April 30, 2021 Results of G7 Digital Technology Ministers’ Meeting (Video Conference)

A G7 digital technology ministers’ meeting was held in a video conference for two days, April 28 and 29, 2021, which Mr. TAKEDA Ryota, Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, attended. In addition to the leaders of G7 member countries and regions, invited countries and related international organizations participated. The participants discussed the promotion of the Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT), and the G7 Digital and Technology Ministers adopted a Ministerial Declaration.

1. Dates

Holding period: Wednesday, April 28 and Thursday, April 29, 2021 (Japan time)

  • *
    In the form of a video conference

2.Participating countries, regions, and international organizations

G7 member countries and regions: Japan, United Kingdom (Chair), France, Germany, Italy, United States, and European Union (EU)
Countries invited: Australia, India, South Korea, and South Africa
International organizations etc.: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Youth 7 (Y7), and Business 7 (B7)

  • *
    Invited countries, international organizations etc. participated only on the second day.

3.Overview

The G7 digital technology ministers’ meeting was held in a video conference for two days, April 28 and 29, 2021, which Mr. TAKEDA Ryota, Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, attended. Mr. TAKEDA stated the importance of further promoting the resilience of information and communications supply chains, the Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT), and the cooperation of multiple stakeholders to maintain a free, open, and secure Internet space. As a result of this meeting, the G7 Digital and Technology Ministers adopted the Ministerial Declaration. The main points of the Ministerial Declaration are shown below.

4.Main points of Ministerial Declaration

1. Promoting Secure, Resilient, and Diverse Digital, Telecoms, and ICT Infrastructure Supply Chains

  • The ministers recognized the foundational role that telecommunications infrastructure, including 5G and future communication technologies, plays and will play in underpinning our wider digital and ICT infrastructure, and therefore the importance of assuring security and resilience in this critical technology layer in a long term and sustained manner.
  • To support this objective, the ministers discussed options for promoting a more secure, resilient, diverse, competitive, transparent, and sustainable digital and ICT infrastructure supply chain.
  • The ministers also considered how to encourage innovation and interoperability improvements and actively explore the potential of emerging open and interoperable network architectures. They noted that such approaches should maintain or enhance security, performance, energy efficiency, and resilience and stimulate new entrants to the market both now and in the future.

2. A Framework for G7 Collaboration on Digital Technical Standards

  • The ministers reiterated their strong support for industry-led, inclusive, multi-stakeholder approaches to develop technical standards.
  • The ministers would work with stakeholders towards the more inclusive development of Internet protocols that would contribute to and protect the continuing evolution of an open, interoperable, reliable, and secure Internet. That is unfragmented, supports freedom, innovation, and trust, and empowers people.
  • The ministers firmly stated their opposition to any government-imposed approaches that would fundamentally seek to reshape the digital technical standards ecosystem. To deliver this, the ministers endorsed a Framework for Collaboration, which sets out areas for G7 and like-minded partners’ collaboration on digital technical standards and offers a pathway for constructive engagement.

3. A G7 Roadmap for Cooperation on Data Free Flow with Trust

  • The ministers would concretely promote the Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT) based on the G20 Osaka Leaders’ Declaration. The ministers endorsed a “Roadmap for Cooperation on Data Free Flow with Trust” and proposed work in four areas of cooperation, i.e., 1. Data localization, 2. Regulatory cooperation, 3. Government access, and 4. Mutually acceptable data sharing practices for agreed priority sectors.

4. G7 Internet Safety Principles

  • The ministers recognized that actions by governments, companies, academia, civil society, and industries would improve Internet safety and noted the positive steps taken by companies to keep their users safe in a responsible and risk-based way.
  • The ministers endorsed the G7 Internet Safety Principles, which demonstrate their support for a set of underpinning principles to guide G7 approaches to improving online safety.

5. Deepening Cooperation on Digital Competition

  • To support existing workstreams on enforcement and policy related to digital competition, the ministers will convene a meeting of G7 competition authorities in 2021. The coordination and cooperation between competition authorities should be complemented by increased coordination between policymakers. The UK would invite relevant officials in 2021 to discuss the importance of promoting competition through regulatory policies for digital markets, including further coordination with competition authorities.

6. A Framework for G7 Collaboration on Electronic Transferable Records

  • The ministers’ shared view was that the ministers would generate efficiencies and economic savings by enabling businesses to use transferable electronic records.
  • The ministers endorsed its “Framework for G7 Collaboration on Electronic Transferable Records”. Through the Framework, they would initiate a dialogue between experts to work to achieve compatible domestic reforms and provide collective support to other international initiatives seeking to facilitate and enable the adoption of transferable electronic records.

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