Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social committee and the Committee of the Regions - Towards a Global Partnership in the Information Society : the Contribution of the European Union to the Second Phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
Date: 2005-06-02
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: information society, information technology, summit meeting, sustainable development, the EU's international role

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 02.6.2005 
COM(2005) 234 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 
TO THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, 
THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE 
COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Towards a Global Partnership in the Information Society:  
The Contribution of the European Union to the Second Phase of the 
World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
  
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 
TO THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, 
THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE 
COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Towards a Global Partnership in the Information Society:  
The Contribution of the European Union to the Second Phase of the 
World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) 

(Text with EEA relevance)  

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

Further to the second Preparatory Committee (PrepCom-2) meeting, the process leading to the 
second WSIS Summit meeting (Tunis, 16-18 November 2005) has entered a crucial phase. It 
should lead to an agreement on final documents presenting conclusions on the two unresolved 
issues from the first phase, Internet governance and financial mechanisms, and outline what 
form WSIS implementation and follow-up should take. 

In  parallel  to  the  WSIS  process,  the  European Union (EU) is  itself at an  important juncture 
with  regard  to  Information  Society  policies.  The  Commission  has  recently  launched  a  key 
initiative  to  boost  the  Lisbon  agenda  and  to  promote  higher  growth,  more  jobs  and  greater 
inclusion.  Policies  on  Information  and  Communication  Technologies  (ICTs),  content  and 
Research  and  Development  (R&D)  play  an  important  role  in  this  context.  Thus,  the 
Commission is about to present i2010, a new initiative to tap the economic potential of ICTs 
for  generating  growth  in  Europe.  In  addition,  the  Commission  has  just  tabled  two  major 
proposals  to  strengthen  Europe’s  position  in  ICTs:  the  seventh  R&D  Framework 
Programme  (FP7)  and  the  Competitiveness  and  Innovation  Programme  (CIP).1 
Furthermore,  the  EU  has  reviewed  its  contributions  to  the  Millennium  Development  Goals 
process.2 Finally, the EU is defining its position for the ongoing WTO negotiations, and for 
the  upcoming  2006  Plenipotentiary  Conference  of  the  International  Telecommunications 
Union (ITU).  

The EU should  capitalise on  the momentum from this  and  the  WSIS  process  to  support  the 
enhancement  of  the  Information  Society  within  its  Member  States  and  with  its  partner 
countries, in particular in emerging and developing regions. 

1 

2 

For i2010 and FP7 see infra. The ICT Policy-Specific Programme of CIP proposes € 800 million for 
2007-2013 to encourage take-up and use of ICTs (cf. press release IP/05/391 of 7 April 2005). 
Speeding up progress towards the Millennium Development Goals: The European Union’s contribution, 
COM(2005)  132  final;  Accelerating  progress  towards  the  Millennium  Development  Goals:  Financing 
for  development  and  aid  effectiveness,  COM(2005)  133  final;  Policy  coherence  for  development: 
Accelerating  progress  towards  the  Millennium  Development  Goals,  COM(2005)  134  final;  all  of  12 
April 2005. 

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This Communication sets out to provide the basis for discussions at the Telecommunications 
Council in June 2005 and thus to prepare common EU positions ahead of the third Preparatory 
Committee (PrepCom-3, 19-30 September 2005) and the Summit meeting in Tunis itself. 

2. 

EU PRIORITIES FOR TUNIS  

The  EU  aims  to  promote  an  Information  Society  for  all,  respectful  of  human  rights  and  of 
freedom  of  expression  and  cultural  and  linguistic  diversity,  as  stated  in  the  Declaration  of 
Principles  adopted  during  the  first  phase  of  the  Summit.3  This  is  the  vision  the  EU  will  be 
taking into the second phase of the WSIS to strengthen the sound foundations that have been 
laid for a global Information Society. It is preferable, therefore, not to reopen the debate on 
the issues settled in Geneva.  

