The "e-world": innovation and regulatory strategies





We all know that cybernetics and electronics are becoming our working and living environment. But it's a fact that internet users don't feel protected when they have to do a transaction. They don't trust the e-system because there are no certain rules and when they do exist they change from country to country. The international Institutions have to:

- promote research about the development and implementation of new information and communication technology;

- create and maintain an unvarying framework of rules and standards that stimulate economic transactions and competition. In this brief speech I will focus on three points: 1) existing needs in globalisation;

2) European policy on harmonisation;

3) The importance of co-operation.

I will try to explain what issues are involved, what we are doing in Europe, finally I will speak about some current international programmes of co-operation.


First point:

For the market it is absolutely necessary to have harmonisation of laws to facilitate trade. And for the Internet even more so. In the Internet a person can change from a web site in one country to one in another. In doing this, in one second, he has also changed the legislation applicable to his actions.


There is an enormous difference between the legislative systems for example in European, Islamic, North American and South American States.


The differences between regulations and the consequences of not knowing the laws applicable could be tremendous. Think about the issues concerning the protection of personal data. For example: if I make a sale to a buyer in Morocco, or if I buy something on the net from a firm in South Africa, how will my personal data be used? What are the rules? How can I protect my privacy? Further, using the same example: which country's contract law will be applicable? What are the regulations for B to B (Business to business) or B to C (business to consumer) contracts?


What can we do to solve this problem? A cynical friend of mine said: Nothing! He asked me: how we could provide a safe framework for international transactions for 6 billion people, if we don't have it in our own countries?


I do not totally agree but I understand his point of view. It's really difficult to reach this goal, but if we want the development of international commerce on the web; if we want consumers to buy and sell on the Internet; if we want large transactions to be done on the Internet, we have to try to obtain simple and uniform rules that allow commercial and financial exchanges and that guarantee data protection. How can we move in this direction? The first steps are:


1) training 1) to have a clear picture of the legal framework needed. Firstly: training.


We have to know what resources we already have. What is each country doing, in its educational system, to implement national efforts on Information Technology? The "cyber - world" requires new skills that can only be acquired through specific training programmes.


In this regard, in 2001, the European Institutions issued a communication entitled "Network security: a European Policy approach" that addressed the needs for the educational systems in Member States to give more emphasis on courses focused on cyber - security. In addition the JRC workshop on Ciber-crime (that took place in Seville in January 2001) identified future lines of European research to complement national efforts on Cyber-crime.


Under the broad aim of thinking ahead about training and skills, and the future needs for the security and the protection of personal, economic and public data in the Information Society, me for an Italian foundation with two other European partners, are going to be involved in a research project.


While preparing for this study, we realised that whilst the need of cyber-security skills are increasing in European Information Society, there is an enormous difference in the level of commitment regarding the inclusion of IT security in University and post graduate curricula in EU member states.


I want to emphasise this is only a first impression, but it seems for example that Greece, appears to have very few specific courses concerning data protection or regulation on the Internet. On the other hand Germany has university courses in law, economics and engineering and post graduate courses focused on the issues of the Internet. So it's clear that we need a common structure of university organisations who satisfy the kinds and levels of skills needed. This is true for Europe, but I think a high level training is a "global" requirement. We could think, in the immediate future, about the creation of an international model of training courses, that would be the same everywhere. This would make harmonisation of the rules easier.


My second point. In the contest of the harmonisation and unification of rules, two things are needed:


a) In the field of consumer protection and the protection of personal data the unification of rules is absolutely necessary. If I buy something in Morocco, I have to have the same guarantees I have in USA or in Italy; or anyway the rules should be similar. Only in this way can the global market increase its productive capacity. b) In my opinion it's also necessary to eliminate government monopolies (in telecommunication and/or IT systems) - where they still exist - in order to ensure real competition between companies. At the same time we need independent authorities that supervise the market not leaving the market totally free.


Finally what concrete steps can we make? What is the role of public and private institutions? I can say that something is already moving in this direction: for example last week we had a meeting in Palermo with the Italian Minister of Telecommunications about the Med Net Program. This project was conceived in Palermo in June 2000 establishing guide lines based on:


- the development of technological innovation;


- international and multilateral co-operation in the Mediterranean area;

- the need to have better co-operation between the European and Mediterranean area.


On this basis, as you know, the "International Forum for the development of Communications in Mediterranean Area" was created. Within this framework many projects have been approved such as one concerning the "Multimedial Mediterranean Portals" and a project of submarine optical cabled fibres serving all the Mediterranean countries.


In the last Palermo Meeting the project "Agriware System: E-commerce and Agrobusiness in Morocco" was presented with the aim of obtaining effective and concrete results without the need of restructuring the existing organisation of firms still operating with a low level of Information Technologies. It's envisaged that a Service Centre will be created in Morocco. The centre will collect offers of agricultural products, process the data and convey them into an on-line trading system.


And I hope that if Morocco and Italy decide to carry out this project they will also decide to invest in creating common rules. These projects could, together with other projects, be a first platform of work and reflection but of course we absolutely must move in the direction I've stated.





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