New Commissioner: Gunther Oettinger

You will be the Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society. You will, in particular, contribute to projects steered and coordinated by the Vice-President for the Digital Single Market and the Vice-President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness. For other initiatives requiring a decision from the Commission, you will, as a rule, liaise closely with the Vice-President for the Digital Single Market. We must make much better use of the opportunities offered by digital technologies which know no borders. To do so, we will need to break down national silos in telecoms regulation, in copyright and data protection legislation, in the management of radio waves and in the application of competition law. The more markets are regulated transnationally, the more competition rules can become transversal or even continental. You should set clear long-term strategic goals to offer legal certainty to the sector and create the right regulatory environment to foster investment and innovative businesses. You should also ensure that users are at the centre of your action. They should be able to use their mobile phones across Europe without having to pay roaming charges. They should be offered access to services, music, movies and sports events on their electronic devices wherever they are in Europe and regardless of borders. You will also need to ensure that the right conditions are set, including through copyright law, to support cultural and creative industries and exploit their potential for the economy. During our mandate, I would like you to focus on the following:
• Preparing, as part of the project team steered and coordinated by the Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, ambitious legislative steps towards a connected Digital Single Market. You should be ready to present these within the first six months, and they should be based on a clear assessment of the main obstacles still to be removed through EU action, either by implementing existing policies or proposing new measures. More ambition should be added to the ongoing reform of our telecoms rules. A harmonised approach to radio spectrum between Member States should be developed. Copyright rules should be modernised, during the first part of this mandate, in the light of the digital revolution, new consumer behaviour and Europe’s cultural diversity.
• Contributing, as part of the project team steered and coordinated by the Vice-President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, to the jobs, growth and investment package to be presented within the first three months of our mandate. I would like you to be very hands-on in terms of working with Member States to bring about the conditions necessary for investment decisions and ensure that the EU can be a catalyst for public and private investment. You should focus on supporting the deployment of a high-quality, digital network infrastructure, underpinning all sectors of the economy across borders, progressively on a continental scale.
• Supporting the development of creative industries and of a successful European media and content industry able to reach out to new audiences, adapt to the digital era and thrive in the connected Digital Single Market.
• Supporting, in close cooperation with the first Vice-President, in charge of Better Regulation, Inter-Institutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, freedom of expression, freedom of information, freedom and pluralism of the media, the openness of the internet and cultural and linguistic diversity.
• Contributing to activities that turn digital research into successful European innovation stories, encouraging entrepreneurship and providing a framework that drives start-ups, the take-up of new businesses and job-creation. The Commission needs to play its role in ensuring that promising new developments such as the cloud, the Internet of Things and big data can thrive in Europe and that citizens, innovative web entrepreneurs and other businesses can take full advantage of their potential. • Supporting the work of the Vice-President for Budget and Human Resources to modernise administration in the European Commission, and promoting the use of eGovernment solutions at all levels. You will also work closely with the Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility, for Education, Culture, Youth and Citizenship and for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality to reinforce digital skills and learning across society, with a view to empowering Europe’s workforce and consumers for the digital era.
• Developing and implementing measures to make Europe more trusted and secure online, so that citizens and business can fully reap the benefits of the digital economy. I would like you to work with the Vice-President for the Digital Single Market on a plan to make the EU a leader in cyber security preparedness and trustworthy ICT, and to increase the confidentiality of communications.
• Supporting the Vice-President for the Digital Single Market and the Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality in finalising the negotiations on an ambitious Data Protection Regulation in 2015. On the basis of the outcome of this legislative process, you should prepare a reform of the e-Privacy Directive, liaising closely with the Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, with the support of the Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality.
• Developing and promoting a sustainable business model for Euronews, including by further developing its public service remit, by helping to identify new partners and by making better use of digital transmission technologies, in full respect of the editorial independence of Euronews.
• Working with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice- President to develop the relationship with strategic partners in order to build a global governance architecture for the Internet which is legitimate, transparent, accountable, sustainable and inclusive. This includes ensuring the Internet remains open, a driving force for innovation and an international resource that benefits the European economy and citizens.
To help you fulfil your responsibilities, the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT), with some adjustments, as indicated in the table annexed to this letter, and the Directorate-General for Informatics (DG DIGIT) will report to you.