EU telecoms ministers have confirmed their commitment to EU policies on ICT. Meanwhile, seven Member States face legal action for failing to transpose the regulatory framework.
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e-Europe: Ministers endorsed the mid-term review
of the e-Europe 2005 Action Plan as presented by the Commission in
February (see
EURACTIV, 24 February
2004). An adjusted plan will be presented by
the Commission to the June European Council.
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Broadband: Member States who have not yet prepared
their national broadband strategies are invited to do so before the
Commission publishes a Communication on the subject in May.
National broadband strategies were to be handed to the Commission
by end 2003 at the latest but many still appear to be missing. The
Commission declined to give precise numbers. Meanwhile, new
statistics on broadband penetration published on 9 March show an
encouraging upward trends, climbing up to an average of 6 per cent
throughout the EU.
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3G: Network deployment remains the top priority
for this nascent industry. A Commission Communication is expected
in July.
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Spam: Action is to focus on enforcement of the
‘opt-in’ system for unsolicited commercial communications by Member
States. A working party will seek common interpretation of the
opt-in rules given that complying with the ‘opt-in’ system has
sometimes proved problematic for businesses (see EURACTIV’s newly
updated LinksDossier on
Privacy and data protection in
the telecoms sector). National
implementation policies are to be made available on the
Commission’s website in the future.
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WSIS: the United Nation’s
World Summit on Information Society(WSIS) concluded in
December 2003 with the adoption of a fairly weak plan of action and
declaration of principles in support of ambitious goals (see
EURACTIV, 15 December
2003). The Commission and the Member States
are invited to prepare for the second round of the summit in
November 2005, and in particular to take part in the UN’s Task
Force on Financing and Working Group on Internet Governance. The
Commission is to report on the preparations for the second phase of
the summit.
Positions
In a statement issued prior to the ministers' meeting, the
European telecommunications network operators association
ETNO insisted on open competition between
different platforms (fixed and wireless networks, fibre optics,
cable, satellite and ADSL) in order to continue broadband
expansion. It supports public funding to help roll out broadband in
underserved, remote European regions only when market forces have
failed to do so. On the WSIS, ETNO expressed concerns that the
proposals may fall short of their expected goal to connect half of
the world to the Internet by 2015.
Meeting with Commissioner Liikanen on 5 March, CEOs of five
European
telecoms companies presented their investment
plans for the next three years. However, they warned that
substantial investments by new entrants will only be possible if
the regulatory framework is properly implemented by Member States
who are accused of creating loopholes and uncertainty in the reg
ulatory environment. They expect the Commission to take a tough
stance on those countries which have not yet fully implemented the
regulatory framework. The European Competitive Telecoms Association
(ECTA) announced that it will publish a scorecard in April that
will assess the relative regulatory effectiveness of ten Member
States.
The European interest group for mobile phones (
GSM association) welcomed last month's Commission
communication on broadband and 3G. It insisted on public and
private investment to stimulate growth and expects the Spring
Summit to tackle the issue when it meets on 25 March.
Background
Two weeks ahead of the Spring summit, EU telecoms ministers
have on 8 March reiterated their commitment to the e-Europe 2005
Action Plan and highlighted the importance of the information and
communications sector as a driving force for growth. Nonetheless,
seven Member States now face the possibility of a legal action for
failing to transpose the new regulatory framework on electronic
communications (see
EURACTIV, 18 December
2003). Commission services told EURACTIV it
was evaluating the replies to its warning sent last December and
could take action within a few weeks.
Timeline
- March: Commission to publish guidelines on measures
('remedies') to be imposed on telecoms operators enjoying
significant market power
- 25-26 March: Spring European Summit
- 21-23 April: Informal telecoms Council
- May: Commission Communication on national broadband
strategies
- June: Commission to present an adjusted e-Europe action plan
ahead of European Summit
- 10-11 June: Telecoms Council
- 17-18 June: European Summit
- July: Commission Communication on 3G deployment
