LEFIS blog (Europe)

2006-11-04T17:55:00.000Z

Under Revision

Danuta Hübner: "Connecting regions for growth and jobs"

2006-10-12T12:10:00.000Z

The EU Press Room has also published the Speech "Connecting regions for growth and jobs" delivered yesterday in Brussels by Danuta Hübner, Member of the European Commission responsible for Regional Policy, at the OPEN DAYS 2006 - ICT Seminar: Is your region connected to the information society?.

Viviane Reding: "Strengthening the European Information Society: From Talk to Action"

2006-09-28T13:19:00.000Z

The EU Press Room has published the Speech "Strengthening the European Information Society: From Talk to Action" delivered today in Helsink by Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission responsible for the Information Society and Media, at the I2010 Conference 'Towards a ubiquitous European Information Society'.

"EU and the right to privacy: EDPS on mid-term state of play"

2006-09-18T19:24:00.000Z

As also stated by the EU Press Room, "Earlier today, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) held a press conference. Touching upon his achievements both in terms of data protection advice to the EU-institutions and supervision of their data processing, he also commented on the current debate climate - in which data protection and privacy advocates are wrongly criticised of hindering security policies.
Peter Hustinx, EDPS, said: 'It is a misconception that protection of privacy and personal data holds back the fight against terrorism and organised crime. Current legislation however does allow for instance law enforcement to check suspicious phone numbers found in a computer. Good data protection actually goes hand in hand with legitimate crime fighting because it increases the quality of data bases and at the same time makes sure that only the right people can access them'."

This Press Release is available in full text too.

"Dot eu: Commissioner Reding pays first visit to managers of Europe's new internet domain"

2006-09-18T16:57:00.000Z

As stated by the EU Press Room, "Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding visited today (18 September 2006) EURid, the independent consortium managing the '.eu' domain name. Commissioner Reding was accompanied by several Members of the European Parliament. The purpose of the visit was to understand the way the new domain name registration system – that so far has attracted more than two million users – functions. EURid is located in Diegem, Brussels."

This Press Release is available in full text.

"Green Paper on detection and associated technologies in the work of law enforcement, customs and other security authorities"

2006-09-04T14:02:00.000Z

According to the EU Press Room, "The European Commission has today adopted a Green Paper on detection and associated technologies in the work of law enforcement, customs and other security authorities."

This Press Release is available in full text.

The LEFIS BEJA Meetings: 19-21 October 2006

2006-08-29T09:45:00.000Z

The next LEFIS General Meetings: the Meeting on accreditation and the General Assembly will have place in Beja (Portugal) between the 19th and the 21th of October 2006.

You can obtain here he draft of the Programme, including informations about travel and accomodation.

E-Taxation: State & Perspectives Workshop and II Congresso Internacional de Direito Eletrônico

2006-08-24T10:28:00.000Z

There are planned two next interesting events: II Congresso Internacional de Direito Eletrônico (Brazil) and the E-Taxation: State & Perspectives Workshop (Austria) . The two are related with the LEFIS topics.

Legal Seminar on Travel and Tourism Law

2006-07-28T08:31:00.000Z

The United Federation of Travel Agents’ Associations (UFTAA), together with the International Forum for Travel & Tourism Advocates (IFTTA) is organising a Seminar session on "E-Commerce and Travel Trade" in co-operation with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and LEFIS.
Speakers are: Manuel Masseno, Portugal; Phil Cameron, USA; Ronald Schmid, Germany; Daniela Schulz, Germany followed by a panel discussion.
The Seminar takes place in Malta during the IFTTA 18th Conference on September 7th.
The Seminar on E-commerce is followed by sessions during September 8-9 on legal aspects of "Hospitality Law"-liabilities and case studies, "EU Legislation"- implications of EU directives, "Global Trends in Tourism legislations" and "Air Law"- denied boarding, cancellations, overbooking, etc.

For more information and registration, please visit www.iftta.org

Viviane Reding: "More joint research projects and an open regulatory dialogue: Keys for better business conditions and improved market access..."

2006-06-20T16:08:00.000Z

The EU Press Room has published the Speech "More joint research projects and an open regulatory dialogue: Keys for better business conditions and improved market access between the EU and South East Asia in the ICT sector" delivered by Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission responsible for the Information Society and Media, at Opening of the EU-South East Asia Forum on the Information Society, Singapore, 19 June.

"Transfer of passenger name records (PNR): The Commission adopts two initiatives to comply with the Ruling of the ECJ"

2006-06-19T14:08:00.000Z

As stated by the EU Press Room, "The European Commission adopted today two initiatives to put a legally sound framework in place for the transfer of PNR data to the United States. These initiatives are the first European answers to correct the legal basis for the Agreement with the US that was struck down by the European Court of Justice on 30 May 2006. The Court ruled that the Article 95 EC-Treaty was not an appropriate legal basis for the transfer of PNR data which are essentially aiming to ensure public security and activities by public authorities in areas of criminal law.
As the Agreement with the United-States remains in force under international law for a period of 90 days after it is denounced by either Party, the Commission recommends to the Council to terminate the Agreement with the US before the end of this month.
At the same time the Commission asks the Council for an authorisation to open negotiations for an Agreement with the United States of America on the use of PNR data to prevent and combat terrorism and transnational crime, including organised crime."

This Press Release is available in full text.

"Commission seeks to improve network and information security in Europe"

2006-06-01T11:02:00.000Z

According to the EU Press Room, "Businesses, individuals and public administrations in Europe still underestimate the risks of insufficiently protecting networks and information. Security presently represents only around 5-13% of IT expenditure, which is alarmingly low. The Commission is therefore promoting greater awareness, in a policy document adopted today, through an open and inclusive multi-stakeholder dialogue on a new IT Security Strategy for Europe. A partnership amongst Member States, involving the IT industry and users as well as the European network security agency ENISA should lead to more trustworthy, secure and reliable information and communication technologies. People and organisations must be empowered to look after their own interests and responsibilities."

This Press Release is available in full text.

The "European Court of Justice confirms legality of the establishment of the European Network and Information Security Agency"

2006-05-03T18:59:00.000Z

As stated by the EU Press Room, "Yesterday, the European Court of Justice confirmed that the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA), established in 2004 with its seat now in Heraklion (Greece), was correctly established on the basis of the single market clause in Article 95 of the EC Treaty. The Court thereby rejected a legal challenge made by the United Kingdom.
“Network and information security is of key economic importance for the stability of the European economy, for the security of our society and to win the trust of consumers in new technologies”, Viviane Reding, Commissioner for Information Society and Media, commented. “The Court’s judgement confirms the Commission’s view that rules which guarantee such safe, stable and trustworthy IT networks in Europe can be adopted on the basis of the EC Treaty’s single market rules. I am particularly glad that today’s ruling also gives legal certainty to the staff of ENISA in Greece, which I visited three weeks ago and whose valuable work I saw with my own eyes. I intend to make ENISA a key element of the Commission’s future work on network and IT security.”
The single market clause of Article 95 of the EC Treaty provides for the adoption of Community-wide rules which improve the single market by qualified majority in the Council, by a proposal from the Commission and in co-decision with the European Parliament. The United Kingdom had challenged the establishment of ENISA, which in its view should have been made by unanimity in the Council and with consultation of the European Parliament only (EC Treaty Article 308).
The judgement of the European Court of Justice confirms that Community agencies which contribute to the proper functioning of the single market can be established on the basis of the single market clause even where their powers are essentially non-regulatory in nature. The European Court of Justice also held that single market rules do not necessarily need to have Member States as their addressees. The ECJ in particular highlights the close connection between the work of ENISA and the EU regulatory framework for electronic communications, which have as their objective the single market in the field of telecommunication services.
The Commission will present a Strategic Communication on Network and Information Security at the end of May.

Further information on ENISA: http://www.enisa.eu.int/.

The ECJ judgment in Case C-217/04, United Kingdom v Parliament and Council is published on the website of the ECJ under http://www.curia.eu.int."

