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Brussels, Belgium - On the occasion of the inaugural meeting of the U.S.-E.U. Cyber Dialogue in Brussels, Belgium on today, the participants jointly agreed to specific areas of collaboration and cooperation as follows:

International Security in Cyberspace
All participants welcomed the landmark consensus of the 2012-2013 Group of Governmental Experts on Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security, including the affirmation of the applicability of existing international law to cyberspace. Both sides welcomed the confidence building measures agreed to in the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe and their implementation in order to build confidence and reduce the prospects for conflict in cyberspace and commended efforts to expand similar efforts in other regional fora such as the ASEAN Regional Forum and the Organization for American States.

Internet Governance Developments in 2015
All reiterated that no single entity, company, organization or government should seek to control the Internet and expressed their full support for multi-stakeholder governance structures of the Internet that are inclusive, transparent, accountable, and technically sound. As such we:

U.S.-EU Cyber Related Work Streams

They both welcomed the continued cooperation occurring through the existing U.S.-EU Working Group on Cybersecurity and Cybercrime and highlighted the cooperation occurring in the following key areas:

Cybersecurity:

Cybercrime:

Upcoming Cyber Events
The two sides look forward to the UN General Assembly ten-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society in 2015. They both believe that the timing of the review is appropriate as the UN General Assembly will be finalizing a post-2015 development agenda, and the review will build on efforts to continue bridging the digital divide. The General Assembly’s recognition and allowance for multistakeholder participation in the review was appreciated, and participation from all stakeholders is strongly encouraged and welcomed.

With the increasing relevance that cyber issues play in society overall, the United States and the EU welcomed the upcoming Global Conference on Cyberspace in The Hague in April 2015 and the annual Freedom Online (Coalition) Conference in Mongolia in May 2015.

Promotion and Protection of Human Rights Online
They reaffirmed their strong commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights. They emphasized that all human beings have the same human rights online and offline and that states have an obligation to protect those rights in accordance with international law. In particular, the rights to freedom of expression and privacy, as set out in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, in the digital sphere require the attention of all stakeholders.

Global Cyber Capacity Building
Both sides emphasized the importance of bridging the digital divide towards fostering open societies and enabling economic growth and social development. They reiterated their commitment to an approach to cyber capacity building that leverages the expertise and resources of all stakeholders to ensure that people around the world can fully benefit from the Internet and ICTs. They welcomed further coordination among actors globally and agreed to continue exchanging views and good practices, as well as seeking future synergies in their respective global cyber capacity building initiatives.

The chairs agreed that they will continue their collaborative efforts and convene the U.S.-EU Cyber Dialogue again in approximately one year’s time in Washington, D.C.