Electronic commerce standardization and public interest
The European Commission, DG III, has launched an invitation to tender for a study on "Electronic commerce standardization and public interest". The study would address the issues related to electronic commerce standardization and public interest which are anticipated in the communications "Standardization and the Global Information Society: the European approach" (COM(96) 359), and "A European initiative in electronic commerce" (COM(97) 157). It will: - Provide an overview of the European and international standardization activities on electronic commerce which are related to trust and confidence in electronic transactions; - Identify key areas in which standardization can support legal or regulatory actions and/or voluntary agreements (e.g. code of conduct, self-regulation) in order to protect the public interest in electronic commerce (e.g. security, privacy, data protection, encryption, prevention of illegal and harmful information, social needs, users' requirements, public administrations as users, etc.); - Provide recommendations for the improvement of the (institutional) links between public interest and voluntary standardization at European and global level. In particular, the recommendations should address policy initiatives and institutional reforms. The study should be completed within five months. Tender documents may be obtained from: European Commission DG III - Industry A. Conte Unit B/2 200 rue de la Loi (SC-15 1/178) B-1049 Brussels Tel. +32-2-2967235; Fax +32-2-2967019 Completed tenders should be sent to: European Commission DG III - Industry Ms. Susanna Rantti Unit B/2 200 rue de la Loi (SC-15 2/4) B-1049 Brussels