EU - Council of Ministers of Telecommunications

As from today, December 10, the Belgian Presidency of the European Commission and the European Parliament will begin to make contacts with a view to the adoption of the 99 Review Package by the end of this year, as foreseen. The European Parliament Plenary vote is set for December 12, in consequence of the discussion held by the Parliamentary Commission on Industry, Foreign Trade, Research and Energy on November 27.

The new EU regulatory framework for electronic communications (which includes a Directive on a common regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services (Framework Directive); a Directive on the authorisation of electronic communications networks and services (Authorisation Directive); a Directive on access to, and interconnection of, electronic communications networks and associated facilities (Access and Interconnection Directive); a Directive on universal service and users-rights relating to electronic communications networks and services (Universal Service and Users-Rights Directive); a Directive on the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector (Communications Data Protection Directive), as well as a Decision on a regulatory framework for radio spectrum policy in the European Community) was the subject of debate by the Council of Ministers of Telecommunications held in Brussels on December 6, ministerial meeting which came to a close without an agreement.

In the Council of Ministers, Erkki Liikanen, Commissioner for the Information Society and Companies, also presented the 7th Report on the Implementation of the Telecommunications Regulatory Package. The report on the balance of the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector and the effective application of measures for the promotion of competition by the 15 Member States of the Union, which is published annually by the European Commission, was adopted on November 28.

For more information on the Council of Ministers session, see

Results of Telecom Council, 6 December 2001, Brussels

Telecom Council, Brussels, 6 December 2001

and, on the European Parliament,

http://www.europarl.eu.int/meetdocs/committees/itre/
20011127/452698pt.pdf

Link to the 7th Report

http://europa.eu.int/information_society/topics/telecoms/
implementation/annual_report/7report/index_en.htm