IEEE Bulletin ~ October 2015

1. Digital Strategy: UN countries back roadmap toward 5G networks 2. Digital Strategy: France and Germany push their own digital agenda 3. Net Neutrality: EU parliament voted on net neutrality rules 4. Spectrum: Commission should take Member States to court in spectrum dispute 5. Cybersecurity: No regulation needed for online ‘gatekeepers’, experts tell Commission 6. Cybersecurity: EU agency hones in on cybersecurity and connected cars 7. Data Protection: The protection of personal data: More than a “European” fundamental right, it is a right for “everyone” 8. Data Protection: Safe Harbour – the way forward: Consequences for the transatlantic transfer of personal data 9. E-health: Funding for eHealth projects in the new Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2016-2017 10. European Commission: The 2016 Commission Work Programme 11. Events

1. UN countries back roadmap toward 5G networks

Countries have approved a roadmap for developing a new generation of 5G mobile networks, the United Nations said Thursday (30 October), in what could pave the way for lightning-quick downloads and driverless cars. The International Telecommunication Union said an assembly of radio-communication experts from the UN's 193 member countries had approved a plan detailing how to harmonise the development of the next generation networks. The roadmap, dubbed IMT-2020, "opens the doors to innovation that will determine how we communicate in the future, meeting the trend towards high data traffic in the Age of the Internet of Things," Francois Rancy, head of the ITU Radio-communication Bureau, said in a statement.

ITU spokesman Sanjay Acharya told AFP the UN agency was "looking at a 2020 timeframe" for rolling out the new standard. With the current 4G standard enabling fast broadband access via mobile smartphones, governments and manufacturers have also said they hope the next great leap forward to connect not only humans but also billions of machines could come within five years. The new 5G technology is expected to deliver data speeds up to 1,000 times faster than the current 4G systems enabling fast transfer of data from internet- connected devices, from fitness bands to self-driving cars. But to fulfil the 5G dream, ITU said detailed technical performance requirements would need to be agreed upon through close cooperation between industry and national and regional standards organisations.

The aim will be to make it possible to build infrastructure that can carry mobile phone signals powerful and quick enough to unfailingly support split-second activities, such as surgical operations or automatic traffic movement. Now that the roadmap forward has been agreed upon, Acharya said UN member countries would decide at next month's World Radiocommunication Conference on "how much spectrum can be allocated for this." ITU helps set the rules for how much of the radio spectrum can be used by different radio transmission technologies and applications. The decisions reached at next month's conference, including on the allocation of frequencies, will be binding. Once that has been decided, manufacturers will determine what equipment they need to fit the new standards. Tech specialists at the Boston Consulting Group estimated in a report earlier this year that mobile companies would have to spend $4.0 trillion (3.6 trillion euros) on research and investments by 2020 to develop 5G.

2. France and Germany push their own digital agenda

François Hollande and Angela Merkel used a conference at Paris' Élysée Palace on 27 October to rally support for their vision of the digital single market. The positions adopted by France and the European Commission on the digital agenda have been broadly different. Copyright reform is a leading priority for the European executive, followed by the question of geo-blocking; two areas that France had hoped would remain unchanged.

Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and the Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, Andrus Ansip, both accepted the invitation to the French-German forum on the subject. Arranged at an earlier meeting between Sigmar Gabriel and Emmanuel Macron, the aim of this forum is to "underline the qualities of both countries in this area, whilst trying to promote the issue at the European level", an advisor to the French minister for the economy said. As the stalemate in the EU drags on, this is an attempt by France and Germany to break the deadlock and drag the other 26 EU Member States with them. It may not be a very 'European' attitude, but it has worked in the past: it took an agreement between France and Germany over the distribution of refugees to prompt the other countries to accept the executive's plan. The two countries called on political and industrial analysts to write a joint report on the needs of the digital industries. In this report, which is yet not publically availialble, French and German analysts propose possibilities for the future of the two countries’ digital sectors, including the creation of a joint secondary school training programme in digital skills. Another suggestion is to pool the finances available to innovative digital companies in Germany and France, or even across the whole of the EU. The conference ended with a dinner between Jean-Claude Juncker, Angela Merkel and François Hollande at the Elysée palace. Günther Oettinger, the Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, was conspicuously absent.

