Definitive agreement in the European Union to guarantee free Internet access points

The European Commission wants to promote free Wi-Fi connectivity for citizens and passers-by in public spaces such as parks, squares, official buildings, libraries, health centers and museums throughout Europe through WiFi4EU

The European Union will sponsor free wireless Internet access points in town halls, libraries, parks and other public spaces thanks to a new system called WiFi4EU within the framework of a project to which the Council of Europe has given the definitive green light. An easily recognizable multilingual WiFi4EU portal will provide access to a secure high-speed connection in at least 6,000 local communities in the EU by 2020. An informal agreement was reached with the European Parliament on this system in May this year.

Urve Palo, Minister of Entrepreneurship and Information Technology of Estonia (the state that presides over the Council of Europe), has assured that "thanks to the WiFi4EU system, many citizens will be able to more easily access a high-quality Internet connection, and municipalities, libraries and other public bodies will have the opportunity to promote their digital services. This initiative may even drive a virtuous cycle of investment."

Under this system, councils, hospitals and other public sector bodies will be able to request funding for the installation of new Wi-Fi access points where there is no similar public or private Internet connection, as this would be doubled with the new access points. The public body in question must also commit to maintaining the new connection for a minimum period of three years. The application procedure will be simple: the Commission will manage a dedicated online platform, and EU support will cover up to 100% of eligible costs.

El importe total de la financiación de la UE para este sistema podría alcanzar los 120 millones de euros de aquí a 2019. Los fondos se asignarán garantizando un equilibrio geográfico en todos los países de la UE y, en principio, según el orden de llegada de los solicitantes. La Comisión se encargará de determinar los criterios exactos de selección y de gestionar el sistema.

Se espera poner en marcha la primera convocatoria de proyectos hacia finales de año o principios de 2018. La Comisión ofrece más información sobre este proyecto en su website.

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