Australia-European Commission
Ministerial Consultations
Canberra, 19 April 2001
EUROPEAN UNION-AUSTRALIA JOINT STATEMENT ON
COOPERATION IN THE GLOBAL INFORMATION ECONOMY
The European Union (EU) and the Government of Australia (Australia) attach great importance to the development of an information society and economy. They recognise the importance of working together, both bilaterally and within multilateral organisations, to create a co-ordinated and consistent international approach aimed at maximising benefits for all. Electronic commerce, in particular, will be an integral part of the information economy -- enhancing productivity, creating jobs, fostering new markets and offering consumers greater choice.
Common vision: EU and Australia share a vision for the development of a global information economy. They recognise the need for an international environment which supports the growth of electronic commerce and maximises potential benefits for citizens. In order to foster this environment, they will actively work in concert to:
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promote trust and confidence in the global marketplace by ensuring that the frameworks and safeguards address such issues as privacy, security, and consumer protection;
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ensure that legal and commercial frameworks governing electronic transactions do not unnecessarily impede the potential of electronic commerce and other aspects of the information economy;
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encourage the growth of, and access to, high quality information infrastructure and services through effective competition;
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facilitate the adoption internationally of technologically neutral regulatory and standards mechanisms that eliminate unnecessary barriers to trade;
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maximise the social and economic benefits resulting from the emergence of a digital economy and a global information society;
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stimulate the development and diffusion of the information society through government practices including on-line access to government information, electronic procurement, and promotion of open and interoperable systems;
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promote cultural and linguistic diversity by enabling wider access to cultural heritage and content in the information economy.
Co-operation in multilateral organisations: EU and Australia will continue to make use of multilateral fora to pursue shared objectives for a global information economy. In this regard, EU and Australia will work together within:
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the WTO to ensure that all GATS provisions are applicable to electronic deliveries and that, given the technological neutrality of the TRIPS agreement, its provisions are also applied in the field of e-commerce;
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the framework of the WTO negotiations on services in order to promote e-commerce;
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the frameworks of the ITU and the WTO to ensure that communications infrastructure is provided on a competitive basis;
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the OECD to establish guidelines on taxation, consumer and privacy issues;
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the WIPO on initiatives related to intellectual property and electronic commerce;
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the international meetings regarding Internet governance, in particular by contributing to the work and success of ICANN.
Follow up: EU and Australia will pursue the issues contained in this statement as part of their ongoing dialogue, within the context of international fora, on telecommunications and electronic commerce as key elements in the development of the global Information Economy. A progress report will be submitted to the next Australia-EC Ministerial Consultations.
For more information please see http://www.noie.gov.au/projects/international/bilateral/european_union.htm
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