situation in Tunisia. The situation is far from satisfactory in many areas, particularly as regards freedom of expression and association. For my part, I have taken every available opportunity to express the view that the host country of a summit must be irreproachable in its adherence to the principles approved at preceding summits. I also attach great importance to the full participation of NGOs at the Tunis summit, and I should like to say to Mrs Trautmann that I shall, if at all possible, attend the hearing she is organising to consult the European NGOs prior to the summit.
In conclusion, I wish to congratulate your Assembly on this report and to assure you that the Commission will heed your recommendations and follow them up. Let me also express my conviction that the message you are delivering will strengthen the position of the European Union in the global arena."@en1
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