While the [ICCLab presented](http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/events/cf/ictpd12/document.cfm?doc_id=23258) at the [ICT Proposer’s Day in Warsaw](http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/events/ictproposersday/2012/index_en.htm), a very interesting announcement was made in relation to Europe’s strategy on Cloud Computing.
On Thursday, the vice president of the European commission, [Neelie Kroes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neelie_Kroes), announced [further details](http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/12/1025&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en) on the European Cloud Partnership.
From the ICCLab’s perspective this is a very exciting announcement as it underlines some of our key research themes that investigated here, namely [dependability and interoperability](http://www.cloudcomp.ch/research/foundation/themes/). Also encouraging is [the reuse](http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/cloudcomputing/docs/com/swd_com_cloud.pdf) of much good work carried out in the area of standardisation by [the SIENA initiative](www.sienainitiative.eu) as quoted in the “[Staff Working Paper](http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/cloudcomputing/docs/com/swd_com_cloud.pdf)”.
In the announcement on Thursday arguments for why Europe should be engaging more with cloud were given. For many in the ICT domain these are well known but what is more interesting in this announcement and the accompanying report are the set of 3 key actions ([from the accompanying ECP document](http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/cloudcomputing/docs/com/com_cloud.pdf)):
1. Cutting through the Jungle of Standards
– Promote trusted and reliable cloud offerings by tasking ETSI to coordinate with stakeholders in a transparent and open way to identify by 2013 a detailed map of the necessary standards (inter alia for security, interoperability, data portability and reversibility).
– Enhance trust in cloud computing services by recognising at EU-level technical specifications in the field of information and communication technologies for the protection of personal information in accordance with the new Regulation on European Standardisation.
– Work with the support of ENISA and other relevant bodies to assist the development of EU-wide voluntary certification schemes in the area of cloud computing (including as regards data protection) and establish a list of such schemes by 2014.
– Address the environmental challenges of increased cloud use by agreeing, with industry, harmonised metrics for the energy consumption, water consumption and carbon emissions of cloud services by 2014.
2. Safe and Fair Contract Terms and Conditions
– Develop with stakeholders model terms for cloud computing service level agreements for contracts between cloud providers and professional cloud users, taking into account the developing EU acquis in this field.
– In line with the Communication on a Common European Sales Law29, propose to consumers and small firms European model contract terms and conditions for those issues that fall within the Common European Sales Law proposal. The aim is to standardise key contract terms and conditions, providing best practice contract terms for cloud services on aspects related with the supply of “digital content”.
– Task an expert group set up for this purpose and including industry to identify before the end of 2013 safe and fair contract terms and conditions for consumers and small firms, and on the basis of a similar optional instrument approach, for those cloud-related issues that lie beyond the Common European Sales Law .
– Facilitate Europe’s participation in the global growth of cloud computing by: reviewing standard contractual clauses applicable to transfer of personal data to third countries and adapting them, as needed, to cloud services; and by calling upon national data protection authorities to approve Binding Corporate Rules for cloud providers.30
– Work with industry to agree a code of conduct for cloud computing providers to support a uniform application of data protection rules which may be submitted to the Article 29 Working Party for endorsement in order to ensure legal certainty and coherence between the code of conduct and EU law.
3. Establishing a European Cloud Partnership to drive innovation and growth from the public sector.
– identify public sector cloud requirements; develop specifications for IT procurement and procure reference implementations to demonstrate conformance and performance.33
– Advance towards joint procurement of cloud computing services by public bodies based on the emerging common user requirements.
– Set up and execute other actions requiring coordination with stakeholders as described in this document.
This annoucement was coupled with the news that the EU commission will supporting its cloud strategy with [160B EUR to the EU GDP by 2020](http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/27/europe-shoots-for-the-clouds-ec-lays-out-new-cloud-strategy-to-add-e160b-to-eu-gdp-by-2020/).
# What is the ECP?
The ECP is a coming together of public authorities and industry, both Cloud buyers and suppliers. It consists of 3 main phases:
1. Common requirements for cloud technology procurement. Typical examples here include standards and security.
2. The delivery of proof-of-concepts for the common requirements
3. Creation of reference implementations
It was originally outlined [in a speech](http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/12/38&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en) by Neelie Kroes in late January.