News

CENTR is excited to announce a significant update to its data platform, CENTRstats. The backend of CENTRstats has been upgraded from the old web.py framework to a more robust and professional PHP-based CMS. This transition brings enhanced functionalities for administrators and streamlines various processes, ensuring that the data is more accessible and manageable.

CENTR has issued a Board statement to provided feedback to the European Commission’s Draft implementing regulation of the NIS 2 Directive.

We are looking for an experienced, enthusiastic, and detail-oriented Office Manager to join our small team and serve our international and multilingual membership. We would like our new team member to start between September and November 2024. 

In a nutshell: The Hungarian Presidency set its priorities for the Council of the EU, ahead of its term starting from 1 July. The Belgian Presidency published a progress report on the FiDA and insolvency directives reform. The Council of the EU reached an agreement on a common position regarding GDPR enforcement reform. FRA issued a report about the experiences of data protection authorities. The European Commission published a draft implementing act on the NIS 2 Directive. G7 leaders adopted the Apulia communiqué, including its political priorities for cybersecurity. The High-Level Group on Access to Data for Effective Law Enforcement published recommendations. European citizens elected their representatives in the European Parliament for 2024-2029.

Last week I had the pleasure to attend and contribute to Baltic Domain Days, kindly hosted by DOMREG in Vilnius. Baltic Domain Days is an event that brings together the key domain name actors of the Baltic region and beyond, keeping a pulse on the trends that affect .lt, .lv and .ee registries and the overall domain name ecosystem in the Baltic states. This year's edition was hosted by .lt registry in the beautiful Old Town of Vilnius.

From May 28th to May 31st, the CENTR Community gathered in Copenhagen, Denmark, for its 13th Jamboree. The Jamboree is the annual meeting where the whole European ccTLD community comes together. Unlike most CENTR meetings that are typically structured around the 6 CENTR Working Groups (e.g., Legal, R&D, or Marketing), the Jamboree focuses on broader topics and facilitates conversations between different corners of the CENTR ecosystem. This year was special as, for the first time, we welcomed external participants who actively contributed to the program. With 250 in-person attendees and 60 joining online, this year’s edition was the largest CENTR meeting ever.

In a nutshell: The Council of the EU approved its conclusions on the Future of EU Digital Policy, to which several EU countries reacted with their own proposal. The Council of the EU approved its conclusions on the Future of Cybersecurity. The Dutch government published a non-paper on effective EU cybersecurity legislation. The European Commission took stock of the implementation of the EU Security Union Strategy. The European Data Protection Board issued a statement on the Financial Data Access proposal. The Court of justice of the EU ruled on public authorities’ access to identity data and IP addresses. The Council of the EU formally adopted the Artificial Intelligence Act. The Council of Europe adopted an international treaty on Artificial Intelligence.

Internet governance is experiencing an eventful period. In April, the United Nations published the zero draft of the Global Digital Compact (GDC), aiming for “an inclusive, open, and secure digital future for all” with a first revised draft published mid-May. Concurrently, the NETmundial+10 process crystallised into an ambitious Multistakeholder Statement aiming to “strengthen Internet governance and digital policy processes.” Although these documents were drafted by different stakeholders and processes, both documents will influence internet governance for years to come.

In a nutshell: The EU telecom and consumer protection ministers met under the auspices of the Belgian Presidency. The ECON committee voted on the FiDA proposal. The European Parliament voted to change the procedural rules under GDPR and published a study on the resilience of EU elections. The EDPB set out its priorities for 2024-2027 and shared a Data Privacy Framework note. ENISA together with European Commission’s Joint Research Centre published an analysis on the Cyber Resilience Act requirements and standards. The European Commission published a call for evidence for evaluating the Terrorist Content Online Regulation. The European Political parties signed a pledge on EU elections transparency. The Czech Republic published its digital priorities for the years 2024-2029. The UN has published the zero draft of the Global Digital Compact.

The 119th IETF meeting took place in Brisbane, Australia, between 16 and 22 March 2024, a week packed with working group meetings & sessions, a 2-day hackathon and various side events. Marco Davids from SIDN Labs attended the meeting and has written a summary of the main points of relevance for CENTR members.