"Internet: Commission seeks global partnership on Internet governance, freedom of expression and the combat against cyber-repression"

2006-04-27T13:15:00.000Z

According to the EU Press Room, "To keep up the momentum of the successful World Summit on Information Society (Tunis, 16-18 November 2005), the European Commission has set out today its priorities for implementing the international policy commitments made at the Summit. These priorities include safeguarding and strengthening human rights, in particular the freedom to receive and access information. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) should be used to contribute to open democratic societies and to economic and social progress worldwide. The Commission calls for continuing international talks to improve Internet governance through the two new processes created by the Summit: the multi-stakeholder Internet Governance Forum and the mechanism of enhanced cooperation that will involve all governments on an equal footing."

This Press Release is available in full text.

"eGovernment: Commission calls for ambitious objectives in the EU for 2010"

2006-04-26T14:10:00.000Z

As stated by the EU Press Room, "Hundreds of billions of euros could be saved for European taxpayers every year as a result of administrative modernisation in the 25 EU Member States, outlined today in the European Commission’s eGovernment Action Plan. Information and communication technology is the key to modernising government services: making them more efficient and more responsive. 100% take-up of electronic invoicing and electronic public procurement is predicted to save 300billion euros every year. All Member States already signed up to an ambitious agenda to achieve these goals in Manchester last year (see MEMO/05/446). Today’s action plan proposes concrete steps towards achieving these goals."

This Press Release is available in full text.

International ALFA Seminar on eGovernance

2006-04-12T05:32:00.000Z

The ALFA Project II-0258-FA "Legal Framework for the Information Society/Gobierno electrónico" organizes the Internation ALFA Seminar on eGovernance wich takes place at the cities of Montevideo and La Plata.

Organized by L.E.F.I.S. network
Venue: Universidad de la República, Maggiolo room (Uruguay) and Universidad Nacional de la Plata, Aula Magna (Argentina)
Dates: 18-19 and 21 April 2006
Contact: Fernando Galindo (e mail: fgalindo@lefis.org)
More information in the web site: http://www.lefis.org/index.php

Programmes (es): Montevideo / La Plata

"'.eu': Europe's new internet domain now open for everybody"

2006-04-07T14:13:00.000Z

As stated by the EU Press Room, "From 11.00 hrs today, anyone with a residence in the European Union may apply to register a name under the .eu Top Level Domain, on a first-come, first-served basis. Nationality of an EU Member State is not a prerequisite. Today also sees the close of the 'sunrise' period, during which 320,000 .eu domain applications were filed by trademark holders, public bodies and holders of other prior rights such as unregistered trade marks, business identifiers or copyrights. EU institutions and officials will all switch to '.eu' names, en masse, on 9 May 2006, Europe Day."

This Press Release is available in full text.

"'Broadband for all': Commission mobilises all its policy instruments to bridge the broadband gap"

2006-03-21T22:34:00.000Z

According to the EU Press Room, "The Commission considers wide broadband coverage in Europe as crucial for fostering growth and jobs in Europe. This is why EU telecoms legislation, structural and rural policy instruments need to be mobilised in full respect of state aid rules in a joint drive to bring high-speed 'broadband' internet access to all Europeans, in particular to the EU’s less-developed areas. This is the conclusion of 'Bridging the Broadband Gap', a European Commission Communication presented today jointly by the European Commissioners for Information Society and Media, Competition, Regional Policy and Agriculture and Rural Development."

This Press Release is available in full text.

"Electronic signatures: legally recognised but cross-border take-up too slow, says Commission"

2006-03-17T20:45:00.000Z

As stated by the EU Press Room, "The reluctant take-up of electronic signature tools is slowing down the growth of trade in goods and services via the internet, says the Commission in a progress report published this week. However, growing use of electronic ID cards and the use of e-signatures in e-government services, such as on-line income tax returns, are expected to drive demand in the future. The report also confirms that the 1999 Directive on a Community framework for electronic signatures continues to provide, for the moment, a valid basis for electronic signatures in the internal market."

This Press Release is available in full text.

"Interoperability of databases: EDPS raises concerns on principal issues and calls for a better analysis"

2006-03-13T18:04:00.000Z

According to the EU Press Room, "The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) has issued comments on policy options for the interoperability of databases in the area of Justice and Home Affairs, as presented in a recent Communication of the European Commission. Although not properly defined in the Communication, it is clear that 'interoperability' raises a number of questions in relation to data protection which need a better analysis. The EDPS also strongly discourages the use of biometric data, such as fingerprints - or perhaps even DNA - as a unique identification key. The accuracy of biometrics is overestimated in this respect and it will facilitate unwarranted interconnection of databases.
Peter Hustinx, EDPS, says: 'The Commission argues that interoperability is a technical rather than a legal or political concept. This is confusing and only serves to avoid fundamental issues. Interoperable systems increase the risks for citizens, if such systems allow for new access to their personal data. It is essential to examine this more carefully and not hide it as a technicality'.
In his initial comments to the Communication, the EDPS underlines that he needs to be consulted on any legislative proposals that may stem from it. He also makes some specific observations, such as welcoming the Commission's analysis that there shall be a much higher threshold for access when internal security authorities query databases in other domains than when they query criminal data bases.
The EDPS regularly issues opinions on proposals for legislation that relate to data protection. When necessary, the EDPS also reacts to other related documents, such as Commission Communications, because of their possible long term policy impact.

The comments are available on our website.

For more information, please contact the EDPS Press Service at: +32 2 283 19 00"

"Commission launches public consultation on radio frequency ID tags"

2006-03-09T19:53:00.000Z

As stated by the EU Press Room, "Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFID), which will soon replace bar codes in your supermarket, offer tremendous opportunities for business and society. But their power to report their location, identity and history also raises serious concerns about personal privacy and security, as well as technical interoperability and international compatibility. To address these concerns – some of which may well require legislative responses –, the European Commission today launched a comprehensive public consultation with a high-level Conference on RFID at the CeBit 2006 trade fair in Hannover, Germany."

This Press Release is available in full text.

"European Commission steps up efforts to put Europe’s memory on the Web via a 'European Digital Library'"

2006-03-02T20:24:00.000Z

Also according to the EU Press Room, "The European Commissions’ plan to promote digital access to Europe’s heritage is rapidly taking shape. At least six million books, documents and other cultural works will be made available to anyone with a Web connection through the European Digital Library over the next five years. In order to boost European digitisation efforts, the Commission will co-fund the creation of a Europe-wide network of digitisation centres. The Commission will also address, in a series of policy documents, the issue of the appropriate framework for intellectual property rights protection in the context of digital libraries."

This Press Release is available in full text.

"The availability principle: EDPS wants the exchange of police information to be introduced more cautiously"

2006-03-02T09:15:00.000Z

As stated by the EU Press Room, "The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) has issued an Opinion on the proposal for a framework decision on the exchange of information under the principle of availability. Introduced by the Hague program, the principle of availability means that information that is available to law enforcement authorities in one Member State should also be made accessible for equivalent authorities in other Member States. The principle raises a number of data protection issues, notably because of the sensitivity of the data and the reduced control of the use of the information."

This Press Release is available in full text.

LEFIS Publications

2006-02-23T17:45:00.000Z

The JILT issue 2&3 2005 presents several papers originated in the LEFIS Vilnius Workshop on Legal Aspects of E-Government from September 2003.

On the other hand, the International Review of Law, Computers & Technology, published by Routledge, a part of the Taylor & Francis Group, has edited the Issue: Volume 19, Number 3 / November 2005, Special Issue: Developing Theory in Legal Technology. The papers were presented initially in the Belfast LEFIS Workshop Lessig’s Code: lessons for Legal Education From the Frontiers of IT Law, July 2004.

"Interoperability between national administrations for pan-European eGovernment services"

2006-02-23T14:13:00.000Z

According to the EU Press Room, "A Swedish / Italian couple needs to fill in and provide dozens of papers to get married because the administrations of both countries cannot communicate electronically. Not only lovers are concerned. Heaps of paper must be piled up when it comes to setting up a company, paying taxes, transferring social insurance rights or participating in procurement activities in another Member State. A new Commission communication calls for interoperability among all national and regional administrations in the EU. EGovernment at a pan-European level will remove administrative barriers and facilitate the free movement of businesses and citizens within the internal market. Modern public administration has to be built upon digital services together with streamlined eGovernment processes."

This Press Release is available in full text.