3. EU parliament voted on net neutrality rules

On Tuesday 27 October, the European Parliament has voted against a set of rules intended to safeguard "net neutrality" in the EU. A series of amendments to a regulation on how internet traffic is managed in Europe were all rejected by MEPs. Proponents of net neutrality, who demand that web traffic be treated equally by networks, have already criticised the move. The existing legislation, which was accepted, will be developed into regulations. Campaigners have said that provisions for protecting net neutrality in the existing text of the rules are too vague and many worry that it will be easy for internet firms to strike deals with content providers which may not be advantageous for everyone. For example, it is thought that so-called "zero rating" agreements, in which customers can access certain sites and services for free outside their data plans, might become more widespread. While this could be beneficial for those who want to access content from those providers, others worry that it will stifle innovation. The rules, however, do stipulate that network companies will not be able to offer or market paid-for access to "fast lanes". Traffic management, they add, should be based on objective technical requirements.

Clear vote Although some campaigners had suggested there might be growing support for the amendments within the parliament, all were voted down in large majorities. It is thought that many MEPs would have been reluctant to begin a process of amending the regulation given that it might have delayed another aspect of the rules - the abolition of mobile data roaming charges.

'Regrettable' decision? Michael Theurer, a liberal German MEP described the outcome as "regrettable" and added that he felt the regulations as passed do not include a clear definition of net neutrality to inform regulators. Prior to the vote however the inventor of the World Wide Web Sir Tim Berners-Lee and a host of tech companies had expressed their support for the amendments and urged MEPs to vote them through. Firms which has openly supported the amendments included: . Netflix . Reddit . Kickstarter . Vimeo . Foursquare . Soundcloud

How could the rules affect internet use? Part of the problem with the rules in their current form, argued Joe McNamee at the European Digital Rights campaign group, is that they are ambiguous. The sort of scenarios that could impact internet use include the creation of "fast lanes" and "slow lanes" or the creation of "zero ratings" in which some services may be accessed without using up any of the internet user's data quota. In Belgium, for example, some mobile phone companies currently allow unlimited access to Twitter and Facebook while all other data usage is part of a monthly plan. In a few countries such as the Netherlands, such practices are not allowed.

Do other countries have net neutrality? Interestingly, three countries within the EU - Netherlands, Slovenia and Finland - already have a range of net neutrality rules enshrined in law. These laws might have to be altered depending on how the new, EU-wide rules are interpreted by regulators later. Elsewhere, net neutrality has received some regulatory protection in the United States after a vote in February this year placed new restrictions on what deals could be sought by internet firms with content providers. But in other countries, such as India, "zero rating" is allowed.

4. Commission should take Member States to court in spectrum dispute

The European Commission has called radio spectrum used by telecoms and mobile internet services “the basis for a digitally enabled society”. Pascal Lamy explains why the executive should stand up for its powers in the field. Please find below some of key points.  Pascal Lamy is former Commissioner for Trade, and former chief of the World Trade Organization. Last year, he prepared a report on the future of spectrum for the Commission.  There is enough convergence among EU Member States on the issue. For the next decade, the 700 MHz band is to be deployed for 'telecoms', and below 700 MHz is to be kept for broadcasters and TVs. However, the Member States refuse the Commission’s proposal as a formal position. This is an issue that has little to do with the telecoms and TVs, but is rather a battle of competences between the Member States and the Union in a federal system.  The Commission should go to the European Court of Justice. It is what the Commission did when there was a pretended lack of clarity on competences. It was done in Trade during many years, and the court always interpreted, at least on the trade side, on the direction of EU competences.  Germany is on board with Lamy’s roadmap; however the issue of transferring the competences at the EU level should be within the regulatory authority of the Commission, something which is obvious. If you look at China, Korea, Japan… how they deal with that, EU appears to be weak as does not do things together. And the best way to do things in such a technical field is to use the regulatory powers of the Commission.

5. No regulation needed for online ‘gatekeepers’, experts tell Commission

The European Commission's intention to regulate online giants such as Google, Ebay and Uber, has received a lukewarm response among analysts in the field. The latest warning came from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), which concluded that these powerful ‘gatekeepers’ do not pose “unique challenges” to the existing labour or product market - and therefore do not need specific regulation. In a report published on Monday (19 October), the non-profit US-based think tank, one of the most authoritative voices in the world in this area, notes that EU policymakers’ attempts to set new rules “overlook how platforms work, the value they create, and the constraints they face”. European regulators “already have sufficient legal powers to act against the most likely problems” - including anti-competitive or anti-consumer behaviour - the ITIF argues. The foundation warns against erecting “competitive barriers to platforms”. This concern follows the steps of some leading experts, such as the 2014 Nobel laureate in economics, Jean Tirole. The French economist, whose work contributed to better understand how monopolies work, told EurActiv that the EU intervention could create entry barriers for "effective" online players.

