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<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">I thought that one day
before the IPv6 day, it's appropriate to publish this letter. It
is a response to a question by MEPs Ivailo Kalfin (member of ISOC
from Bulgaria) and Cathrine Trautman.<br>
<br>
</font>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%;" lang="en-GB">
EN</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%;">
<span lang="en-GB">E-001631/</span><span lang="en-GB">2011</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%;">
<span lang="en-GB">E-001581/</span><span lang="en-GB">2011<br>
Answer
given by Ms Kroes</span><span lang="en-GB"><br>
on behalf of the
Commission</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%;" lang="en-GB">
(27.4.2011)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%;" lang="en-GB">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%;" lang="en-GB">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%;">
<span lang="en-GB">The </span><span lang="en-GB">Commission has
over
the years strongly supported the development of the IPv6
standard
with around EUR 100 million for research and studies. Moreover,
in
2002</span><font color="#000000"><span style="text-decoration:
none;"><sup><font face="Arial, sans-serif"><font
style="font-size: 9pt;" size="2"><span
style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight:
normal;"><span lang="en-GB"><a class="sdfootnoteanc"
name="sdfootnote1anc"><sup>1</sup></a></span></span></span></font></font></sup></span></font><span
lang="en-GB">
and 2008</span><font color="#000000"><span
style="text-decoration: none;"><sup><font face="Arial,
sans-serif"><font style="font-size: 9pt;" size="2"><span
style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight:
normal;"><span lang="en-GB"><a class="sdfootnoteanc"
name="sdfootnote2anc"><sup>2</sup></a></span></span></span></font></font></sup></span></font><span
lang="en-GB">,
the Commission also adopted Communications to the Council and
Parliament to raise awareness and motivate stakeholders to start
deployment of IPv6. Market forces are certainly essential to
move the
situation forward but the Commission agrees with the opinion
indicated in Honourable Member questions that deployment of IPv6
is
not happening fast enough. The transition to IPv6 is clearly the
best
and only way forward, not only because of its huge address
space, but
also because it provides a platform for innovation in Internet
Protocol-based services and applications. </span><span
lang="en-US">On
February 3</span><sup><span lang="en-US">rd</span></sup><span
lang="en-US">
2011, Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) handed out the
last
blocks of addresses to the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs).
As a
result there are no more IPv4-addresses at the IANA level (world
pool). RIPE NCC, the regional registry for Europe and
Middle-East,
responsible for handing out IP addresses, expects to be able to
hand
out IPv4 addresses up to 2012, but following a strict limitation
rule
of allocation per organization.</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%;">
<span lang="en-GB">Following the Communication from 2008, and its
accompanying Action Plan, the Commission have included measures
to
accelerate transition to IPv6, in its "Digital Agenda".
Through the </span><span lang="en-GB">Competitive and
Innovation
Programme (CIP) the Commission is now inviting public
administrations
in Member States to an open call for proposals with the
objective to
set up a "Pilot" (project between Member States) to further
stimulate practical implementations and to share experience on
IPv6
upgrades of public networks and eGovernment services. </span>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%;">
<span lang="en-GB">The actions undertaken by the Commission have
contributed to a greater awareness and knowledge development
(e.g.
via the IPv6 Task Forces and via the Framework Research
programmes).