The  EU  considers  that  the  main  objective  of  the  Tunis  phase  is  to  translate  principles  into 
actions,  and  to  trigger  a  broad  movement  among  all  stakeholders  towards  implementation, 
focusing  on  a  limited  number  of  priorities  to  achieve  tangible  results.  This  approach  was 
confirmed by the last Telecommunications Council conclusions.4  

In line with these conclusions, the EU should base its input into the second WSIS phase on 
the  priorities  and  experiences  with  EU  policies  described  in  the  following  section.  The 
Commission therefore considers appropriate to take stock of positive developments since the 
first WSIS phase, and to promote further actions in areas where progress has been made. To 
this  end,  the  EU  cooperates  as  well  with  third  countries  where  there  are  provisions  for 
coordinating positions in international bodies such as WSIS (e.g. with Russia, Ukraine). 

2.1. 

Preserving the Geneva acquis 

PrepCom-2 demonstrated the risks of reopening the debate on the agreed principles. The EU 
is  not  favourable  to  such  developments.  However,  should  the  debate  be  reopened,  the  EU 
should  stress  the  importance  it  attaches  to  the  critical  role  played  by  human  rights  in  the 
Information  Society.  That  role  is  rooted  in  the  wide  range  of  instruments  adopted  by  the 
international community relating to the freedom of expression and opinion and the freedom to 
receive  information,  including  the  Universal  Declaration  of  Human  Rights  and  the 
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The emergence of new media should not 
serve  as  a  pretext  to  undermine  full  respect  of  those  rights.  In  making  these  points,  the  EU 
could also draw on recent activities of the Council of Europe5, and on provisions which it has 
itself adopted in the human rights field, including the Charter of Fundamental Rights. 

As regards the location of the second Summit meeting in Tunisia, the EU notes that there are 
still  several  areas  at  odds  with  the  respect  of  human  rights,  in  particular  regarding  the 
freedom  of  expression  and  of  association.  These  freedoms  are  vital  to  the  democratic 
process and are likely to encourage economic and social development. As host country of the 
WSIS, Tunisia has the opportunity to set a good example by applying the Geneva Declaration 

3 
4 

5 

EN 

www.itu.int/wsis/index.html.  
Telecommunications Council of 9 December 2004; www.eu2004.nl/default.asp?CMS_TCP=tcpAsset& 
id=B44C0E30C17A46DA81E62332EA6C2B7AX1X51359X3 pp. 16ss. 
Ad-hoc 
www.coe.int/t/e/integrated_projects/democracy/02_Activities/00_CAHSI/.  

Information 

Committee 

(CAHSI), 

Experts 

Society 

the 

on 

of 

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of  Principles  and  the  Plan  of  Action.  The  EU  attaches  great  importance  to  the  full 
participation of NGOs, including from developing countries, in the WSIS.6  

As  regards  the  final  Tunis  documents,  the  EU  may  consider  raising  certain  issues  where 
progress has been made and could be taken even further. Since the first WSIS phase, tangible 
results can be observed in emerging economies as a consequence of setting up an appropriate 
enabling environment. The EU considers that this effort should be enhanced by backing the 
development of accesses with comprehensive strategies for Information Society development, 
including  the  development  of  creative  content  and  applications.  Priority  should  be  given  to 
inclusion and a better life for  citizens, including  ICTs for democracy,  good governance  and 
enhanced  protection  in  emergency  cases  (early  warning  systems  for  disaster  relief).  Finally, 
the role of active innovation policies in fostering ICTs must be stressed. 

2.2. 

Promoting the adoption of comprehensive Information Society strategies  

The  EU  sets  out  to  create  fresh  impetus  for  an  Information  Society  for  all.  This  should  be 
clearly reflected in political decisions and expressed through the adoption of comprehensive 
Information Society strategies at national and regional level in all UN Member States. These 
strategies should be developed in an open process and include all interested stakeholders. The 
EU has broad experience to offer on strategies and on regulatory issues.  

Strategies for the development of the Information Society: Under the forthcoming i2010 
initiative, the EU should take advantage of the momentum created by two developments: on 
the  one  hand,  ICTs  are  entering  a  period  of mass  deployment;  on  the  other,  a  new  wave  of 
technological  progress  is  emerging  from  the  convergence  of  computer  industries  and 
consumer  electronics.  i2010  should  focus  on  three  objectives:  building  a  Single  European 
Information Space; encouraging innovation and investment in ICTs; and ensuring inclusion, 
better  public  services  and  quality  of  life.  The  initiative  should  rely  on  an  implementation 
mechanism  built  around  benchmarking  and  exchange  of  best  practice,  and  around  policy 
coordination with stakeholders.  