The Commission is currently looking into the social and economic role of online platforms. This includes issues such as transparency, how information gathered is used, the relations between platforms and their suppliers, and other providers, and the freedom of consumers and traders to migrate between platforms, which raises concerns “in many quarters”, said Andrus Ansip, the Commission Vice-President in charge of the Digital Single Market. The ITIF also pointed towards a latent bias against the private sector. Authorities, the document says, should “make sure” that government agencies implement “the same standards, especially with regard to data use and security that the regulators impose on the private sector”.

Wrong European approach The US-based think tank expresses harsh criticism against the approach taken by EU authorities. “European officials would do better to ask themselves why the continent missed the first platform revolution and continues to lag behind not only in the development of new technologies but [...] in the adoption of existing ones,” says the report. In its view, it is not only because of the lack of a digital single market, one of the Commission's priorities, but also because of “the European approach to risk versus regulation and its comfort with the status quo versus innovation”. Such a regulatory environment “deters” the European output, the ITIF claims.

The report dismisses some of the “false threats” such as data privacy-related concerns, and their impact on the labour market. As regards the use of customer data, the main concerns involve security breaches, or how the information is managed, and for what purposes. The algorithms that platforms use to match parties and price transactions may also have disparate impacts, it says. Since the handling of data has become one of the main reasons to regulate online platforms, the study insists that these concerns about privacy and security “are not unique" to them. Therefore, they should be addressed by general privacy and security polices, and not by specific rules. Besides, due to the strong competition between platforms, the report adds that any misuse of the data or controversy would punish the companies. In regards to the impact on the labour market, the report laments that while old-fashioned labour regulations are still structured around stable relationships between companies and their employees, the modern economy demands more flexible links.

Meanwhile, the ITIF report recalls the “dramatic” impact on economies of online firms. Better use of data could generate $1.3 trillion in additional value each year in just seven industries. The Internet of Things could contribute up to $11.1 trillion in global value by 2025, equivalent to 11% of current global GDP.

6. EU agency hones in on cybersecurity and connected cars

Following the high-profile experimental hacking of a Jeep this summer in the US, ENISA is beefing up its research staff to focus on security and the Internet of Things, including technologies that connect cars, homes and energy supplies to the internet. ENISA plans to start meetings early next year with car manufacturers, suppliers of software for cars and national agencies responsible for cybersecurity. ENISA is expected to draft security recommendations aimed at manufacturers and may put together suggestions for legislation on connected cars in 2017.

The EU agency's new research on security and connected cars comes at a time when European manufacturers are stepping up their use of software for various functions in cars. At the Frankfurt Auto Show last month, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association teamed up with telecommunications companies and pledged to work together on cars and internet connectivity, and deliver results to the European Commission next year.

BMW has already agreed to work with ENISA on connected cars. The agency wants to add a handful of other auto manufacturers to the group before meetings start next year. ENISA's work with national agencies and car manufacturers will be selective and include representatives only from EU Member States where there are car companies and dedicated cybersecurity agencies. At the same time, DG MOVE and DG CONNECT are both working on legislation to address security in connected cars.

7. The protection of personal data: More than a “European” fundamental right, it is a right for “everyone”

On October 29 Commissioner Jourová gave a speech at the Amsterdam Privacy conference. Please find below some of the key points of her intervention:

