Signing of joint US-Ireland Communiqué on Electronic Commerce
An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, T.D., and US President Bill Clinton today signed a joint US-Ireland Communiqué on Electronic Commerce at a ceremony at the Gateway facility in Dublin.
The Communiqué sets down common principles which the two Government intend will underlie the development of electronic commerce into the future. The key principles set out are:
- the key role of industry in developing electronic commerce
- that the role of government is to provide a clear legal framework, to promote a pro-competitive environment and to ensure adequate protection of public interest objectives such as privacy, intellectual property rights, and consumer protection
- that taxes on e-commerce should be consistent and non-discriminatory;
- that it is important to enhance the awareness and confidence of citizens and SME's in electronic commerce.
The Taoiseach stated that "the Communiqué was developed through co-operation between the US and Irish Governments. The two Governments recognised the importance of global co-operation in the promotion of electronic commerce and the need to reach coherent and effective global solutions in the construction of a seamless environment for electronic commerce."
In the Communiqué the two Governments also seek to encourage closer co-operation between the two countries, and within relevant international fora, for promoting electronic commerce.
"The Government has identified the development of Ireland as a centre for electronic commerce as a top priority. A number of major initiatives have been taken in recent months to build a strong momentum in this regard. The main initiatives to date would include the publication of a national policy paper on encryption and digital signatures and the establishment of the Advisory Committee for Telecommunications (ACT) to assist the Government in identifying strategies to place Ireland at the forefront of the electronic commerce revolution", the Taoiseach added.
The ceremony featured the first ever digital signing of an international agreement between two countries. Both the President and Taoiseach were issued with personal smartcards which they used to electronically sign the document. The smartcard technology was supplied by Baltimore Technology.
The Taoiseach stated "this unique ceremony provided an excellent demonstration of the practicality of digital signature systems. It highlights both Governments' desire to promote the cross-border development of e-commerce, will re-enforce our commitment to the use of the Internet for the provision of services to the public, and will be seen as a watershed which will move digital signature technology out of research and into the real world".
ENDS