THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION wants to establish a forum on cybercrime to enhance cooperation across borders and discuss sensitivities involved with the issue, Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Antonio Vitorino said Tuesday.

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Vitorino said the forum would also be a platform for sharing information between government bodies, the industry, and consumer groups. Making laws to fight crime on the Internet means finding a balance between three key interests: law enforcement, privacy, and the industry, Vitorino said.

Vitorino was speaking at a discussion meeting on cybercrime in Brussels, organized by the European Parliamentarians Internet Group.

With the creation of a cybercrime forum -- to be established as soon as possible -- the Commission follows in the footsteps of several of its member states, the G8, and the United States.

John Fennell, representing the U.K. Home Office and a member of the group drafting the Council of Europe convention on cybercrime, applauded the initiative. "I'm proud to say the European forum will be based on the U.K. example. You can't crack cybercrime from a [purely] law enforcement angle," he said.

Mark Richard, representing the U.S. Department of Justice and part of the discussion meeting, agreed. "We are dealing with law enforcement that lacks the expertise and resources to fight crime in cyberspace; we need the direction and insights of the industry," Richard said.

Vitorino acknowledged the shortcomings of the authorities. "We are unprepared from a technological point of view. Member states have trouble competing in the marketplace to get expertise," Vitorino said, referring to the tight job market.

"With the forum, we are leaning on the concept of new government. We need strong partnerships. Don't ask what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," Vitorino said, borrowing a phrase made famous by former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, to call on Europeans for help ridding cyberspace of crime.

At times Vitorino seemed almost to plead with citizens and the industry to create an online equivalent of neighborhood watches. "We can't give all responsibility to the police, you [the Internet user] are also responsible for keeping a safe virtual environment on the 'Net," he said.

The Commissioner added that "apart from the vital role for the industry, there is a need to recognize that law enforcement needs could put a burden on the industry." Vitorino said he strives to keep the burden "to a minimum." The intrusion of individuals' privacy, as well as that of companies, should be limited to where it is absolutely necessary, Vitorino said.