"Intelligent cars: life-saving technologies need stronger support by industry and policy-makers, says Commission"

2006-02-21T12:23:00.000Z

As stated by the EU Press Room, "Technology that prevents rear-end collisions could eliminate 4,000 accidents per year across the EU if just 3% of cars had it by 2010. Technology that helps you stay in lane, or to overtake, could prevent 1,500 accidents per year if only 0.6% of cars had it by 2010. And technology that wakens drowsy drivers could help prevent 30% of fatal motorway crashes and 9% of all fatal accidents. So says the European Commission, in a new drive to accelerate car buyers’ take-up of smarter, safer and cleaner technologies, launched today."

This Press Release is available in full text.

"Safer Internet Day 2006: EU stresses commitment to safer use of the Internet"

2006-02-07T17:04:00.000Z

According to the EU Press Room, "Today, Safer Internet Day will be celebrated by 95 organisations in 36 countries across the world, including 24 EU countries, Russia, Argentina, New Zealand and the USA. Organised under the patronage of Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding, Safer Internet Day 2006, features a blogathon or “blog-marathon” during which wide range of organisations and special guests will promote internet safety by making postings and inviting comments from visitors, children, schools and parents. The geographical focus of the 24hr blog will move steadily westwards through the global time zones, and include content in different languages."

This Press Release is available in full text.

International Electronic Government Observatory

2006-02-05T19:16:00.000Z

The fundamental objective of the eGobs Observatory (Electronic Government Observatory) is the independent study of the characteristics and activities of Electronic Government. E Government is understood as the organizations and systems that are necessary to the Administrations to fulfill their obligations to citizens and companies with the aid of the resources provided by the Information and Communication Technologies. Our research puts a special emphasis in the confirmation, through the study of real cases, that those activities are carried out with respect to the rules, procedures and principles stated in the Law, included the right to participation of citizens, companies and institutions and, especially, if the regulations on personal data protection and security of the electronic communications are effectively applied.
EGOBS is an initiative of the Network on Electronic Government coordinated from 2003 by the University of Zaragoza and in whose activities participate the Universities of Burgos and Valladolid (Spain), the University of Münster (Germany) and the Queen's University of Belfast (United Kingdon), for European part. Our American members are the National University of la Plata (Argentina), the Diego Portales University of Santiago de Chile, the University of the Havana (Cuba) and the University of the Republic of Montevideo (Uruguay). The Association for the Promotion of the Technologies of the Information and the Electronic Trade (APTICE) also collaborates to the activities of the Observatory. The Observatory is part of the Legal Framework for the Information Society (LEFIS).

"ICT's role crucial for the achievement of the Lisbon strategy"

2006-02-01T14:15:00.000Z

As stated by the EU Press Room, "Vice-President Siim Kallas is undergoing a three-day visit to Portugal dedicated to the crucial role of ICT in the achievement of the Lisbon goals, a few days after the Commission adopted its contribution on the revised Lisbon strategy to the Spring European Council.
During his visit, Commissioner Kallas reiterated the importance of the role of information and communication technologies (ICT) in this field for both the private and the public sectors. He reaffirmed the commitment of the Commission to lead by example by applying to its own administration the European e-government policy that member states adopted within the i2010 strategy. In-depth discussions on the issues of transparency, security and interoperability in relation to e-government practices were held in a meeting with Eastern European ministers as well as with the ministers of ICT and education of the 25 member states, during the Microsoft Global Leaders Forum session, and in a meeting with Bill Gates, President of Microsoft."

This Press Release is available in full text.

"European Union seeks to strengthen partnership with Mercosur countries on information and communication technologies"

2006-01-30T17:37:00.000Z

According to the EU Press Room, "The economic competitiveness and social inclusiveness of the Information Society in Europe and in Mercosur countries will be on the agenda of EU Commission talks with key ministers in Brazil and Argentina today and tomorrow. Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media, is looking for ways to build on EU cooperation with Brazil and Argentina in research spheres such as mobile broadcasting, software, and satellite communications, and by developing practical applications of these technologies for Latin America. She will also discuss with the Brazilian and Argentine authorities the development of digital TV and the economic and social importance of choosing the right standard."

This Press Release is available in full text.

"CoR's online subsidiarity monitoring network passes"

2006-01-28T18:59:00.000Z

As stated by the EU Press Room, "The Committee of the Regions (CoR) is to launch a second phase of its interactive online subsidiarity monitoring network, which enables local and regional authorities to give their views on proposed EU laws in the early stages of the legislative process.
The second phase is due to start in April following a successful pilot test involving 20 regional parliaments and assemblies, regional and local authority associations and cities."

This Press Release is available in full text.

Viviane Reding: "Europe at High Speed: Growth and the Information Economy"

2006-01-26T15:01:00.000Z

The EU Press Room has published the Speech "Europe at High Speed: Growth and the Information Economy" delivered today by Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission responsible for the Information Society and Media, at the FTTH Council Europe conference in Vienna, 2006.

"EU Commission says will study Microsoft offer"

2006-01-25T18:46:00.000Z

Also according to Reuters, "The European Commission said on Wednesday it will carefully study an announcement by Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) that the U.S. software giant, seeking to avoid antitrust fines, would license some of its source code.
'The European Commission will study carefully the announcement made by Microsoft,' the European Union executive said in a statement.
The Commission added that it still expected to receive by Feb. 15 the company's reply to a Statement of Objections from December.
That charge sheet threatened fines of up to 2 million euros (€2.04 (€2.04 ($2.5)) million) daily because Microsoft failed to carry out sanctions against it for violating antitrust law by competing unfairly, the Commission said. (€0.82 (€0.82 ($1))=.8131 euro)"

"Microsoft license offer to avert EU fines"

2006-01-25T18:40:00.000Z

According to Reuters, "Microsoft Corp. will license some of its secret software blueprints in an effort to avert fines of up to 2 million euros (€2.04 ($2.5) million) a day for failing to comply with European antitrust penalties, the U.S. company said on Wednesday.
'We are putting our most valuable intellectual property on the table, so we can put technical compliance issues to rest and move forward with a serious discussion about the substance of this case,' Microsoft (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) general counsel Brad Smith said."

This article is available in full text.

"eTwinning: conference in Linz to celebrate the achievements of the 'virtual' school partnerships"

2006-01-13T14:33:00.000Z

As stated by the EU Press Room, "eTwinning, the European scheme to encourage school partnerships on the internet, was launched in January 2005 and has quickly established itself as a major instrument for school collaboration in Europe: over 11,300 schools have already registered. Today, in Linz, Austria, prizes will be awarded for the first time to the best eTwinning projects by Ján Figel’, European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Multilingualism and Elisabeth Gehrer, the Austrian Federal Minister for Education. eTwinning is the main initiative of the European eLearning programme.".

This Press Release is also available in full text.

European "Innovation Scoreboard: Mixed results"

2006-01-13T09:37:00.000Z

As reported by the EU Press Room, "The fifth edition of the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) reveals that Sweden, Finland Switzerland, Germany and Denmark are the European innovation leaders. Most of the new Member States are engaged in the catching-up process, however, their slow pace is unlikely to allow for short-term convergence in Europe. In addition, should trends for the 25 Member States continue, the innovation gap between Europe and the US will not close. The EIS includes innovation indicators and trend analyses for all 25 European Union (EU) Member States, as well as for Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, the United States and Japan. It assesses five key dimensions of innovation: innovation drivers, knowledge creation, innovation and entrepreneurship, applications, and intellectual property. In addition, it proposes new assessment of innovation efficiency and develops a specific sectoral approach."

This Press Release is available in full text, as well as the "Summaries of Member States results".

Mobile Learning

2006-01-12T00:17:00.000Z

CALL FOR PAPERS - Deadline for submissions: 30 January 2006

The IADIS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE MOBILE LEARNING 2006, 14–16 July 2006 - Dublin, IRELAND, co-located with the IADIS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE e-SOCIETY 2006.

* Co-organised by Trinity College, Dublin.

News from the LEFIS coordinator

2006-01-11T23:47:00.000Z

I would like to communicate several questions regarding LEFIS related with: 1) General Information, 2) Questionnaires, 3) General Conference in Firenze, and 4) Blogosphere .

