More than fifty Members of the
European Parliament (MEPs) are launching a new, non-partisan
e-policy think tank on Tuesday this week called the
European Internet Foundation.
Any MEP can join the foundation, which is intended
to mobilize political leadership by addressing all
the issues that are emerging in the network society
revolution.
Financed by a small group of Europe’s leading
e-companies, the foundation says it welcomes
support from other enterprises. It says it will
establish a full-time Secretariat during the
course of this year.
One of the avowed aims of EIFonline.org is to reach
out beyond established policy circles of the European
Union to give much wider access to EU policy formation.
Already, the foundation is formulating a series of
live debates, briefings, and special projects in
association with its sponsors. It says it will
not take positions on specific issues but will
simply help to frame policy options by widening the
debate.
Acknowledging the growing number of e-policy issues
between the EU and the United States, the new foundation
says it will use the Transatlantic Policy Network (TPN)
as a political bridge. Several of its sponsors are
already associated with TPN.
At Tuesday’s launch of the European Internet Foundation,
a visiting delegation of the U.S. Congressional Internet
Caucus will be debating with MEPs in the first of
many such events.