Brussels, 4 December 2023 – EuroISPA, the pan-European association of Internet Services Providers (ISPs) associations, elects new Board Members during the General Meeting held on November 30^th and December 1^st, 2023, in Brussels.

EuroISPA is the representative body of over 3,300 Internet Services Providers across the European continent. Since 1997, EuroISPA functions as an ‘umbrella’ association representing ISP associations on policy and legislative issues and facilitates the exchange of best practices between members.

EuroISPA members gathered in Brussels for their last General Meeting of 2023, which saw the election of new members of the Board. Lars Steffen, Head of International, Digital Infrastructures & Resilience at eco – Association of the Internet Industry, was unanimously elected Vice-President, while Romain Bonenfant, Managing Director at FFTélécoms, was appointed Board Member. They join President Elina Ussa (FiCom) and Treasurer Alex De Joode (AMS-IX) who are already one year into their mandate, in leading the Association’s work until the end of 2024.

Lars Steffen, newly elected Vice-President, stated: “I recognise the crucial role that EuroISPA plays in shaping policy and advocating for the interests of Internet Service Providers across Europe. Several current issues in the European Internet landscape are increasingly being handled at infrastructure level, placing EuroISPA in a favorable position to share the experience and expertise of its members to EU discussions. As Vice-President of EuroISPA, I intend to intensify member engagement and strengthen our links with the wider industry, raising EuroISPA’s voice even higher”.

Romain Bonenfant, newly appointed Board Member, said: “EuroISPA actively contributes to interactions with EU institutions both directly and through its members. I am deeply convinced that the EU level is the right level to influence the digital landscape we all work and live in, and I hope to positively contribute to the important work of EuroISPA with my new role as Board Member”.

The final General Meeting of 2023, which was held the day after EuroISPA’s 25^th Anniversary Event, gathered members in person at EuroISPA’s office in Brussels. The two-day programme consisted of committee meetings, Association updates and strategy discussions for the year ahead, in addition to the election of new Board Officers. EuroISPA also welcomed contributions from guest speakers from the European Commission and the ALDE Party, who spoke on the future of connectivity, the upcoming GDPR review, and the run up to the 2024 European elections.

Elina Ussa, who recently took up her role as President, said: “We are delighted to welcome Lars Steffen and Romain Bonenfant to the Board of EuroISPA, especially at such a crucial moment with the European elections coming up. The Board can count on two more expert and dedicated people to lead the Association into 2024, and to contribute to the ambitious goals that we put forward in our Manifesto”.

EuroISPA is committed to fostering the growth of an innovative and fair European Internet ecosystem, encouraging the continued development of a free and open telecommunications market, as highlighted in the recently published Manifesto. The work of the Association in 2024 will focus on collaborating with EU policymakers to achieve a fully functioning internal market, a long-term vision on privacy online, a harmonised European strategy for cybersecurity, and legislative coherence for digital infrastructure.