DIGITAL WORLD THE MOST POWERFUL DRIVER OF ECONOMIES: GLOBAL ICT CEOS TELL G8 LEADERS

Brussels (MMD Newswire) May 24, 2011 — This morning as the eG8 Forum commenced in Paris with an opening speech from the French President and President of the G8 for 2011, Nicholas Sarkozy, CEOs from global ICT companies called on governments to recognise that digital infrastructure investment, new Internet-based services, and the digital transformation of every economic sector have become the most powerful drivers of economic growth and innovation.

As the Heads of State and Government of the G8 stand poised to hear the outcome of the e-G8 Forum when they convene this week in Deauville, 26-27 May 2011, CEOs of member companies of DIGITALEUROPE, the largest industry body representing the Digital Economy in Europe, voiced their views, concerns and vision regarding the Internet as a prime catalyst for growth and jobs.

Dr. Erkki Ormala, President of DIGITALEUROPE, stated that the eG8 and G8 presented “a unique opportunity to raise important issues relating to the Digital Economy for the first time with leaders in Europe, and globally.”

CEOs from leading ICT companies including – Ben Verwaayen, Chief Executive Officer, Alcatel Lucent, Laurent Vernerey, Executive Vice President, IT Business, APC Schneider Electric, John T. Chambers, Chairman and CEO, Cisco Systems, Hans Vestberg,President and CEO, Ericsson, Yves de Talhouët, Senior Vice President Enterprise Business and Managing Director, HP EMEA, Jean-Philippe Courtois, President Microsoft International, Senior Vice President, Microsoft Corporation, Stephen Elop, Global CEO, Nokia, Loic le Guisquet, Executive Vice President, Oracle EMEA, Laurent Abadie, Chairman and CEO, Panasonic Europe, Patrick Spence,Regional Managing Director, EMEA, RIM, Jim Hageman Snabe, co-CEO, SAP, G.S Choi,Vice Chairman & CEO, Samsung Electronics Co, Fujio Nishida, President, Sony Europe Ltd – called on G8 Leaders to leverage digital technology’s potential to tackle global challenges such youth unemployment, which has reached its highest level on record.

Presidents of DIGITALEUROPE’s National Trade Association network, which spans Europe called on public policies to support the rapid emergence of the “Business Web”; policy makers, they said, must harness the vast, new global growth potential of digital technology and avoid stifling regulatory fragmentation of digitally – driven communities, industries and markets.

Captains of industry reiterated that no single sovereign state – or political union – could exploit the full growth potential of the global phenomenon of the Internet in isolation. Each region of the world, they said, is implementing its own digital agenda reflecting its specific circumstance, but warned political leaders of the need for a common commitment to transparent, technology-neutral and compatible regulatory frameworks or risk market fragmentation – as exemplified by the way data privacy and intellectual property rules are still handled within the EU – that will deprive consumers and businesses of the benefits of market integration and global economies of scale.

A full copy of the letter can be found on DIGITALEUROPE’s website: http://www.digitaleurope.org/index.php?id=1328