The European Commission has registered a European Citizens’ Initiative calling for the creation of a “European Digital Space (.IA)” linked to the governance of artificial intelligence.
The initiative, titled “Creation of a European Digital Space (.IA) for Sovereign AI Governance”, asks the Commission to propose a framework for “high-trust digital spaces” and to negotiate internationally over the “.IA” domain.
Organisers set out three objectives, including an EU framework for “High-Trust Digital Spaces” and testing environments — often referred to as “sandboxes” — for what they describe as ethical AI in the EU, the Commission disclosed in a statement on Tuesday.
They also want the EU to negotiate with ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, and with ICANN and IANA, which oversee key parts of the internet’s domain name system, to reserve, protect and allocate “.IA”.
A third objective is for the registration and use of “.IA” to incorporate the EU’s planned “Sovereign Digital Identity” system under eIDAS 2.0, alongside requirements in the AI Act on algorithmic auditing and rules in the GDPR on personal data protection.
What registration means
The Commission said it considers the initiative legally admissible under the European Citizens’ Initiative Regulation, adding that it has not examined the substance of the proposals at this stage.
Registration does not indicate what the Commission will decide on the initiative’s merits, or whether it would take action.
Organisers have six months to begin a 12-month signature collection period, and the Commission will only have to respond if the initiative collects at least one million valid signatures, with minimum thresholds reached in at least seven EU member states.
Since the European Citizens’ Initiative system began, 136 initiatives have been registered.