 The European Court of Justice ruling in the Schrems case reaffirms once more that personal data protection is a fundamental right and that it applies also when personal data is transferred to third countries. The Commission respects the Court's ruling and will abide by it. And so must all stakeholders  The data protection reform launched in 2012 by the Commission aims at returning the feeling of trust to the citizens. The negotiations are now in the final stages, and a final result should be reached by the end of this year.  These new rules will strengthen and better protect people's fundamental rights and freedoms. They will also restore trust in the internet and the Digital Single Market. These new rules will simplify companies' legal environment and will create a level playing field for all companies offering goods or services online and by doing so, will boost the European digital economy.  Finally, in line with the Court ruling in the Schrems case, European data protection authorities will have more power to uphold the fundamental right to data protection. For example, they will help implement the one-stop shop to solve cross-border data protection cases, and turn it into a model of governance for other areas of EU law.  The Commission will work closely with data protection authorities in the two-year transition period after its adoption, to ensure a harmonised interpretation and application of the new rules.  And once the rules are applicable, civil society should uphold and help enforce the right to data protection. When the new laws are in place, any organisation involved in personal data protection will be entitled to take legal action on behalf of people.  Personal data has grown to become a currency, fuelling our modern market economies. This raises questions about the protection of consumers' personal data inside and outside of the EU. The Commission is committed to ensuring that EU’s fundamental rights to privacy and the protection of personal data are fully guaranteed by a robust legal framework for data protection, including for international transfers of personal data.  Safe Harbour was one of the central avenues for data transfers from Europe to the U.S. It was created to protect European citizens in the context of the important volumes of commercial data transferred across the Atlantic reflecting our intense economic interdependence. This has not changed. On the contrary. Against the background of the digital revolution we are experiencing even more intensive data flows and therefore an even stronger need today to protect consumers and citizens when their data is transferred across the Atlantic on a daily basis.  The European Court of Justice has now declared invalid the old arrangement. This leaves in the short term no choice but to recur to the other means of data transfers foreseen under the 1995 Directive, and the Commission will refer to this in an Communication explaining the judgment. However, it is clear a new general framework with the US is needed.  A new general arrangement is the best way to protect our consumers in an age of ever increasing commercial data transfers across the Atlantic. It is important not only for transatlantic commercial relations but first and foremost for our own citizens and their data protection rights. Only a comprehensive framework with commitments and enforcement by the US authorities can ensure in practice the level of data protection Europeans deserve and are entitled to under EU data protection law. And the Court has not ruled it out either. The judgment allows for such an arrangement but set criteria for it. This is why we have immediately resumed discussions with our American counterparts both at political and technical level. For the coming weeks, we have an intensive schedule and I will go to Washington in mid-November to take stock. These discussions are not easy, but I am confident that with political willingness on both sides we should soon see progress.  But since any new arrangement has to live up to the standard of the Schrems ruling we need more clarifications from our U.S. counterparts on a number of points, in particular to show that there is a substantially equivalent level of protection. I was pleased to see that the Judicial Redress Bill passed the House, and we hope to see progress soon in Senate too. This redress in cases of data exchanges for law enforcement purposes is a good signal. But we will also need more clarity regarding the limitations and safeguards when it comes to access of data for law enforcement and national security purposes.

8. Big data ‘here forever and in all sectors’

Please find below key points of the Greens/EFA Group event, organised by German Green Jan Philipp Albrecht, on Safe Harbour with privacy activist Max Schrems:

 Jan Philipp Albrecht (Greens/EFA, DE) rapporteur for the Data Protection Regulation report, described the right to privacy as a Human Right and noted the task of the European legislators to protect this right across the borders, and beyond, of the European Union. He explained that Max Schrems began complaining about the non-compliance with data requests from both Facebook and the competent supervisor in Ireland which led to a successful ruling from the European Court of Justice which has invalidated the Safe Harbour agreement.  Max Schrems, Austrian privacy activist and plaintiff in “Europe v Facebook” explained that it is impossible, in reality, for an average citizen to get their rights enforced for a number of reasons. The privacy lawyers for example, are largely in the dark about this area of law – or do not want to approach cases in it - and only EU lawyers are really able to have a significant grasp of the issue.  Max Schrems explained that the case began against the backdrop of Edward Snowden making Facebook operations public, and whether or not these operations are legal under EU law. Facebook, and others, were revealed by Snowden as participating in the PRISM mass surveillance system. Whether or not the access of EU data by these authorities is legal under EU law was the key question, and it became clear that this activity is illegal.  The European Court of Justice ruled that mass surveillance has made the Safe Harbour agreement invalid. There is also no legal redress in the US which also invalidates the agreement. Rights to investigate by DPAs have also been reaffirmed. The ECJ has also defined “adequate protection” as being “essentially equivalent” protection to third countries. This means that Safe Harbour at present does not withstand this.  The problem remains that data needs to be transferred to US but the difference has been that the US is now treated like any third country and loses its “privileged status”. The issue of consent has also been raised, but a natural contradiction exists between US and EU rules on this as the US has a gag rule. He said that a Safe Harbour 2.0 is not to be expected once the US authorities realise the standards they must meet to reach a new agreement. It may mean the end of US mass surveillance once the protection levels are reached.  Jan Philipp Albrecht (Greens/EFA, DE) queried the lack of enforcement of “adequacy” principles by the European Commission in the past and suggested that the European Parliament should have more of a say on these issues. On effective redress in the courts system, he said that fundamental rights have been consolidated by the EU judgment on this case but it should be expanded to where need exists in other areas. The Treaties also take a restrictive approach on individual redress, he noted, which may need to be reviewed.  Max Schrems said that in many cases at EU level, systems are not in place to serve individuals and a system more reflective of consumer protection measures is needed. Enforcement has not been on the radar for the big US data processing offenders because of the risk analysis done; EU enforcement versus the costs of changing leads to an obvious end.