1) General Information. - The LEFIS website <www.lefis.org>, especially the English version, is up-to-date. You can find in the website: a guide of the offer of courses of the LEFIS partners for the year 2005-2006, the questionnaires, work groups, news and blogs...
Please help to us to update the information sending new information or changing possible mistakes

2) Questionnaires. - I would thank that you and all the persons that you know have interest, to fulfill these LEFIS Questionnaires by the next 31st of January. As you can understand, this is the first "work" in LEFIS as point of departure for future activities (I put, first, the link to the english version of each questionnaire, and second, the link to the spanish version of the same questionnaire):

LEFIS QUESTIONNAIRE FOR EMPLOYERS. - It must be answered only by non university LEFIS partners. It is open, as the other questionnaires, to be answered by non LEFIS partners also:
http://www.lefis.org/phpsurveyor/index.php?sid=13
http://www.lefis.org/phpsurveyor/index.php?sid=18

LEFIS QUESTIONNAIRE FOR GRADUATES. - It must be answered only by graduates working or studying in the LEFIS organizations. It is open to be answered by graduates working or studying in non LEFIS organizations also. The idea is to contact by means of this questionnaire with all kind of workers or students in relation with the regulation of the Information and Communication Technologies, be graduate or postgraduate:
http://www.lefis.org/phpsurveyor/index.php?sid=14
http://www.lefis.org/phpsurveyor/index.php?sid=17

LEFIS QUESTIONNAIRE FOR FIRMS AND TEACHERS OF CONTINUING EDUCATION. - It must be answered only by all LEFIS partners that work in continuing education. Continuing education is the teaching in short time (week ends) or more broad period (one month, one week, one semester...) for judges, lawyers, civil servants, economist, technicians, managers, workers.... It is open to be answered by non LEFIS partners working in continuing education also:
http://www.lefis.org/phpsurveyor/index.php?sid=12
http://www.lefis.org/phpsurveyor/index.php?sid=19

LEFIS QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES. - It must be answered only by teachers working in the LEFIS organizations in studies that conduct to obtain the title of graduate (Law and policy, or Business and Management, or Information and Communication Technologies). It is open to be answered by teachers of non LEFIS partners working in undergraduate studies also:
http://www.lefis.org/phpsurveyor/index.php?sid=10
http://www.lefis.org/phpsurveyor/index.php?sid=21

LEFIS QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES. - It must be answered only by teachers working in the LEFIS organizations in studies that conduct to obtain the title of postgraduate on a subject related with the regulation of the Information and Communication Technologies. It is open to be answered by teachers of non LEFIS partners working in postgraduate studies also:
http://www.lefis.org/phpsurveyor/index.php?sid=11
http://www.lefis.org/phpsurveyor/index.php?sid=20

3) General Conferenze in Firenze <http://www.lefis.org/firenze/> is in preparation: I will tell you soon the concrete places of the meeting in Firenze (that is to say: the Universities and the ITTIG). I will give you information soon with reference to the european members and the new Members of LEFIS.

4) Blogosphere. Manuel Masseno, a LEFIS member from Beja, Portugal, is working an "Observatory of the Legal Blogsphere" <http://www.estig.ipbeja.pt/~obsblogjur/>. He would thank your help sending links on "Legal related Blogs" that you know to his email: masseno@netvisao.pt

Fernando Galindo, LEFIS coordinator.

Workshop “Dependability and Security in e-Government” (DeSeGov 2006)

2006-01-11T00:15:00.000Z

You are all invited to the Workshop"Dependability and Security in e-Government" (DeSeGov 2006)

This Workshop will take place in Vienna, the 20th and 22nd April 2006, in conjunction with The First International Conference on Availability, Reliability and Security (ARES 2006).

"Microsoft lashes out at European Commission"

2005-12-23T11:16:00.000Z

According to an article signed by Jeremy Kirk (IDG news service) in today's edition of Techworld.com, "Microsoft's top lawyer has sharply criticised the European Commission, accusing the organisation of moving the goal-post when the company tries to comply with the March 2004 anti-trust decision.
The unusually strong, five-paragraph response came from Brad Smith, Microsoft's general counsel, about two hours after a Commission spokesman accused the company of failing to comply with its directive on workgroup server interoperability. The Commission gave Microsoft five weeks to comply or face daily fines of €2 million (US$2.4 million)."

This article is available in full text.

"Competition: Commission warns Microsoft of daily penalty for failure to comply with 2004 decision"

2005-12-22T15:06:00.000Z

As stated by it's Press Room, "The European Commission has issued a Statement of Objections against Microsoft for its failure to comply with certain of its obligations under the March 2004 Commission decision (the 'March 2004 Decision', see IP/04/382). That decision found Microsoft to have infringed the EC Treaty rules on abuse of a dominant position (Article 82) by leveraging its near monopoly in the market for PC operating systems onto the markets for work group server operating systems and for media players. One of the remedies imposed by the decision was for Microsoft to disclose complete and accurate interface documentation which would allow non-Microsoft work group servers to achieve full interoperability with Windows PCs and servers. The Statement of Objections indicates that the Commission’s preliminary view, supported by two reports from the Monitoring Trustee (see IP/05/1215), is that Microsoft has not yet provided complete and accurate specifications for this interoperability information. After giving Microsoft an opportunity to reply to the Statement of Objections, the Commission may impose a daily penalty."

This Press Release is available in full text.

Suggested Competences and Skills required for study in the Information Society

2005-12-21T10:58:00.000Z

Purpose: this list indicates the skills and knowledge which we believe are required by postgraduate students (LLM and PhD) who are undertaking study in the field of Law and ICT. Legal ICT is a particularly broad and complex area requiring skills which are based upon traditional legal knowledge but extended to cover methodological and technical fields.

Knowledge based elements:

Information Technology Law
The Characteristics of the Information Society
ICT and the Changing Legal Professions in The Information Society
Understanding of Professional ICT practice and business structure
Understanding of ICT Soft Law (e.g. Codes Of Practices)
Understanding the role of electronic administration in Government
Investigative Social Science Methods
The physical and virtual structure of the internet
Systems and networks security basics

Skill based elements:

Producing Written Reports
Accessing legal texts
Interpretation and application of legal texts in context
Presenting information visually and orally
Presenting information via multimedia
Using ICT in research

The list was composed by Manuel Masseno (Beja), Pilar Lasala (Zaragoza), Philip Leith (Belfast) and Fernando Galindo (Zaragoza)

All Comments and proposals are very wellcome!

New Blogs in LEFIS

2005-12-18T11:17:00.000Z

Two new "blog oriented" projects have began by LEFIS members:

an old LEFIS idea: the LEFIS Observatory; and
a new one, supported by the technological development: Observatory of the Legal Blogosphere, built in Portugal by the Law Area of ESTIG/Beja Polytechnic.

Both iniciatives are open to any proposal made by LEFIS interested people!

LEFIS General Conference: Firenze, 10-11 February 2006

2005-12-18T11:05:00.000Z

The draft of the Programme of the LEFIS General Conference in Firenze, 10-11 February 2006, has been published here.

"Intellectual property: evaluation of EU rules on databases"

2005-12-13T18:41:00.000Z

According to it's Press Room, "The European Commission has published an evaluation of the protection EU law gives to databases. EU law protects databases by copyright if they are sufficiently creative. Other databases, especially those that are compilations of information or commonplace data, such as telephone directories, music charts or football match listings, may benefit from a new form of protection introduced by the 1996 Database Directive. This protection is known as the 'sui generis' database right, i.e. a specific property right for databases that is unrelated to other forms of protection such as copyright. The evaluation focuses on whether the introduction of this right led to an increase in the European database industry's rate of growth and in database production. It also looks at whether the scope of the right targets those areas where Europe needs to encourage innovation. Stakeholders are invited to comment on the evaluation by 12 March 2006."

This Press Release is available in full text.

"'.eu': Europe’s new internet address opens for business on 7 December"

2005-12-02T14:19:00.000Z

According to it's Press Room, "The Commission announced today that the '.eu' top-level domain, which enables businesses, public bodies and citizens to choose a pan-European Internet name for their web sites and e-mail addresses, opens for business on 7 December 2005. A '.eu' suffix enables users to project a Europe-wide presence, ambition or affiliation. It complements, but does not replace, national country codes such as France’s '.fr', Poland’s '.pl' or the UK’s '.uk'. A sunrise period of 4 months will allow holders of prior rights – including businesses – to apply for the registration of domain names provided they are settled in the European Union. From 7 April 2006, the Registry will open its doors for applications from the general public. With the launch of .eu, the Commission lives up to the promise made at the Lisbon European Council in 2000 to give Europe’s Information Society an identity on the web under reliable EU rules."