Regulatory  environment:  The  European  electronic  communications  regulatory  framework 
came into force in 2002. Where it has been implemented consistently and effectively, it has 
opened  up  competition.  If  necessary,  new  technological  developments  can  be  taken  into 
account in a review scheduled for 2006. Outside the EU, the framework will be implemented 
by candidate countries, and it provides a point of reference for numerous third countries.  

The  EU  will  draw  on  its  experience  with  i2010  and  its  regulatory  framework  on  electronic 
communications in the regular external dialogue it holds with specific countries or groups of 
countries,  notably  with  the  Latin  American  and  Caribbean  countries  and  the  Mediterranean 
group. 

2.3. 

Seizing the dynamism and the impact of R&D 

The  European  R&D  Framework  Programmes  have  supported  ICT  projects  since  the  1980s. 
Under the current sixth Programme (2002-2006), € 3.6 billion is assigned to ICTs under the 
priority  “Information  Society  Technologies  (IST)”.  As  international  cooperation  in  R&D  is 

6 

Cf. EU final declaration on the occasion of the 5th EU-Tunisia Association Council, 31 January 2005. 

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also a high priority in European research, a total of € 315 million is earmarked in support of 
international cooperation.  

The Commission recently adopted its proposal for FP7 (2007-2013).7 The strong emphasis on 
ICTs should be upheld with the objective of enabling Europe to master and shape the future 
developments  of  ICTs  to  help  meet  the  demands  of  society  and  citizens.  To  this  end,  €  1.8 
billion  should  be  allocated  to  ICTs  annually.  The  new  IST  priority  should  focus  on 
technology,  new  perspectives  for  ICTs  (e.  g.  relations  with  life  sciences),  multi-disciplinary 
integration, and future and emerging technologies.  

Finally,  the  proposal  seeks  to  strengthen  international  cooperation  in  R&D  projects  in  the 
thematic areas through: a) the opening-up of all activities to researchers from third countries, 
and b) dedicated coordination actions targeted at specific countries or groups of countries (e.g. 
industrialised advanced countries, emerging and developing countries, candidate countries).  

This effort should be accompanied by horizontal actions to support international cooperation 
in  other  parts  of  the  FP,  notably  under  the  components  “Capacities”  and  “People”.  This 
should open up new opportunities for international cooperation. 

2.4. 

Developing e-applications and contents 

Since the beginning of the WSIS process, the EU has favoured concentrating on a few priority 
applications,  taking  into  account  both  their  value  for  citizens  and  the  direct  involvement  of 
public authorities in their deployment: e-education, e-government, e-health and a framework 
for e-business. These were priorities under the eEurope 2005 Action Plan with corresponding 
policy  objectives,  and  were  reflected  in  projects  funded  under  the  R&D  FP,  and  in 
international cooperation in the field of ICTs between the EU and third countries.  

Under  the  Euro-Mediterranean  Partnership  (EuroMED),  regional  pilot  projects  are  in 
place  in  health,  innovation  and  education,  e-commerce  and  tourism  and  culture.  Two 
networks have been set up: EUMEDIS to fund the creation of a link  between  the European 
and the Mediterranean research centres, and EUMEDCONNECT to facilitate interconnection 
between Mediterranean universities and research centres.  

The  EU  programme  for  Latin  American  countries,  @LIS  (Alliance  for  the  Information 
Society),  supports  nineteen  ICT  applications  in  four  priority  sectors:  local  e-government,  e-
education and cultural diversity, e-public health, and e-inclusion. The @LIS Programme has 
also set up three networks, namely, of regulators, researchers and stakeholders. In addition, it 
promotes open and international standards. 

As  far  as  Asian  countries  are  concerned,  the  EU  has  set  up  the  Asi@ICT  Programme.  It 
covers six areas: agriculture, education,  e-governance, environment, health, and transport. It 
strives to create broad and enduring technological and economic relationships between Asia 
and  Europe.  Furthermore,  bilateral  agreements  have  been  established  with  China  and  India. 
An  “EU-China  Information  Society  Week”  was  organised  in  2003,  followed  by  the  broader 
EU-China Information Society Dialogue. 

