Connecting to the Information Age

Abstract

The European Union's communications policy has had mitigated results in addressing issues related to the Information Age. On one hand, deregulation had the positive outcome of building a unified market, with corporations capable of challenging the supremacy of the United States. On the other hand, deregulation has followed the US model and has ignored the European concept of interventionism, which helps safeguard diversity and pluralism that could be threatened by ultraliberalism. National interests and diversity of standpoints constitute a major obstacle for the success of the EU's communication policy. However, one might remain optimistic in view of some of the EU's important actions that have been achieved through cooperation. The strong, self-endowed leadership of the European Commission succeeded in responding to one of the EU's major challenges: overcoming a slow policy-making process that would be particularly inappropriate, considering the fast-paced nature of modern communications.