This Press Release is available in full text.

Charlie McCreevy: "Stocking on industrial and intellectual property"

2005-11-29T11:24:00.000Z

The Press Room of the European Commission has just published the text of the intervention on "Stocking on industrial and intellectual property" delivered today by Charlie McCreevy, Member of the European Commission responsible for Internal Market and Services, at the European Parliament Legal Affairs Committee.

"EDPS issues a paper on the role of data protection officers in a push to improve the EU administration's data protection compliance"

2005-11-28T18:18:00.000Z

According to the Press Room of the European Commission, "Today, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) sends a paper to the heads of the EU administration, in which he addresses the Data Protection Officer's (DPOs) role as a strategic partner in ensuring compliance with the data protection regulation (45/2001) without delay. One of the key messages is that also all EU bodies need to appoint a DPO, although the appointment in itself does not automatically mean full compliance with the regulation. A second key message is that the DPOs must be notified more adequately of personal data processing within their entity and that they must notify the EDPS of any processing which entails specific risks for the people concerned and therefore need a prior check.
Peter Hustinx, EDPS, says: 'Full compliance with the regulation is crucial when it comes to respecting the fundamental rights of the many people whose data are processed by the EU administration. With this paper, I remind the EU institutions and bodies of their data protection obligations; good progress has been made, but a lot still remains to be done and the clock is ticking'.
Data protection in the EU administration is organised in a layered system in which the DPOs, the institution or body and the EPDS all have their role to play. In the paper, the EDPS gives guidance as to how the DPOs can best perform their tasks in an independent manner. He presents his views on their main functions, including the task of monitoring compliance with the regulation; receiving notifications; keeping a processing register that the public can consult; giving advice and raising data protection awareness internally and notifying the EDPS of certain processing for prior checking. The paper also examines the relationship between the EDPS and the DPOs.

The list of EU bodies can be found here & An up-to-date list of DPOs can be found here.

The paper is available on our website.

For more information, please contact the EDPS Press Service at: +32 2 283 19 00

EDPS - the EU-administration's data protection guardian"

Siim Kallas & Viviane Reding at the Ministerial e-government conference 2005

2005-11-26T17:36:00.000Z

The Press Room of the European Commission has published the Speeches delivered by Siim Kallas, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Administrative Affairs, Audit and Fraud, "Transforming public services: the new e-government strategy in the Commission", and Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission responsible for Information Society and Media, "eGovernment in i2010 – citizens first", at the Ministerial e-government conference 2005,
Manchester, 24 November 2005.

"E-Commission: enabling efficiency and transparency"

2005-11-26T17:34:00.000Z

According to the Press Room of the European Commission, "The Commission has just adopted a strategic framework, the e-Commission 2006-2010, renewing its commitment to an optimal use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to continuously improve its performance and transparency. While promoting externally the use of ICT in the whole society through the i-2010 strategy, the Commission intends to lead by example by applying to its own administration the European society policy in the e-government field. It aims in particular at offering better, more cost-effective, transparent and secure services to staff, national administrations, business and citizens."

This Press Release is available in full text.

"Commission proposes changes to JLS databases to strengthen EU internal security and facilitate legitimate travelling"

2005-11-24T15:19:00.000Z

According to the Press Room of the European Commission, "With a view to achieving a higher level of EU internal security the European Commission today adopted a package of measures consisting of:
(a) a proposal for a Council Decision concerning the access for consultation to the Visa Information System (VIS) to authorities of Member States responsible for internal security and to Europol for the purposes of the prevention, detection and investigation of terrorist offences and of other serious criminal offences, and
(b) a communication on the medium- and long-term development of the three common European databases in the field of justice and home affairs: the Schengen Information System (SIS), the Visa Information System (VIS) and EURODAC, the database containing fingerprints of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants."

This Press Release is available in full text.

More News from the LEFIS Coordinator

2005-11-23T14:31:00.000Z

Our Coodinator, Prof. Fernando Galindo, has also published the Justification planning for every Member of LEFIS, as it was approved in the last Steering Committe Meeting in Brussels, and stated that:
"I shall begin inmediately with the procedure to invite to new members.
As you know all interested institutions, industries and firms that agree with the LEFIS rules are very good wellcome! They can send to me the interest to participate.
I will send the invitation and the procedure as soon as possible
Best regards"

News from the LEFIS Coordinator

2005-11-22T11:25:00.000Z

Our Coordinator, Prof. Fernando Galindo, has just published the Minutes of the LEFIS Steering Committee Meeting, that took place last week in Brussels.

The above mentioned Minutes are freely available, here.

"EU brokers deal on progressive internationalisation of Internet governance at Tunis World Summit"

2005-11-16T14:34:00.000Z

According to the Press Room of the European Commission, "A worldwide political agreement providing for further internationalisation of Internet governance, and enhanced intergovernmental cooperation to this end, was brokered at the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis last night. The compromise text agreed was based largely on EU proposals presented in the discussions since June. As a first important element of the agreement, a new international Internet Governance Forum (IGF) will be created to deliberate among governments, the private sector and civil society at large in a multi-stakeholder policy dialogue related to Internet Governance. A first meeting of this Forum will be convened by the Secretary-General of the United Nations by the second quarter of 2006 and take place in Greece. The texts agreed in Tunis also include language that will allow for enhanced cooperation among governments, on an equal footing, on public policy issues. Such cooperation should include the development of globally applicable principles on public policy issues associated with the coordination and management of critical Internet resources. This cooperation will make use of relevant international organisations. There was also a consensus in Tunis yesterday that countries should not be involved in decisions regarding another country’s Top Level Domain, thus meeting requests made, in particular, by the EU in the negotiations."

This Press Release is available in full text.

Last News about the LEFIS Network

2005-11-16T14:26:00.000Z

From our Coodinator, Prof. Fernando Galindo, I've just received this statement:
"Dear all,
The LEFIS network has began the activities for the October 2005-October 2007 period. The meeting of the LEFIS Steering Committee took place the last week in Brussels. You can obtain the information on the meeting, the presentation, different documents and the next plans of activities in www.lefis.org/brusselsSCN2005 . You can find also in this page the signed agreement with the European Union.
I shall send to you nextly the Minutes of the Meeting.
Best regards."

"EU pleads for freedom of speech as instrument to bridge the digital divide at this week’s World Summit in Tunis"

2005-11-15T12:52:00.000Z

According to the Press Room of the European Commission, "The question of how the worldwide web is run, and how it can best safeguard basic freedoms and drive economic growth around the globe, will dominate the second World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) that starts tomorrow in Tunis and will end on 18 November. The discussions of more than 50 Heads of State or Government, or their representatives, and of many non-governmental organisations and representatives of civil society, will also focus on financial mechanisms to bridge the digital divide.
'I hope that Tunis will mark an important step forward in the internet’s long evolution away from government control and towards truly international governance', said Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media, who is leading the Commission delegation in Tunis. 'We are almost there. We already have consensus on more than two thirds of the package and I call on all participants to make sure that this agreement is not called into question. A policy agreement in Tunis is within our grasp and it would be an important signal that democratic nations are genuinely committed to bridging the worrying divide between the world’s digital ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’, and to building a genuinely open and inclusive global information society.'

Background:
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) that officially starts tomorrow is a formal UN Summit at the level of Heads of State and Government. The EU is represented at the WSIS by the EU Presidency and the European Commission, with Members of the European Parliament included in the EU delegation. The process is divided into two phases (Geneva, 10-12 Dec. 2003; Tunis, 16-18 Nov. 2005). The talks in Tunis this week will focus on internet governance and financial mechanisms to bridge the digital divide. For the EU, discussions with civil society and private industry will parallel the official summit.

Further information:

See MEMO 05/428 or the UE WSIS Webpage.

Danuta Hübner: "European policy at the forefront of the foundation of European knowledge society"

2005-11-14T18:08:00.000Z

The Press Room of the European Commission has published the Speech "European policy at the forefront of the foundation of European knowledge society" delivered today by Danuta Hübner, Member of the European Commission responsible for Regional Policy, at the Ministerial Conference "Towards a Knowledge Society - the Nordic Experience", Gothenburg, Sweden.

