Posted by John Vassallo Vice President EU Legal and Corporate Affairs
(Cross posted from microsoft.eu)
Microsoft welcomes the “Digital Agenda for Europe,” announced earlier this week by European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes, as a bold roadmap for action. We share the Commission’s view that technology is an enabler for economic growth, job creation, sustainability and social inclusion. As a company, we are fully committed to working with the European Commission and governments to realize the potential of Europe's digital future.
The Digital Agenda sets out concrete actions in a number of important areas, such as harmonizing the delivery of pan-EU digital services, driving connectivity and broadband penetration, as well as promoting interoperability across the range of the ICT agenda. These actions can act as a spur for Europe’s competitiveness and for the broader innovation and economic growth agenda. The Digital Agenda also addresses online security, data privacy and identity management so that Europe’s Internet users have greater trust and confidence online. We commend this action and the preparation for measures that address jurisdiction in cyberspace at European and International level. These steps are essential to pave the way for the roll-out of next generation technologies, like cloud computing, that will benefit citizens and business across Europe.