HomeMission & Programme |  | The European Internet Foundation (EIF) was founded in March 2000 by three Members of the European Parliament: James Elles, Erika Mann and Elly Plooij-van Gorsel. The mission of the European Internet Foundation is to help provide European political leadership for the development of European multilateral public policies responsive to the political, economic and social challenges of the worldwide digital revolution. Our purpose is to help ensure that Europe remains at the forefront of this revolution - and benefits fully from it through enhanced global competitiveness and social progress. We focus primarily on issues and actions arising from the treaty-based competences, internal and external, of the European Union. We pursue our mission primarily through a continuous programme of live debates, focused around three broad priorities: The EU policy and legislative agenda bearing directly on digital technologies, markets, industries, and primary stakeholders.
Outreach and partnership with other communities of interest in the development and uptake of digital technologies (including priority third countries).
Stimulating wide European awareness and debate of longer-term trends in digital technology and network society.
The Foundation does not itself take positions on specific issues. | Membership & Funding | The European Internet Foundation is led and governed by our Political Members, all of whom are elected Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). We are independent, not-for-profit and non-partisan. Membership in the European Internet Foundation is open to all current MEPs. The Foundation is financed primarily through the membership fees of our Business and Associate Members. Our membership includes a core of leading European e-companies, and will be expanded to encompass a broad range of interests and actors in the vanguard of internet-driven change across Europe. Our Membership is open on a progressive, non-discriminatory fee basis to any duly-constituted commercial entity or interest group pledging support for our founding principles. | Cooperation, Outreach & Dialogue | The Foundation invites active cooperation with other political, academic and governmental institutions and networks, including notably the European Commission, the European External Action Service, and the European Council.
Through this website, the EIF eNewsletter and social media tools we also correspond more broadly with European and other stakeholders on important network society issues and digital policy developments.
EIF has established cooperation agreements and practices with the following organisations: TPN – Transatlantic Policy Network: a non-governmental network firmly rooted in the worlds of business and politics, but also open to administrators and academics, to facilitate policy dialogue across the Atlantic. EURIM - The Information Society Alliance: based in the UK, brings together politicians, officials and industry to help improve the quality of policy formation, consultation, scrutiny, implementation and monitoring in support of the creation of a competitive, inclusive and accountable information society.
EIF retains Futuretext/Ajit Jaokar to provide regular updates in the best thinking from the Digital Policy Bloggers Network, an open community which creates conversations around digital policy issues amongst bloggers, policy makers and influencers. |
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