EC criticized for failing to push online services in the EU

According to EdiMA, a trade group representing the biggest names in Internet technologies, lack of political vision and weak internal coordination at the European Commission has prevented Europe from reaping the rewards of advances in online services. The trade group proposes that the Commission sets up a task force comprising experts in various different departments at the Commission. The goal is to improve Europe's presence online, said James Waterworth, a director of E.U. affairs for Nokia, one of EdiMA's members. Currently there are four of five different Commission departments dealing with e-commerce, for example. These include the consumer affairs, the information society and competition directorates. The main message from the policy paper is that Europe is lagging when it comes to developing online services, and this is mainly because there isn't a properly functioning digital single market yet. It's no surprise that all the big names in online services, such as Google, Yahoo, eBay and Microsoft, are American. The European Union can't provide the same situation in its market because different rules, and different interpretations of E.U. rules at a national level, mean there is no consistent application of the law across the 27 E.U. member states. The trade group has chosen to set out its vision for the next five years now to coincide with the change of Parliament and because the mandate of the Commission is about to expire in the fall. It seems almost certain that Jose Manuel Barosso, the Commission president, will be given another four-year term. It is also likely that Viviane Reding, commissioner for the information society, will also continue in her job.