The European Commission's Digital Single Market Strategy is a good balance between benefitting the consumer and helping businesses compete in the digital sector in the international arena. At IBM we recognise the effort adhering to the Better Regulation principles to carry out further analysis and consultation before moving to the next phase.

We endorse the Commission's approach to a cautious reform to aspects of copyright that are no longer fit for purpose in the digital age. And the open pro-interoperability approach to Cloud Computing is positive. The European 'free flow of data' initiative is timely, addressing unjustified restrictions on the location of data for storage or processing purposes. It's important to respect the international dimension of the digital sphere and not create a walled garden around Europe. European actions on cloud with regard to contract terms and conditions are important to keep Europe competitive and we look forward to continued collaboration with the Commission under the Cloud Specific Interest Groups. On standardisation, we appreciate that standards may not always be as swift to emerge in new technologies but these only prove valuable when they are international and global - especially in areas such as Cybersecurity, Internet of Things and Big Data which know no borders.

Companies from all sectors, large and small, aspire to compete internationally. The Digital Single Market holds great potential to support those aspirations as long as the European approach is compatible with the international market. As one of the largest IT employers in Europe - and operating in Europe for over 100 years - we look forward to being a positive partner in delivering the promises of the EU Single Market to consumers and businesses. The key challenge will be to improve Europe's digital capability without this turning into a form of digital protectionism, with Europe looking inwards rather than competing internationally.