7 

Proposal  for  a  decision  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  concerning  the  seventh 
framework  programme  of  the  European  Community  for  research,  technological  development  and 
demonstration activities (2007 to 2013), COM(2005)119 final, 6 April 2005. 

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Further  to  the  signature  of  the  ACP-EU  Joint  Position  on  the  Information  Society  for 
Development,  the  European  Commission  increased  its  financial  contribution  to  ICT-related 
projects in development aid. Approximately € 110 million from the European Development 
Fund is devoted to a broad selection of activities, ranging from an e-commerce project in the 
Common  Market  for  Eastern  and  Southern  Africa  to  a  continental  programme  to  ensure 
African Monitoring of the Environment for Sustainable Development (AMESD). 

Moreover,  in  the  period  2003-2008,  the  Investment  Facility,  which  is  a  €  2.2  billion  fund 
managed  by  the  European  Investment  Bank  (EIB)  for  private  sector  development,  will 
provide financial resources, including risk capital, to assist in promoting growth in the private 
sector  and  to  help  mobilise  domestic  and  foreign  capital  for  this  purpose.  The  EIB  will 
complement this amount with € 1.7 billion from its own resources. 

In  addition,  the  €  110  million  EU-ACP  Partnership  Programme  Pro€Invest  promotes 
investment  and  technology  flows  to  small  and  medium  enterprises  operating  in  key  sectors, 
including ICTs. The programme is operated by the Centre for the Development of Enterprise 
which  is  an  institution  of  the  ACP  Group  of  States  and  the  EU,  in  the  framework  of  the 
Cotonou Agreement. 

2.5. 

Harnessing ICTs’ potential for development 

As  part  of  the  Millennium  Development  Goals  (MDGs),  the  overall  objective  of  the  EU’s 
development policy is to reduce poverty as far as possible. This explains the importance the 
EU  attaches  to  bridging  the  digital  divide  and  to  harnessing  the  potential  of  ICTs  as  a 
development policy tool.  

The situation of the countries of sub-Saharan Africa warrants special attention. The delay in 
infrastructure  development  (backbone  networks  and  local  loops)  creates  the  risk  that  entire 
regions of the African continent will be isolated. Market forces themselves are not sufficient 
to  launch  a  growth  process  that  is  both  sustainable  and  that  covers  the  whole  territory. 
Therefore,  public  sector  intervention  could  be  required.  With  its  African  partners  –  in 
particular  the  New  Partnership  for  Africa’s  Development  (NEPAD)8  –  and  in  collaboration 
with  the  development  banks  and  the  private  sector,  the  EU  is  continuing  to  give  positive 
consideration to an initiative to deploy infrastructure on the African continent. Furthermore, 
training  efforts  are  indispensable  to  give  the  necessary  ICT  skills  to  workers  and  the  wider 
population. This could be done in partnership with the private sector and the ICT industry.  

On the other hand, the content side of ICTs has often been neglected when dealing with ICTs 
and  development.  However,  the  creation  and  strengthening  of  a  content  industry  in 
developing  countries  presents  significant  advantages:  socially,  as  it  provides  contents  for 
society by operators in close contact with it, its needs, expectations and demands; culturally, 
as it helps to keep local cultures alive and allows them to be presented to the rest of the world, 
thus  safeguarding  and  enriching  cultural  diversity;  economically,  as  it  generates  local 
employment, is based on own sustainable resources, and constitutes a source of income when 
exported.  

8 

Strategic framework for Africa’s renewal launched by the 37th Summit of the Organisation of African 
Unity in July 2001, see www.nepad.org. 

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3. 

THE EU VIEW ON THE UNSETTLED ISSUES 

The  main  items  discussed  during  the  second  WSIS  phase  are  two  issues  that  remained 
unsettled  after  the  Geneva  Summit:  financial  mechanisms  to  bridge  the  digital  divide,  and 
Internet governance.  

3.1. 

Financial Mechanisms 

Financing  mechanisms  to  bridge  the  digital  divide  in  developing  countries  was  one  of  the 
most  controversial  issues  of  the  first  WSIS  phase.  As  no  agreement  could  be  found,  it  was 
decided  to  set  up  a  Task  Force  on  Financial  Mechanisms  (TFFM)  with  the  remit  of  “a 
thorough review of their adequacy in meeting the challenges of ICT for development”. 

