Today, an average person has at least 2 objects connected to the Internet and this is expected to grow to 7 by 2015 with 25 billion wirelessly connected devices globally.  By 2020 that number could double to 50 billion.  This means a possible future in which many everyday things are linked.

For example, if a university teacher cancels a morning lecture because they are sick, students' alarm clocks and coffee machines could automatically be reset, giving them an extra hour in bed. If an elderly person forgets to take an essential pill, a warning text message could be sent to a close family member, or even to a local emergency centre, so that somebody could call round to check that everything was ok.

The European Commission wants to know what framework is needed to unleash the potential economic and societal benefits of the IoT, whilst ensuring an adequate level of control of the devices gathering, processing and storing information.

Through the consultation, the Commission is seeking views on privacy, safety and security, security of critical IoT supported infrastructure, ethics, interoperability, governance and standards. 

The results of the consultation will feed into the Commission's Recommendation on the IoT, which will be presented by summer 2013.

Click here to take part

For each product category there is a separate questionnaire, including a description of the envisaged measures.  Please note that all the content in the questionnaires has been based on in-depth technical analysis and stakeholder consultation, but is still at a stage of proposal, and can still be modified if necessary in the light of the results of further stakeholder consultation.  Therefore, the involvement of SMEs active in this special sector is crucial.  The questionnaires can be downloaded above. 

The questionnaire addresses SMEs that are either (in priority order):

• SME manufacturers of professional refrigeration products
• SME installers of professional refrigeration products
• SME users of professional refrigeration products

The Enterprise Europe Network in the East of England is coordinating the responses to this consultation and will relay all feedback to the European Commission.  The questionnaires are anonymous and all data collected will be kept strictly confidential. 

Completed questionnaires can be returned to us at enterprise.europe@eeneast.org.uk of posted to The Enterprise Europe Network,  Biopark, Broadwater Road, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL7 3AX.

The deadline to feedback your views 18 May 2012. 

The following issues are covered in the consultation:

• Objectives and scope of European company
• Codification of European company law
• The future of company legal forms at European level
• Cross-border mobility for companies
• Groups of companies
• Capital regime for European companies

The responses received will be analysed and a feedback statement summarising the results will be published. Follow-up actions would be taken afterwards.

Click here to provide your feedback.