European commissioner Neelie Kroes has said she is “very hopeful” regulation to create a single telecoms market in the European Union based on the commission’s proposal will be implemented soon.
Speaking at the European Competitive…
European commissioner Neelie Kroes has said she is “very hopeful” regulation to create a single telecoms market in the European Union based on the commission’s proposal will be implemented soon.
Speaking at the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA) conference in Brussels, the telecoms commissioner said the European Parliament has already made good headway in its review of the EC proposal.
“[The European Parliament] is also considering significant changes, of which some are particularly relevant to ECTA members.”
Three parliamentary committees working on the telecoms single market (TSM) regulation have produced draft reports based on the proposal, which Kroes and her team are currently examining. Other parliament members have until next week to table amendments. The committees will then discuss amendments further before the draft reports go to a committee vote.
A spokesperson for Kroes believes this vote will take place in February 2014, leading to a plenary vote in April. The parliamentary elections take place the following month.
“Ms Kroes is very pleased by the European Parliament’s speed on this dossier, although she does not necessarily agree on all the amendments she has seen so far,” the spokesperson said.
At a recent Transport, Telecommunications and Energy (TTE) Council meeting, Kroes called upon member states to devote the same timely attention to the TSM regulation.
The spokesperson noted that Kroes and her team are hoping for a lot of progress under incoming council of ministers president, Antonis Samaras. Samaras, the Greek prime minister, will hold the EU presidency during the first half of 2014.
In her speech today, Kroes called upon ECTA members to fight for the “urgent” implementation of the proposal, which is designed to cut red tape for operators present in several member states, better coordinate spectrum and create more consistent consumer protection rules.
“[A]longside putting this regulation in place quickly, we can prepare the ground for a wider review,” she said. “These are not alternatives, but parallel complements. But make no mistake, such a review will take time.”
