EU–US Relations on Internet Governance

Summary:

This research paper is part of a series commissioned by the EU Delegation to the US. The purpose of this paper is to provide new perspectives and proposals to improve the effectiveness of EU–US relations on internet governance. It explores converging and diverging ideological positions, highlights common interests, and makes recommendations to enhance cooperation. With the agreement of the EU Delegation, the paper does not attempt to provide a comprehensive background on the current landscape. Instead, it is operational in character and provides a focus on issues that illustrate successful actions or areas of tension, which provide the motivation for recommendations that are addressed to the EU Delegation.

The paper begins with a working definition of internet governance and ‘multi-stakeholderism’, an analysis of drivers for change from the external environment, and reviews major players and processes in internet governance. It goes on to analyse areas where the EU–US relationship is working effectively, identifies the barriers to effectiveness – each illustrated with case studies – and looks ahead to the future of internet governance. The paper makes five recommendations.

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