"E-government in the EU25 - Around half of individuals and enterprises who used the internet sought administrative information in 2004"

2005-10-27T10:20:00.000Z

The Press Room of the European Commission has just stated that "In the EU25, 45% of individuals aged from 16 to 74 who used the internet obtained information from public authorities' websites during the first quarter of 2004. At the beginning of 2004, 51% of enterprises with internet access obtained information from public authorities’ websites.
This information comes from a report released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. This report presents the results of surveys on the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for interaction with governmental bodies (e-Government) in the EU25 Member States, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Norway and Iceland. The report also includes an analysis of the availability of public services on-line.
e-Government is one of the main goals of the 'eEurope 2005 Action Plan - an information society for all', an initiative taken by the Heads of State in pursuing the Lisbon Strategy, which aims at making the European Union the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based society. Increasingly, public bodies are creating websites for enterprises and citizens that enable an easier, cheaper and more efficient handling of procedures and supply of services."

This press release is available in full text.

"Music copyright: Commission recommendation on management of online rights in musical works"

2005-10-12T15:10:00.000Z

According to the Press Room of the European Commission, "The European Commission today adopted a recommendation on the management of online rights in musical works. The recommendation puts forward measures for improving the EU-wide licensing of copyright for online services. Improvements are necessary because new Internet-based services such as webcasting or on on-demand music downloads need a license that covers their activities throughout the EU. The absence of EU-wide copyright licenses has been one factor that has made it difficult for new Internet-based music services to develop their full potential."

For the full text of this press release, press here!

The European Commission published also a Document on the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on copyright clearance for online music services.

Viviane Reading, one more time: "Multi-Media World: the need for a 'Light Touch'"

2005-10-10T16:18:00.000Z

This time, the Press Room of the European Commission has published the Speech "Multi-Media World: the need for a 'Light Touch'" delivered today by Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission responsible for the Information Society and Media, at the 36th IIC Annual Conference "Thousands to Millions – The New Diversity in Broadcasting and Telecommunications", Chatham House, London.

"Commission steps up personal data safeguards – to strengthen police and judicial co-operation in the fight against terrorism and organised crime"

2005-10-04T17:36:00.000Z

According to the Press Room of the European Commission, "Faced with organised crime and terrorism which are increasingly operating across borders, the European Commission has today presented new proposals to reinforce the protection of personal data and allow for a more effective exchange of information between national law enforcement agencies. Today’s proposal for a framework decision on the protection of personal data processed in the framework of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters - together with a recent proposal on the retention of data by communication providers -reflect the Commission’s overall approach of strengthening international co-operation to ensure security and protection for citizens while at the same time safeguarding fundamental freedoms, particularly the right to privacy and data protection."

For the full text of this press release, press here!

The Proposal for a Council Framework Decision on the protection of personal data processed in the framework of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matter is also available, here.

"Commission unveils plans for European digital libraries"

2005-09-30T16:27:00.000Z

According to the Press Room of the European Commission, "The European Commission today unveiled its strategy to make Europe’s written and audiovisual heritage available on the Internet. Turning Europe’s historic and cultural heritage into digital content will make it usable for European citizens for their studies, work or leisure and will give innovators, artists and entrepreneurs the raw material that they need.
The Commission proposes a concerted drive by EU Member States to digitise, preserve, and make this heritage available to all. It presents a first set of actions at European level and invites comments on a series of issues in an online consultation (deadline for replies 20 January 2006). The replies will feed into a proposal for a Recommendation on digitisation and digital preservation, to be presented in June 2006.".

For the full text, press here!

"Commission proposes rules on communication data retention which are both effective for law enforcement and respectful of rights and business interest

2005-09-21T19:16:00.000Z

According to the Press Room of the European Commission, "The European Commission has adopted today a proposal for a Directive on the retention of communications traffic data. The proposal provides for an EU-wide harmonisation of the obligations on providers of publicly available electronic communications, or a public telecommunications network, to retain data related to mobile and fixed telephony for a period of one year, and internet communication data, for six month. The proposed Directive would not be applicable to the actual content of the communications. It also includes a provision ensuring that the service or network providers will be reimbursed for the demonstrated additional costs they will have. For its adoption, the proposal requires the approval both of the European Parliament and the Council. The Council is currently discussing an alternative text, a Framework Decision which would allow for data retention of up to 3 years and could be adopted by the Council alone."

For the full text, press here!

"Commission calls for coordinated action to make information and communication technologies more accessible for citizens"

2005-09-15T11:57:00.000Z

According to the Press Room of the European Commission, "Coordinated action by EU Member States is needed to make information and communication technologies (ICTs) more accessible to all, and particularly to people with disabilities and some older persons, said the European Commission today. In a Communication on 'Electronic Accessibility' (eAccessibility), adopted today, the Commission calls upon Member States to do more to promote EU e-Accessibility initiatives in a concerted approach and to encourage uptake by industry. Progress will be reviewed two years from now, when additional measures may be proposed, including new legislation if necessary."

For the full text, press here!

"Keep children safe while browsing the Internet, says Parliament"

2005-09-08T07:36:00.000Z

According to the Press service of the European Parliament, yesterday, the "Parliament called for action to protect children from inappropriate content on the Internet. In adopting a report from Marielle DE SARNEZ (ALDE, FR) on the protection of minors and human dignity, the right of reply and the competitiveness of the European audiovisual and information services industry, MEPs say action is needed from politicians, the industry itself, schools and parents. The report was adopted by an overwhelming majority.
Taking on board suggestions made by Parliament's Committee on Culture Education, the House adopted a range of practical suggestions and considerably amended a Commission proposal for a regulation."
This report is available in full text.

Viviane Reading, again: "i2010 : a new start for Lisbon and for European Information Society and Media policies"

2005-09-07T10:21:00.000Z

This time, the Press Room of the European Commission has published the Speech "i2010 : a new start for Lisbon and for European Information Society and Media policies" delivered yesterday by Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission responsible for the Information Society and Media, at The i2010 Conference, in London.

Viviane Reading: "The Media and Globalisation"

2005-09-01T16:05:00.000Z

The Press Room of the European Commission has published the Speech "The Media and Globalisation" delivered Yesterday by Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission responsible for the Information Society and Media, at the European Forum Alpbach.

We're in!

2005-08-20T17:41:00.000Z

Yesterday I received from our Coordinator, Professor Fernando Galindo, the, long waited, answer from the EC Commission: the LEFIS APTICE application was accepted.

WECAI: The Azores Chosen for First Global Congress

2005-08-11T09:23:00.000Z

The First Global Congress of WECAI - Women’s Ecommerce Association, International is scheduled for September 19-21, 2005 and will take place at Ponta Delgada (Azores / Portugal), from 19 to 21 september. The works of the event include creating the First Women’s Who’s Who in Ecommerce Directory, starting chapters on all seven continents, designing an Ecommerce Academy for women to further their knowledge and experience with ecommerce.

For more information about the Congress, send a message to Jennifer Obert at jennifer@wecai.org (USA) or Linda Pereira (Europe) at lpereira@wecai.org

i2010 Conference, London, UK

2005-08-09T15:08:00.000Z

"The i2010 Conference being held in London on Tuesday 6 September is the flagship UK Presidency ICT conference and is a key opportunity for governments and business from across the EU to actively contribute to defining the i2010 ICT strategy that will take the EU forward until 2010"

For further information and to register see the i2010 official website.

Law via the Internet 2005

2005-08-08T15:45:00.000Z

Just a bit away from Ole Europe, "The Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute (PacLII), in conjunction with the Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII), will host the 7th 'Law via Internet' Conference on 17-19 November 2005 in Vila, Republic of Vanuatu. Previous Law via Internet Conferences have been held in Sydney (1997, 1999, 2001, 2003), Montreal (2002) and Paris (2004).

Law via the Internet 2005 will present both submitted and invited papers. The Conference will be preceded by the annual meeting of the Free Access to Law Movement on 17 November, and the conference proper will take place on 18-19 November.

You can read the programmes for the 2004 (Paris) conference and for earlier Conferences to see the wide range of topics covered. Also available are selected papers from previous Conferences.

