Hearing of the New EU Commissioners – Summary from the Network Policy Perspective

The designated Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs, Dimitris Avramopoulos (Greece), spoke before the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs in support of re-definition of the role of law enforcement in the digital age. For this, the EU would need make available to law enforcement agencies the necessary means for combatting terrorism and serious crime. Avramopoulos expressly included cyber criminality here. Given the ECJ verdict on blanket data retention, he advocated, on the one hand, a careful analysis of the judgment, but at the same time, emphasized that the future Commission should sound out the possibilities for common regulations on blanket data retention. He announced his desire for an open dialog. The complete hearing can be found here. eco is watching these developments carefully and is campaigning at both the German and EU levels against a re-introduction of blanket data retention.

The designated German Commissioner, Günther Oettinger, candidate for the post of Digital Economy and Society, has also undergone a confirmation hearing in front of the committee in the last few weeks. He named three priorities: the rapid expansion of broadband infrastructure in Europe, involvement in the implementation of the digital single market, and a reform of the Copyright Directive. Oettinger announced his intention, in the first months of his time in office, to hammer out the legal measures for the establishment of a networked single market. On this topic, he expressed his wish to conclude the negotiations on network and information security rapidly. Regarding the reform of the Copyright Directive, Oettinger said that he wants to prepare a proposal for the reform of copyright during the first period of his time in office. For this, he wants to achieve consensus between the varying interest groups, aloowing new technologies, new purposes, and new market conditions to be taken into account and supported in a targeted manner. At the same time, an appropriate gratuity would need to be guaranteed for the copyright owner, and it must be made possible for the creative economy to exploit the potential of the digital single market.

The Czech designated Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Vera Jourová, explained in her hearing her wish to work for the rapid adoption of the General Data Protection Regulation. Her goal is to create equal conditions for competition, so that unified data and consumer protection conditions are in place for all companies that offer their goods or digital services in the EU, regardless of the location of the servers. Jourová added that Europe should have a unified data protection law, one which establishes new, stronger rights for the individual, offers companies legal certainty, and ensures consistent and balanced enforcement through the authorities. As a result, she declared the adoption of the General Data Protection Regulation to be her first intention in her time in office. In addition, she explained that new regulations are necessary for the modernization and simplification of the consumer protection regulations for online shopping and the purchase of digital products. She also wants to push forward the Commission and the EU Parliament’s work on a modern, consumer-friendly regulation on contract law, particularly in the digital area. The full hearing can be found here.

Andrus Ansip (Estonia), designated Commission Vice President for the Digital Single Market, explained that he will work towards a single market that is oriented at the needs of consumers and at the same time guarantees strong consumer protection. He added that the task of creating a unified single market is demanding, but he nonetheless plans to put forward a strategy for its implementation, including a timeline, during the first period of his time in office. One of the focuses of the strategy would be the creation of incentives for investment in broadband infrastructure, Ansip said.

He further added that he sees it as a disadvantage for the European single market that it is fragmented along national borders. As a result, he also wants to push forward the current reform of the EU telecoms regulations. Ansip also declared that the negotiations on a common European data protection regulation and the modernization of copyright law would fall inside the scope of his responsibility as Vice President, as would the implementation of a strategy on cyber security. Ansip announced that he wishes to conclude the discussions on network and information security in the near future, and wishes work towards their rapid implementation. The complete hearing can be found here.

In her hearing, the designated Commissioner for the internal market, industry, and enterprise for SMEs, Elzbieta Bienkowska (Poland), explained that she wishes to work towards the building of a growth and innovation-friendly enterprise environment in Europe. Part of the competitiveness of European industry depends on the possibilities for enforcing the rights of companies to their intellectual property, business secrets and patents. In addition, she declared her desire to support digital enterprise and the use of digital technologies in industry. Bienkowska sees one of her responsibilities as ensuring a seamless digital single market, where electronic commerce must be able to function across borders and without obstruction.