At  the  same  time,  President  Wade  of  Senegal  supported  the  creation  of  a  voluntary  Digital 
Solidarity  Fund  (DSF).  His  initiative  was  welcomed  by  African  and,  more  broadly, 
developing countries. The DSF was launched on 14 March 2005 in Geneva. It is set up as a 
foundation  under  Swiss  law,  established  in  Geneva  and  supported  by  a  number  of 
local/regional communities (cities of Geneva, Lyon, the Basque government).9  

Based on the findings of the TFFM report, the Council of the EU adopted conclusions on the 
financial mechanisms on 17 February10 stating “that a new United Nations Fund would not be 
an  effective  instrument  for  closing  the  digital  divide”  and  that  “a  more  holistic  approach 
(was) required to mobilise human, financial and technological resources”. Four main criteria 
underlie  the  EU  position  on  the  voluntary  DSF:  the  Fund  is  the  one  based  in  Geneva,  it  is 
voluntary  in  nature,  it  is  complementary  to  existing  mechanisms,  and  it  embraces  a  multi-
stakeholder approach.  

PrepCom-2 adopted an agreed wording for conclusions on the TFFM report which are in line 
with  the  EU  position.11  Should  the  negotiations  be  reopened  at  a  later  stage,  the  EU  should 
explain  its  views  to  its  partners,  and  place  particular  emphasis  on  the  conclusions  of  the 
TFFM  report:  a  fund  cannot  be  the  answer  to  financial  needs;  on  the  contrary,  a  clear 
commitment to using existing mechanisms should lead to concrete and tangible results. 

Furthermore, in line with the February  Council conclusions, the EU will inform its partners 
about  possible  measures,  projects  and  programmes.  To  this  end,  the  Commission  and  the 
Member  States  plan  to  publish  a  leaflet  explaining  how  developing  countries  can  better 
integrate ICTs into their development policies.  

3.2. 

Internet Governance 

In  accordance  with  the  Geneva  Plan  of  Action,  the  UN  Secretary-General  has  set  up  a 
Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) with the mandate to a) develop a working 
definition  of  Internet  governance;  b)  identify  public  policy  issues  that  are  relevant  to  it;  c) 
develop a common understanding of the respective roles and responsibilities of governments, 
existing  intergovernmental  and  international  organisations  and  other  forums  as  well  as  the 
private  sector  and  civil  society;  and  d)  prepare  a  report  on  the  results  of  this  activity  to  be 
presented during the second phase of WSIS.  

9 
10 
11 

See www.dsf-fsn.org/eu/15c-en.htm. 
www.eu2005.lu/en/actualites/conseil/2005/02/17ecofin/17ecofin.pdf, pp. 19ss. 
See www.itu.int/wsis/preparatory2/pc2/index.html. 

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As announced in a former Communication12, the Commission benefits now from the work of 
the  Directors-General  of  Member  States  who  meet  regularly  under  the  chairmanship  of  the 
Commission. They have met eight times since their first meeting on 17 March 2004.  

Among  the  priorities  identified  by  the  group  of  Directors-General,  the  question  of 
internationalising the management of the Internet’s core resources, namely, the domain name 
system, IP addresses and the root server system, appears to be one of the main issues currently 
being discussed.  

The  EU  believes  that  a  new  cooperation  model  is  needed  in  order  to  give  substance  to  the 
provisions in the WSIS Declaration of Principles regarding the crucial role of all stakeholders 
within  Internet  governance,  including  governments,  the  private  sector,  civil  society  and 
international organisations. Existing Internet governance mechanisms should be founded on a 
more  solid  democratic,  transparent  and  multilateral  basis,  with  a  stronger  emphasis  on  the 
public policy interest of all governments.  

This new model should be based on the following principles:  

(1) 

(1) 

It  should  not  replace  existing  mechanisms  or  institutions,  but  should  build  on  the 
the 
existing  structures  of 
complementarity between all the stakeholders involved in this process: governments, 
the private sector, civil society and international organisations;  

Internet  governance,  with  special  emphasis  on 

The  new  public-private  cooperation  model  should  contribute  to  the  sustainable 
stability and robustness of the Internet by addressing appropriately public policy issues 
related to key aspects of Internet governance.  