10. Funding for eHealth projects in the new Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2016-2017

The EU funded GET project delivers four high- The new Horizon 2020 Work Programme covering 2016 and 2017 has been published. Have a look at the upcoming funding opportunities for research and innovation projects in the field of ICT for health and wellbeing. Deadline: From 20/10/2015 to 14/03/2016

The new Horizon 2020 Work Programme covering 'Societal Challenge 1: Health, demographic change and wellbeing' is available (total budget €658 Million) and the calls have been published on the Participant Portal. Here is a selection of funding opportunities that have ICT for Health and Wellbeing as their main theme. Except for the SME instrument, all of them have a single-stage deadline model, meaning there is one deadline and the proposals will be evaluated in only one stage.

SME Instrument Topic: Accelerating market introduction of ICT solutions for Health, Well-Being and A geing Well (SMEInst-06- 2016-2017). The challenge of this topic is to help overcome the current gaps in exploitation of promising research results in ICT for Health, Wellbeing and Ageing well, and to stimulate increased availability and market uptake of relevant ICT products and services. Deadline: This topic has multiple deadlines ('cut-off dates').

Research & Innovation Actions 1. Topic: In-silico trials for developing and assessing biomedical products (SC1-PM-16-2017). Opening date: 8 November 2016. Deadline: 14 March 2017 17:00:00 (Brussels time). 2. Topic: Personalised computer models and in-silico systems for wellbeing (SC1-PM-17-2017). Opening date: 8 November 2016. Deadline: 14 March 2017 17:00:00 (Brussels time). 3. Topic: Big Data supporting Public Health policies (SC1-PM-18-2016). Deadline: 16 February 2016 17:00:00 (Brussels time). 4. Topic: Increasing digital security of health related data on a systemic level (DS-03-2016). Deadline: 16 February 2016 17:00:00 (Brussels time).

Coordination and Support Actions 1. Topic: Support for Europe’s leading Health ICT SMEs (SC1-HCO-10-2016). Deadline: 16 February 2016 17:00:00 (Brussels time). 2. Topic: Digital health literacy (SC1-HCO-12-2016). Deadline: 16 February 2016 17:00:00 (Brussels time). 3. Topic: Healthcare Workforce IT skills (SC1-HCO-13-2016). Deadline: 16 February 2016 17:00:00 (Brussels time). 4. Topic: EU-US interoperability roadmap (SC1-HCO-14-2016). Deadline: 16 February 2016 17:00:00 (Brussels time). 5. Topic: EU eHealth interoperability conformity assessment (SC1-HCO-15-2016). Deadline: 16 February 2016 17:00:00 (Brussels time).

Stimulating EU innovation by procurement & inducement prize 1. Topic: eHealth innovation in empowering the patient (SC1-PM-12-2016:PCP). PCP Pre-Commercial Procurement. Deadline: 16 February 2016 17:00:00 (Brussels time). 2. Topic: PPI for uptake of standards for the exchange of digitalised healthcare records (SC1-PM-19-2017). Public Procurement of Innovative solutions (PPI). Opening date: 8 November 2016; Deadline: 14 March 2017 17:00:00 (Brussels time). 3. Topic: eHealth Food Scanner (HOA7-2015). 1 Million Inducement Prize. Deadline: 9 March 2016 17:00:00 (Brussels time). Links:  Press release 'Commission invests €16 billion in funding for research and innovation over next two years';  List of national info days;  Video & presentations of the info day in Brussels held on 18 September;