In addition, 3 studies have been launch to closely follow IPv6
deployment (</span><font color="#0000ff"><u><a
href="http://www.ipv6monitoring.eu/"><font color="#000000"><span
lang="en-GB">IPv6
deployment</span></font></a></u></font><font
color="#000000"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><sup><font
face="Arial, sans-serif"><font style="font-size: 9pt;"
size="2"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span
style="font-weight: normal;"><span lang="en-GB"><a
class="sdfootnoteanc" name="sdfootnote3anc"><sup>3</sup></a></span></span></span></font></font></sup></span></font><span
lang="en-GB">,
</span><font color="#0000ff"><u><a
href="http://www.training4ipv6.eu/"><font color="#000000"><span
lang="en-GB">IPv6
Curricula</span></font></a></u></font><font
color="#000000"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><sup><font
face="Arial, sans-serif"><font style="font-size: 9pt;"
size="2"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span
style="font-weight: normal;"><span lang="en-GB"><a
class="sdfootnoteanc" name="sdfootnote4anc"><sup>4</sup></a></span></span></span></font></font></sup></span></font><span
lang="en-GB">,
</span><font color="#0000ff"><u><a
href="http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/ipv6/docs/studies/IPv6%20security%20models%20and%20implications%2030072010.pdf"><font
color="#000000"><span lang="en-GB">IPv6
Security</span></font></a></u></font><font
color="#000000"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><sup><font
face="Arial, sans-serif"><font style="font-size: 9pt;"
size="2"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span
style="font-weight: normal;"><span lang="en-GB"><a
class="sdfootnoteanc" name="sdfootnote5anc"><sup>5</sup></a></span></span></span></font></font></sup></span></font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%;">
<span lang="en-GB">The </span><font color="#0000ff"><u><a
href="http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/ipv6/docs/studies/IPv6%20security%20models%20and%20implications%2030072010.pdf"><font
color="#000000"><span lang="en-GB">IPv6
Monitoring Deployment Survey</span></font></a></u></font><span
lang="en-GB">
shows that IPv6 preparedness has steeply increased amongst ISPs
(Internet Service Providers) in the European region over the
last
year. However, the IPv6 Monitoring Deployment measurement
campaign
shows that the availability of on-line content on IPv6 enabled
web
sites, and actual usage of IPv6 protocols, have hardly
increased.
This is also true for government-generated content on-line. The
European Commission itself has taken the first steps for
deployment
and created an IPv6 enabled web site</span><font color="#000000"><span
style="text-decoration: none;"><sup><font face="Arial,
sans-serif"><font style="font-size: 9pt;" size="2"><span
style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight:
normal;"><span lang="en-GB"><a class="sdfootnoteanc"
name="sdfootnote6anc"><sup>6</sup></a></span></span></span></font></font></sup></span></font><span
lang="en-GB">
as a trial. The Commission plans to make the Europa website IPv6
accessible in the near future.</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%;">
<span lang="en-GB">More detailed information about IPv6 deployment
on
Europa</span><font color="#000000"><span style="text-decoration:
none;"><sup><font face="Arial, sans-serif"><font
style="font-size: 9pt;" size="2"><span
style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight:
normal;"><span lang="en-GB"><a class="sdfootnoteanc"
name="sdfootnote7anc"><sup>7</sup></a></span></span></span></font></font></sup></span></font><span
lang="en-GB">:
</span>
</p>
<div id="sdfootnote1">
<p class="sdfootnote"><a class="sdfootnotesym-western"
name="sdfootnote1sym">1</a> Next Generation Internet –
priorities for action in migrating to the new Internet</p>
<p class="sdfootnote">Protocol</p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote2">
<p class="sdfootnote"><a class="sdfootnotesym-western"
name="sdfootnote2sym">2</a> Action plan “Advancing the
Internet”</p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote3">
<p class="sdfootnote"><a class="sdfootnotesym-western"
name="sdfootnote3sym">3</a> <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.ipv6monitoring.eu">http://www.ipv6monitoring.eu</a></p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote4">
<p class="sdfootnote"><a class="sdfootnotesym-western"
name="sdfootnote4sym">4</a> <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.training4ipv6.eu">http://www.training4ipv6.eu</a></p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote5">
<p class="sdfootnote"><a class="sdfootnotesym-western"
name="sdfootnote5sym">5</a> Security</p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote6">
<p class="sdfootnote"><a class="sdfootnotesym-western"
name="sdfootnote6sym">6</a> <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://ipv6-infso.ec.europa.eu">http://ipv6-infso.ec.europa.eu</a>
(only for IPv6 users)</p>
</div>
<div id="sdfootnote7">
<p class="sdfootnote"><a class="sdfootnotesym-western"
name="sdfootnote7sym">7</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/ipv6">http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/ipv6</a></p>
</div>
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