The  EU  believes  that  governments  have  a  specific  mission  and  responsibility  vis-à-vis  their 
citizens,  and  their  role  within  this  new  cooperation  model  should  mainly  focus  on  principle 
issues of public policy, and exclude any involvement in the day-to-day operations. 

Furthermore, the EU should strongly reaffirm its commitment to the architectural principles of 
the Internet, including interoperability, openness and the end-to-end principle.  

A common approach of EU members of the WGIG on relevant issues concerning its mandate 
is  ensured  by  the  Guidelines  on  Internet  Governance  adopted  by  COREPER  on  13  October 
2004.13 They outline the main issues to be addressed from an EU point of view and call for 
coordination in the Council where necessary. 

4. 

THE WAY AHEAD 

The discussion has started on a possible mechanism to ensure proper implementation of the 
Geneva  Plan  of  Action  and  on  the  political  follow-up  to  the  Summit.  The  implementation 
mechanism  addresses  the  technical  follow-up  in  terms  of  monitoring  of  ongoing  activities, 
whereas the political follow-up to the Summit concerns a potential post-WSIS process within 
the UN system.  

12 

13 

Towards  a  global  partnership  in  the  Information  Society:  Follow-up  of  the  Geneva  Summit  of  the 
WSIS, COM(2004) 111 final, 17 February 2004.  
Document 13085/04 TELECOM 148. 

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4.1. 

The implementation mechanism 

Major UN Agencies have participated actively in the WSIS process and should continue to be 
involved.  The  ITU,  as  the  supporting  agency,  will  deal  with  most  of  the  issues  related  to 
electronic  communications  networks,  development  of  access  and  interconnectivity.  Other 
agencies will develop initiatives within their areas of competence (see Annex 2). In addition, 
the WTO references for liberalisation of the telecommunications and related sectors and the 
World Bank’s activities have proved to be effective in promoting wider use of ICTs and are 
therefore directly relevant to the work of the WSIS. 

As  the  main  addressees  of  the  Plan  of  Action,  governments,  the  private  sector  and  civil 
society  will  develop  actions.  The  Plan  of  Action  and  the  final  documents  to  be  adopted  in 
Tunis  will  provide  a  reference  framework,  but  the  question  is  how  to  coordinate  and  to 
enhance synergies between the various initiatives.  

The  EU  has  made  it  clear  that  such  a  mechanism  should  be  simple,  efficient  and  based  on 
decentralised  activities  within  the  existing  framework  of  the  UN  system.  It  should  work 
through  an  open  method  of  coordination14  and  promote  synergies  between  the  initiatives  to 
ensure that the potential of ICTs is fully tapped. 

4.2. 

The stocktaking exercise 

This  exercise  was  launched  by  the  WSIS  Executive  Secretariat  to  take  stock  of  activities 
related  to  the  Plan  of  Action  that  are  carried  out  by  the  various  stakeholders.  The  EU 
contributed a document outlining the broad range of ongoing activities at EU  level, and the 
actions carried out by the Member States. This EU contribution is included in the ITU/WSIS 
database and is available for downloading.15  

The exercise is a first step in the implementation process and should be carried on beyond the 
Tunis  Summit,  as  intended  by  the  WSIS  Secretariat.  However,  there  may  be  a  need  for  an 
improved structure of the database and related publications. Moreover, a detailed analysis of 
the impact this database may have as a reference for stakeholders’ policies should be included 
in the final report on the stocktaking. 

4.3.  WSIS follow-up 

Apart from the implementation mechanism, the next PrepCom will address the follow-up of 
the WSIS Geneva and Tunis Summits. In line with former EU positions, the Commission is 
not  in  favour  of  an  automatic  follow-up  summit  meeting  after  five  or  ten  years,  but  would 
rather  prefer  ad  hoc  stocktaking  exercises  organised  as  appropriate,  including  on  Internet 
governance. It considers  that the digital divide  issue should be closely linked to the MDGs. 
This dimension should, therefore, become part of the established broader MDG process.  

The EU should closely monitor the decisions the UN Secretary-General takes in this respect 
and co-ordinate its own position as appropriate. 

14 

15 

Such  a  mechanism  was  introduced  in  the  EU  by  the  Lisbon  European  Council  in  March  2000  as  a 
means  of  spreading  best  practice  and  achieving  convergence  towards  a predefined  strategic  goal.  See 
the Lisbon conclusions, ue.eu.int/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/ec/00100-r1.en0.htm. 
www.itu.int/wsis/stocktaking/index.html. 