10. The 2016 Commission Work Programme

On October 3 in the European Parliament (EP), the European Commission’s Vice-President Frans Timmermans presented the 2016 Commission Work Programme to an empty hemicycle, with a number of MEPs commenting on the fact that this illustrated that there was nothing particularly controversial or exciting about it. The title is “No time for business as usual” and the only memorable quote from the short round of speeches from the political groups was Vicky Ford (ECR/GB) who warned that they should not be “hoodwinked by the left into an approach that leaves no place for business, as usual”. Timmermans stressed that the 10 priorities set out last year by Juncker remained the right ones and they would continue to focus on the big things. As in 2015, there would be 23 key initiatives but he promised this would keep the EP busy and he looked for co-ownership from the EP and Member States for this programme. They would also continue to do things “differently” and he looked forward to an agreement on the Inter Institutional Agreement on Better Regulation.

The main political groups all welcomed the programme, which reflected many of the demands in the joint resolution adopted by the EP. The Greens wanted to see the same level of urgency and ambition that the Commission had shown over the refugee crisis in its handling of tax evasion and the VW dieselgate scandal. Timmermans ended with a warning that the EU project itself was being challenged by the “perfect storm” of events all coming together and they needed to respond together.

Overall, the 2016 Work Program (WP) bundles upcoming proposals into “packages” and it is not precise concerning individual legislative initiatives and their exact timing. Still, in relation to ICT it seems to be slightly more focused. For instance with reference to the Digital Single Market, Commission argues that a thriving digital economy can expand markets and create new sources of employment, hence the proposed the Digital Single Market Strategy in May 2015. It aims to present all relevant proposals before the end of 2016 so that the Union can achieve a fully functional Digital Single Market during the mandate of this Commission. In December it will present its vision for a more modern, more European approach on copyright to take account of the digital revolution and will also present proposals on digital contract rights. Further initiatives on copyright, geo- blocking, free flow of data, the cloud, and VAT for electronic commerce will follow in the course of 2016. Following the agreement on the Connected Continent proposals, including an end to roaming charges by 2017, the Commission will work on a comprehensive review of the telecoms regulatory framework. By the end of the year it envisages reaching an agreement with the Parliament on the data protection reform and the network and information security directive. It objective remains to break down national silos in telecoms regulation, in copyright and data protection legislation, in the management of frequencies and in the application of competition law, taking full account of cultural diversity. By creating a connected Digital Single Market, the Commission can generate up to €250 billion of additional growth in Europe in the course of its mandate, thereby creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs, notably for younger job-seekers, and a vibrant knowledge-based society.

11. Event

DIGITAL & EDUCATION EVENTS November 9  The Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) organises an event on Data protection v. Digital Single Market: can the Juncker Commission square the circle?.  The European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) organises its high-level event to discuss putting Cybersecurity at the service of Industry, aligning its goals with democratic principles and the challenges and priorities for NIS in Europe. November 10  The EU Presidency conference on Investing in people’s digital skills takes place during two days in Luxembourg. November 11  The European IPR Helpdesk organises a workshop on “Impact and Innovation in Horizon 2020. Strategies for successful exploitation of research results. Focus on intellectual property issues” in Turin, Italy. November 16  The Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the European Union organises the European Data Forum 2015 on Exploiting data integration in a European Digital Single Market in Luxembourg.  The European Data Forum (EDF) 2015 takes place during two days in Luxembourg. November 17  Friends of Europe organises a debate on Digital skills for the future.  The Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) organises a seminar entitled “What is a platform and should they be regulated?. November 18  Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations organises a conference on Digital diplomacy: What future for governments?.  PubAffairs Bruxelles has organised a debate concerning the themes of Cconomic growth, legal liability, freedom of expression and the role for intermediaries in the Digital Single Market. November 19  Forum Europe organises a conference entitled “Media 2015: The future of digital content & services”.  The Centre on Regulation in Europe (CERRE) is hosting its CERRE Regulation Forum on “Consumer privacy in network industries”.  CERRE is also hosting an expert workshop on “Cybersecurity: safeguarding Europe’s essential infrastructure”. December 1  EHTEL and the EU Large Scale Telehealth Project United4Health (co-funded by CIP ICT PSP), partnering with the European Parliament – Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA), organise the Joint Digital Healthcare Symposium 2015 entitled “Out Digital health … is everyone ready?” during two days. December 2  The European IPR Helpdesk organises a webinar on Impact and innovation in H2020 – a guide for proposers. December 3  The 2015 GSMA Mobile 360 Series – Europe is held.