The Governments of the United States and France wish to strengthen our cooperation on the development of the Information Society and the digital economy. This will foster the trans-Atlantic dialogue, and in particular, the guidelines outlined in the Joint EU-US Statement on Electronic Commerce of December 5, 1997, as well as promote the general international discussion of these issues.

1. The Information Society -- A Challenge for the World

New information technologies are changing the way we work, learn, and communicate with each other. The rate of innovation in technologies such as the Internet, computers, software, and both wired and wireless telecommunications is astounding - and will have a dramatic impact on our economies and our societies.

Increasingly, the information technology industry has become a driver of economic growth, globalization, and the creation of high-tech, high-wage jobs. Businesses are using information technology to boost exports, increase productivity, forge closer relationships with suppliers, and reduce the time required to develop customized products and services. As we enter the 21st century, our economies will become increasingly knowledge-intensive.

Information technology will affect citizenship, culture, and community as well as commerce. Information technology can be a powerful tool for achieving many of our most important goals. It can put access to a vast universe of knowledge at the fingertips of every citizen, improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities, and broaden the opportunities for participatory democracy.

However, we should also be aware of and work to counteract the risks associated with information technology - such as the erosion of personal privacy, and problems such as the creation of a "digital divide" between information "haves" and "have nots", cybercrime and the year 2000 computer challenge.

2. Life-Long Learning in the Information Society

We have an obligation to ensure that all of our children have an opportunity to succeed in the digital economy, and that they have the ability to use the latest Information Age tools for learning, research, communication and collaboration. To achieve this goal -- we must promote public and private efforts that will bring computers and the Internet to the classroom, develop high-quality educational software, and train teachers in the use of technology. We must not allow a "digital divide" to emerge between those students who do have access to educational technology and those who do not.

Learning should not end with formal education. Information technology can support life-long learning by allowing adults to acquire new skills at a time, place, and pace that is convenient for them.

3. Democracy: Citizenship in the Information Age

Information technology has the potential to strengthen civil society and informed participation at all levels of government. Citizens are using the Internet to communicate with their elected representatives, discuss solutions to local problems on community networks, and access information on the issues that they care about. It is therefore essential to develop access to infrastructures and services, and to promote the acquisition of technical skills.

The Internet also makes it easier for individuals and organizations to express their opinions and share ideas, and it enables "many-to-many" communication as opposed to the "one-to-many" communication of traditional media.

Governments should not prevent their citizens from accessing this information simply because it is posted in another country or in a foreign language. Furthermore, governments can use information technology to become more open, responsive, efficient, and accessible to the public.

4. Universal Access: The Social and Regional Challenge

As we enter the Information Age -- we must ensure that new technologies will widen the circle of opportunity. Some people are concerned that our societies will be polarized between information "haves" and "have-nots."

To avoid the creation of a "digital divide"on a social, cultural or geographic basis - we should promote universal technological literacy, and make information technology widely available at public institutions such as schools, libraries, and community centers. Governments also have an important role to play in ensuring universal access to telecommunications services, particularly for low-income and rural consumers. Governments should also promote competition in all information and communications markets. Competition will result in lower prices, more customer choice, and faster deployment of new technologies.

5. Cooperation with developing countries

Developing countries must be able to participate fully in the information society. The new networks can contribute to their integration in the global economy and facilitate the dissemination of knowledge and technologies to their citizens and their companies.

We encourage developing countries to open their markets to private sector investments to help modernize their communications infrastructure. France in cooperation with its European partners and the United States are ready to advance international cooperation to achieve this goal by availing themselves of the international organizations (ITU, OECD, UNCTAD, WTO, UNDP, etc.) and the financial institutions (World Bank, regional development banks, etc.)

6. Open Access to Information and Cultural Diversity

The Internet provides unprecedented access to information - for the first time, a means of communication enables an individual to select what he or she wishes to view from among millions of pages of information posted on hundreds of thousands of web sites all around the world. This information is posted in many countries and in many languages. Governments should promote access to this information.

The Internet can and should be used to afford an opportunity to develop cultural diversity. Programming which reflects the cultural and linguistic interests of any group can be produced cheaply and transmitted to others with similar interests worldwide. We support the deployment of technologies that enable this diversity.

7. The digital economy and electronic commerce

Electronic commerce will be one of the major driving forces of economic growth in the 21st century, enhancing productivity, offering consumers greater choice and creating new markets.

On the basis of marketplace developments, and following on from the joint US/EU declaration of December 5, 1997, the WTO declaration of May 17, 1998, The US and France agree on the following guidelines to promote electronic commerce.

	The private sector should lead the development of electronic commerce both individually as firms developing new services and innovations and collectively to help set rules for the functioning of this new marketplace.
	The role of government is to provide, where necessary, a clear, consistent and predictable legal framework, to promote a pro-competitive environment in which electronic commerce can flourish and to ensure adequate protection of public interest objectives. Unnecessary existing legal regulatory barriers should be eliminated and the emergence of new ones should be prevented.
	There should be no new discriminatory taxation on electronic commerce. Existing taxes should be applied in a manner which is clear, consistent, neutral and non discriminatory. We will actively participate within the OECD to work toward developing framework conditions for the taxation of electronic commerce. Close cooperation and mutual assistance are necessary to ensure effective tax administration and to prevent tax evasion and avoidance on the Internet.
	Cooperation on cybercriminality, agreed as part of the G8 action plan, should contribute to combating illicit activities via new networks.
	Security of transactions and payments is essential for the development of electronic commerce, and should be implemented in a manner consistent with public safety.
	Electronic commerce should afford consumers the same level of protection as is provided in other forms of commerce in order to promote consumer confidence. In instances where users, such as parents, do not wish to receive certain types of information, they should have access to filtering or blocking technologies.
	Suitable protection of intellectual property is essential for the growth of electronic commerce. This will be facilitated by early ratification of the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performance and Phonograms Treaty.
	Governments should support a global legal framework that recognizes, facilitates, and enforces electronic transactions worldwide. The commercial legal framework should include a multilateral convention that recognizes the validity of electronic signatures for commercial purposes and allows parties to determine through a legally valid contract the appropriate technological and business methods of authentication for their transaction.

8. Future work: international cooperation

There must be close cooperation between France within the European Union and the United States in order to promote internationally a favorable environment for the development of information technologies. This close cooperation should be implemented for example through the WTO, the OECD, WIPO, World Bank and UNCTAD, while respecting European Union jurisdiction. We will work in particular to achieve the complete implementation of the WTO agreement on basic telecommunication services, the ITA agreement on customs duties on information technology products, the WIPO agreements on the protection of intellectual property, as well as the G8 action plan on cybercriminality.

We are convinced that the information society and digital economy cannot but be global, with the participation of the international community, including developing countries.

More on this topic:  World Trade Organisation 

Technologies numériques   US Information technology