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5. 

CONCLUSIONS 

As in the previous phase, the EU will be able to speak with one voice and be in a position to 
influence the debate during the preparatory process and the WSIS meeting. The challenge is 
now to convince our partners that the Information Society is not a fixed concept, and that we 
have  to  be  prepared  for  further  evolution  towards  a  knowledge  society.  In  this  context, 
priority should be given to translating principles already agreed into reality in order to allow 
citizens to reap the benefits of ICTs and to be prepared for the future challenges thrown down 
by economic, technological and social changes and by human creativity.  

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Annex 1 

Main Events leading to the Second Meeting of the World Summit on Information 
Society (WSIS) 

18-20 April 2005 

Third  meeting  of  the  Working  Group  on  Internet  Governance 
(WGIG), Geneva. 

May 2005 

Expected  start  of  intersessional  activities  (Group  of  Friends  of 
Chair,  negotiations  on  the  WSIS  implementation  mechanisms), 
Geneva. 

14-17 June 2005 

Last  meeting  of  the  Working  Group  on  Internet  Governance 
(WGIG), Geneva.  

1 July 2005 

Expected publication of the WGIG Report. 

18 July 2005 

Public presentation of the WGIG report. 

15 August 2005 

Deadline for comments on WGIG report by stakeholders. 

19-30 September 2005 

PrepCom-3, Geneva.  

16-18 November 2005 

Second Phase of the World Summit on the Information Society 
(WSIS), Tunis. 

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Annex 2 

UN bodies taking part in the WSIS Process and their possible role in the WSIS 
implementation 

UN body / 
agency 

Full name 

Possible field of competence16 

UN SG 

UN Secretary-General 

UN GA 

UN General Assembly 

Global  competence  of  the  World 
Summit  on  the  Information  Society 
(WSIS). 

The UN General Assembly Resolution 
56/183 (21 December 2001) 
endorsed the holding of the WSIS. 

UNDESA 

United  Nations  Department  of 
Economic and Social Affairs 

Overall coordination; e-government. 

ITU 

International 
Telecommunication Union 

ICT infrastructure; capacity building; 
security; 
confidence 
and 
international 
regional 
cooperation. 

and 

UNESCO 

United  Nations  Educational, 
Scientific 
Cultural 
and 
Organization 

to 

information 

Access 
and 
knowledge;  capacity  building;  e-
science; 
linguistic 
diversity;  media;  ethical  dimension 
of the Information Society. 

cultural 

and 

WGIG 

Working  Group  on 
Governance 

Internet 

Ad-hoc  group  set  up  by  UN 
to  develop  a 
Secretary-General 
common  understanding  of  Internet 
Governance.  

TFFM  

UNDP 

UN ICT TF 

Force 
Task 
Mechanisms  

on 

Financial 

Ad-hoc  group  set  up  by  UN 
Secretary-General to review financial 
mechanisms for ICTs. 

United  Nations  Development 
Programme 

Millennium  Development  Goals; 
international 
regional 
cooperation. 

and 

UN ICT Task Force 
NB: Its mandate expires at the end 
of 2005. Discussions are ongoing to 
create a Global Alliance for ICT and 
Development to follow-up on the 
work of the Task Force. 

Millennium  Development  Goals; 
international 
regional 
cooperation. 

and 

16 

This  is  an  indicative  list  and  does  not  anticipate  any  EU  position  on  the  structure  of  the  WSIS 
implementation mechanism. 

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FAO 

ILO 

WHO 

WIPO 

WMO 

UNCTAD 

UNITAR 

UNEP 

Food 
Organization 

and 

International 
Organization 

Agriculture 

e-agriculture. 

Labour 

e-employment. 

World Health Organization 

e-health; e-environment. 

World 
Organization 

Intellectual 

Property 

Confidence and security. 

World 
Organization 

Meteorological 

Disaster relief. 

United  Nations  Conference  on 
Trade and Development 

Development coordination. 

United  Nations 
Training and Research 

Institute 

for 

Cooperation with local authorities. 

United  Nations  Environment 
Programme 

e-environment. 

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