Proceeds from the Conference will support the provision of free access to law via the net.

We hope you can join us in November.

Robynne Blake, Director, PacLII
Graham Greenleaf, Co-Director, AustLII and WorldLII
Programme Co-Chairs

Call for Papers - Submission of extended abstract by 12 August 2005"

For more information, you may acceed the Conference's Page.

"Commission to invest € 1 billion into Research on Information and Communication Technologies"

2005-08-03T14:24:00.001Z

According to the Press Room of the European Commission, "The Commission is about to launch 276 new research projects in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) with €1 billion in EU funding. This is the result of the fourth Information Society Technology Call for Proposals under the EU’s Sixth Research Framework Programme. This EU contribution is one of the largest totals awarded as the result of a single Call for Proposals in the history of EU research."

For the full text, press here!

Viviane Reading: "On Internet Governance"

2005-07-25T16:31:00.000Z

The Press Room of the European Commission has just published the Speech "On Internet Governance" delivered by Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission responsible for the Information Society and Media, at the Conference of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Luxembourg, 11 July 2005.

PRIME White Paper

2005-07-23T17:30:00.000Z

You'll find a very interesting document on "Privacy and Identification Management". Comments are very wellcome.

News from the LEFIS Coordinator

2005-07-22T16:55:00.000Z

From our Coodinator, Prof. Fernando Galindo, I've just received this up to date:

"Dear all,
As you can suppose the LEFIS activities continue! If you read the blogs, you can see, for example, how the last week a very interesting Seminar on "Law & Artificial Intelligence" took place in Beja, Portugal. 40 persons participated in this meeting. The participants (lawyers and students specially) came from the region and from Brasil also. A LEFIS blog in portuguese has been included in the list of LEFIS blogs.
Danièlle Bourcier from Paris invite you (until end of July) to send a paper to the conference "European Symposium on Governance, Law and Technology", that will take place in Paris from 19th to 22nd september 2005.
I can communicate also to you that the proofs in relation with the LEFIS public key infrastructure have finished and we shall have the PKI functioning effectively from the end of this summer.
I hope that in the next days we can open another section in the LEFIS page with reference to "Stays and jobs". The idea is to made public calls to realize research stays of to offert job possibilities to all LEFIS members. I can say that we shall put an offert from the University of Zaragoza to realizea financed stay, at least from three months, making research activities related with the projects of the Research Group "Data protection and electronic signature" that I coordinate: interested persons are invited to send to me possible proposals (as soon as possible: the call finishes the next September 16th).
Of course, I invite to you to read the LEFIS web: we put there changes and news periodically.
I have not yet received news from Brussels in relation with the application to the Socrates Thematic Networks for 2005-2007, anyway I can say to you that the last documental justification referred to the activities of the years 2003-2004 has had an amount of 605.000 euros, when we must justify only 580.000 euros of spents.
Thank you very much to all the justificants!

Happy hollydays!
Best regards"

Seminar on "Law & Artificial Intelligence": Beja, Portugal, 2005/07/14

2005-07-05T16:49:00.000Z

The Scientific Area of Law and the Scientific Area of Programming Languages of ESTIG / Beja Polytechnic, with the support of the LEFIS - Legal Framework for the Information Society Network, will held a Seminar on "Law & Artificial Intelligence".

Intended to reach both Students and Professionals of Law and Computer Science, in the Seminar will participate Professors Manuel David Masseno, of the Scientific Area of Law - ESTIG/IPBeja; Aires José Rover, of the Legal Sciences Centre of the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil; and José Jasnau Caeiro, of Scientific Area of Programming Languages - ESTIG/IPBeja and Fellow of INESC, Lisbon.

The Seminar will take place Thursday, the 14th of July, at the ESTIG building: Rua D. Afonso III, Beja, Portugal.

News from the LEFIS Coordinator

2005-06-03T17:44:00.000Z

Our Coordinator, Prof. Fernando Galindo, has just sent these News:

"Dear all,

The LEFIS activities continue! The planned and new meetings are in realization.

I would like to remember to all the very important meeting next week in Bologna: the ICAIL 2005 Meeting, and the published preliminary programme for EGOV 2005 in Copenhagen.

Another interesting meeting has happened: a workshop on Artificial Intelligence and the Law in the World Conference on Philosopy of Law in Granada took place the last week. A Summer School took place recently in Valladolid.
Another meeting will have place in Montevideo, Uruguay in two weeks: the VI Journeys of the Institute of Computers Law. A Course of interdisciplinary character will begin also: this is the case of the Course of Electronic Contracts, organized by the Notaries ("Escribanos") Association from Uruguay. A small Seminar on "Public Powers and Technologies" will have place next week in Zaragoza...

I invite to you to the meetings, of course!, and to send to me any news on your activities to put them in the web and/or in the blogs!
I hope can communicate to you as soon as possible that the proofs in relation with the LEFIS public key infrastructure have finished!

Best regards"

Invitation to join the VE-Forum

2005-05-27T15:06:00.000Z

Gioacchino Quadri di Cardano (from C.I.R.S.F.I.D. - Bolonia University) sent us the following address:

"I am very pleased to invite you to join (for free, of course) the VE-Forum: http://www.ve-forum.org/. It is a new online community of consultants, practitioners, researchers and technologists focused on the challenges and opportunities associated with networked organisations and virtual enterprises.

Virtual collaboration – the joint pursuit of objectives by organisations or individuals across regions and time zones – is increasingly a way of life in research and business alike.

The objective in launching VE-Forum.org is to provide a virtual collaboration and information hub, which supports the adoption of, and research into the business, cultural, legal and technological issues associated with networked organisations and virtual enterprise models across Europe.

The VE-Forum Community invites participation from community facilitators, consultants, practitioners, project managers, researchers, support agencies and technologists. Everyone has something to benefit.

This community if very active in proposing and coordinating european research project in different fields, and I believe that enrolling in VE-Forum could be a good opportunity to discuss and prepare new joint activities.

Best regards."

News from the LEFIS Coordinator

2005-05-06T13:31:00.000Z

From our Coodinator, Prof. Fernando Galindo, I've just received this up to date:
"Dear all,
You can see the final report of LEFIS 2004 in relation with the Socrates Programme in here: We have made several changes related to the justification of all the budgetary expenses with the outcomes of the project.

I would like to communicate also to you that we have a new member of the LEFIS network: the Faculty of Law of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece. We have also another web log in Greek. Of course you are invited to propose another weblogs and to send more news to the existent.

The proofs with the public key infrastructure continue. I hope that in a short period we can go more away of the proofs and advance in the constitution of LEFIS as reliable network for electronic commerce and government (Public administrations).

In the last times I have had several conversations with different industries interested and participant in LEFIS. We prepare in this sense the edition of several books related with the activities of LEFIS and we prepare also agreements to made industrial projects with several partners.

The planned meetings for this year are functioning.
Best regards."

Deadline Extension to LEA05

2005-04-01T10:11:00.000Z

From Rossella Rubino, of CIRSFID / University of Bologna, we've just received the following communication:
"After receiving some requests, we have extended the submission deadline for LEA05 to April 11 2005.

The Workshop on the Law and Electronic Agents (LEA05) will be held in conjunction with the Tenth International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Law (ICAIL 2005) Bologna, Italy 6 -11 June 2005.

Recent years have seen an increasing deployment of electronic agents (or software agents) for numerous network applications such as personalised information management, electronic commerce and management of commercial processes. As electronic agents enter the information environment and electronic marketplaces, they engage in a number of activities which are significant for the law: accessing computer systems and networks, retrieving and spreading information, mediating personal and business relations, buying and selling material and immaterial goods. Through such activities agents may trigger off relevant consequences for their users, owners and developers, as well as their counter-parties, consequences pertaining to different areas of the law, such as contract, tort, criminal responsibility, intellectual property and data protection. How to legally conceptualise and regulate agent-based interaction is both a stimulating theme for lawyers and legal theorists, and a crucial issue for the success of agent-based applications and the secure development of the information society. But there is also the challenge to customise electronic agents for the support of lawyers. The workshop aims at providing a forum for investigating the law of electronic agents, keeping into account the most recent advances in the study of autonomous agents and multi-agent systems, as well as the societal, economic and legal framework in which agent-based systems are employed.

