Consultation report on the future of Internet Governance

This report is a summary of the responses to the 17 questions on Internet Governance, posed during the targeted consultation, which was launched in November 2024 and ran until January 2025.

The consultation is part of the Commission's preparation for the 2025 UN World Summit on the Information Society: 20-year review (WSIS+20), and a response to the Council’s request for an EU strategy on multistakeholder Internet Governance. Public authorities, businesses, technical experts, and civil society organisations provided input on the EU’s position on Internet Governance, specifically on the EU’s vision and role in advancing a global, open, secure, and rights-based digital transition.

The consultation report highlights four main needs:

• Stronger EU action to safeguard an open and resilient Internet, amid rising cyber threats
• Better EU participation and coordination in multistakeholder Internet Governance forums
• A balance between innovation and regulation for Web 4.0 governance
• Support for the the multistakeholder Internet Governance model to prevent the risk of Internet fragmentation and loss of reliability and availability of its functionalities

Based on the report’s findings, the European Commission is starting to prepare for critical milestones foreseen in 2025, in particular WSIS+20.

This consultation is also part of the broader International Digital Strategy for the EU.