The European Union, multilateralism and the global governance of the Internet

Christou, G; Simpson, S

Abstract

Whilst the global governance architecture of the Internet has evolved
at pace in the last 10 years, the European Union’s (EU) role and influence in its
development has been relatively understudied. This article contributes to closing
this gap in the literature through an exposition of how the EU has sought to
shape the emerging environment for Internet governance in the context of its
quest for ‘effective multilateralism’. It identifies the type of multilateral governance
that the EU has projected for the Internet globally and analyses how it has sought to
do this through its interaction with key global Internet fora. It argues that the EU’s
own self-defined role as a leader with a clear, preferred model for Internet governance
contrasts with several constraints and contradictions faced in becoming an effective
multilateral actor in this area.

Citation

Christou, G., & Simpson, S. (2011). The European Union, multilateralism and the global governance of the Internet. Journal of European Public Policy, 18(2), 241-257. https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2011.544505

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2011
• Deposit Date: Dec 22, 2011
• Journal: Journal of European Public Policy
• Print ISSN: 1350-1763
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 18
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 241-257
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2011.544505
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2011.544505