Topics of interest

Legal capacity and personality of agents
Legal relevance of mental states of agents (intention, negligence, etc.)
Ownership and other entitlements over agents
Agents as holders of rights, duties and powers
Agents as legal representatives
Agents as mediators in legal transactions
Agent-to-agent and agent-to-human interaction in a legal perspective
Contracts made through/by electronic agents (contractual liability)
Liability for the damage caused by electronic agents (liability in tort)
Agents and data protection
Agents and copyright/patent/sui generis/know how infringement
Intellectual property rights over agent-based software
Agents and computer crime
Agents as self-enforcing regulatory tools
Electronic agents and dispute resolution
Codes of conduct and best practices for agents
Agents for legal practice
Agents in B2C transactions
Agent-based commercial applications

Submissions and Attendance
Participants should submit a paper (of about 20000 - 25000 characters with footnotes and spaces), describing relevant preliminary or completed work to be presented at the workshop. People interested in making a presentation without submitting a paper are encouraged to submit a statement of interest, consisting of a single page description of research interests and current work, to be used to encourage discussion and to ensure the maximum contribution and participation. All submissions should include: author's name(s), affiliation, (complete) mailing address, phone and fax number and e-mail address. Preferably, papers should be submitted in a standard format (txt, pdf, doc, rtf) to C. Cevenini or A. Oskamp.
The deadline for receipt of submissions is April 11th 2005 (12:00AM). All papers will be reviewed by the programme committee and selected on their originality, timeliness, relevance and clarity. Notification of acceptance will be communicated by April 25th 2005. Final paper due May 10th 2005.
The accepted papers will be published in the proceedings of the workshop and on the LEA website http://www.lea-online.net/

Important dates: Submission deadline: April 11th / Notification of acceptance: April 25th / Final paper due: May 10th

Conference officials Program Chair: Anne Gardner / Conference Chair: Giovanni Sartor

Programme Committee: Anja Oskamp, CLI, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (A.Oskamp@rechten.vu.nl) (co-chair) Claudia Cevenini, CIRSFID, University of Bologna (cevenini@cirfid.unibo.it) (co-chair)

Jon Bing, University of Oslo / Giovanni Sartor, University of Bologna / Kevin Ashley, University of Pittsburgh / Sonia Bergamaschi, University of Modena / Danièle Bourcier, CNRSA, University of Paris 2 / Frances Brazier, Free University of Amsterdam / Cristiano Castelfranchi, University of Siena / Jim Cunningham, Imperial College London / Andrew J.I. Jones, Kings College London / Daniela Memmo, University of Bologna / Andrea Omicini, University of Bologna / Giovanni Pascuzzi, University of Trento / Jeremy Pitt, Imperial College London / Burkhard Schäfer, University of Edinburgh / Marek Sergot, Imperial College London / Emily Weitzenbock, University of Oslo.

For further information please visit the http://www.lea-online.net/ page"

E-Society: Electronic Commerce and Government

2005-03-17T09:41:00.000Z

As every year, the University of Zaragoza organizes many interesting summer courses in a wide range of topics. Any graduate or undergraduate student interested in their topics will find them really useful. The Registration Period is already opened and you can join online, and also fomalize your attendance fee throug you credit card.

Among all of them, we find specially interesting one titled "E-Society: Electronic Commerce and Government". Directed by Pilar Lasala, Ph.D., Professor of statics and probability of the University of Zaragoza, it will deal with theoretical and practical aspects of this topic so much in vogue these days. You may consult a detailed program here.

ALFA E-Government Meetings

2005-03-12T07:45:00.000Z

The ALFA E-Government Programme invites to the LEFIS members to participate in the next meetings.

The dates, approximately, and place of the ALFA meetings (in 2005) will be:

1.- From May 9th to 13th, La Habana (Cuba): V Conferencia Internacional de Informática y Derecho;
2.- Second half of May, Valladolid (Spain): Meeting on Law and New Technologies;
3.- First half of June, Montevideo (Uruguay): ALFA meeting on E-Government;
4.- Second half of June, La Plata (Argentina): ALFA meeting on E-Government: E-Democracy and E-Signature;

CRID INTER@CTIVE

2005-03-11T09:47:00.000Z

From now on, we're starting to link the monthly issues of the English version of CRID INTER@CTIVE, the newsletter published by the Centre de recherche informatique et droit - CRID / Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix - FUNDP ( Namur, Belgian).

You may find here the back issues!

The EU Constitutional Treaty and the Humanistic Sciences

2005-03-07T17:56:00.000Z

This time from another Archipelago network partner: ENOTHE - European Network of Occupational Therapy in Higher Education, Hanneke van Bruggen / Hogeschool van Amsterdam is asking for our help since:

"I was asked by group 1 of the Archipelago to write a contibution of the humanistic networks to the big European debates.
This of course is too much for one person to do. What I did is, that I made a summary of the European constitution what is at the moment the biggest debate in the whole of Europe. I suggest now that every network is writing up their contribution to this debate within the framework of my summary. I also want to make us visible in the 1000 debates around the constitution and put ourselves forward on the website of the EC around these debates. So please give as representatives of your networks a short summary what you contribute to the EU constitution (or why you are against)!
This debate could also be leading our theme for the next complementary measurements.
I hope to hear from you before the 20th of March, so that this can be helpful for Kath Isaacs application."

So, lets give her a strong legal hand!

Caselex in Quest for Eastern European Contact Persons

2005-03-06T18:30:00.002Z

From our Fellow-Member Robert Queck, Deputy-director of the Centre de recherche informatique et droit - CRID / Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix - FUNDP ( Namur, Belgian), we received the following announcement:
"In the contex of a project called CASELEX, whose objective is to create an online platform gathering national case law from the EU and the EFTA countries, we are looking for national contact persons in the Eastern European countries. The role of those persons would be to help us in identifying the public bodies in charge with the distribution of national caselaw in their respective countries and to provide us with relevant information on the judicial system of its country."

Blogging and Certification

2005-03-06T16:46:00.000Z

From our Coodinator, Prof. Fernando Galindo, I've just received this statement:

"Weblogs are a very useful communication tool. As I understand it, thanks to 'blogs' it's possible to communicate with interested persons and not, with all the included in a distribution list of emails, for example.
As another example, it's possible for LEFIS to communicate the last state of the art on their activities:

i) LEFIS is certificated by the certification authority (in proof) APTICE LEFIS. It is possible to accept this authority using the padlock that is located in the right part of the page, in the top. You can see that we have two pages: https://www.lefis.org/ and http://www.lefis.org/ (or in the right parte of this blog);

ii) The next step will be the use of the certification authority as an entity that can certificate public keys of the LEFIS participants. So, the certification authority will give public keys that let, initially, to access to the LEFIS intranet directly: without the use of username and password

iii) Another step will be the implementation of use rules for the certification authority. These rules will be coherent with the own legal system of each register entity: the different partners of LEFIS that would like to made this function"

The New LEFIS Application is in Brussels!

2005-03-01T16:35:00.000Z

I've just received the news from our Coordinator Prof. Fernando Galindo: this year's application is already in Brussels and it can be read in

http://www.lefis.org/downloads/LEFIS_Application_2005_part_1.pdf
http://www.lefis.org/downloads/LEFIS_Application_2005_part_2.pdf

As you can see, this year our Network has a missing link - Ireland. So lets all find out a cyberpartner from Europe's Green Tiger!

Besides, we have now a distribution list of messages last-lefis@lefis.org moderated by Fernando Galindo himself.

Presentation

2005-02-22T10:41:00.000Z

The Legal Framework for the Information Society has as objective to introduce, starting from the elaboration of normative proposals, the Information and Communication Technologies in the Faculties and Schools of Law, and to promote the study of regulations and practice codes in the Polytechnic Centers. LEFIS wants to elaborate also didactic solutions with the possibilities that offers the use of the web and the didactic resources "on line".
Another objective of LEFIS is to elaborate policies on Law and new technologies coming from discussions originated in the different countries of the European Union and other regions, assisting to the own characteristic necessities, traditions and requirements of the groups of countries that integrate the Thematic Network.
The LEFIS Network, supported by the European Union as Thematic Network, is part of the Archipelago Network. LEFIS includes also the activities of the AECI and ALFA Networks on electronic government, of European and Central- and Southamerican character.