Washington — The Computer & Communications Industry Association joined 14 other industry associations in releasing recommendations ahead of the G7 Leaders Summit taking place this weekend in Biarritz, Aquitaine, France.
Under France’s presidency of the G7, policymakers have met frequently over the past year at the various ministerial level meetings to discuss issues under the France designated theme of “fighting inequality”. Digital economy issues have pervaded these discussions, with a number of outcomes following a meeting of digital economy ministers in May.
Industry encourages G7 Leaders to ensure the facilitation of the free flow of data across borders, support an early agreement on the ongoing e-commerce negotiations at the WTO, and encourage strong commitments to achieving a multilateral approach to tax policy rather than pursuing unilateral digital tax measures.
In addition to the recommendations outlined in the joint statement, CCIA also encourages G7 countries to ensure that any new approaches to content regulation are made pursuant to comprehensive dialogue with meaningful opportunities for input by industry and civil society and balance the goals of removing illegal content from the Internet with freedom of expression and innovation.
The following can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:
“With rising trade tensions, world leaders face a number of economic challenges ahead of this meeting. We encourage G7 leaders to build off work in previous years to present a vision for trade that harnesses the potential of digitalization of the global economy and lowers barriers.”