The ''negotiation package'' that included the four European common proposals (ECPs), which was coordinated and supported by Portugal, was approved in connection with the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) 17th Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-06). The European proposals negotiated within this set of ECPs aimed to improve ITU's management, by clarifying the functions and responsibilities of those elected, the change of their terms of office and the way they are elected.
In detail, the common proposals coordinated by Portugal were meant:
- firstly, to clarify the Secretary-General's functions and the consequent termination of the Coordination Committee, a committee that should assist the Secretary-General in his management activity. However, because this is an internal body formally in the Constitution and in the Convention, imposing a long decision process would in fact create difficulties for an efficient management. As a result, the European proposal proposed to clarify that the Secretary General is the top responsible for the organization's management and, simultaneously, considered that there was no need for a formal body for joint decision making concerning the management activity, since this coordination should be made on a daily basis;
- secondly, to reduce the number of eligible positions, so that only the positions of Secretary-General and vice-Secretary-General can be eligible, and thus the nomination of Bureau Directors should be made according to the United Nations' method and taking geographical representation into account;
- lastly, to limit the number of terms of office - complete terms of office of any eligible position should be taken into account. Currently there is no limit for the terms of office regarding the five eligible positions as a whole, which makes it possible for a person to remain in eligible positions for, in extremis, forty years, hindering the participation of new people with new ideas in the Union's management. Consequently, a limit of two terms of office for any of the five positions was proposed, namely: Secretary-General, vice-Secretary-General and Bureau Directors.
Given the opposition of some Member States, which, among other arguments, invoked that these proposals could lead to the change of ITU's federal structure, due to the overvaluation of the Secretary-General's functions, this set of ECPs was subject to intense negotiations during PP-06. In detail, the European proposal was also opposed by arguments such as the fact that, in the past, several studies have been undertaken concerning the structure, which did not lead to any important changes in that structure, which would show that there were no situations to rectify in this area. The USA in particular supported that, in terms of structure, ITU's situation is exemplary, and does not identify any problems that could benefit from its change. However, contrary to these positions, the USA presented a proposal concerning ITU's management/functional structure, proposing that all Directors become directly accountable before the Council.
In support of the proposal subscribed by about 30 European countries, Portugal restated the importance of these measures, pointing out the importance for organizations to undertake continuous self-assessments in the search for successive improvement and adaptation. The previous studies were not considered as a valid motive for not to analyse and identify any problems in the Union.
In face of these debates, where so many different views were stated, it was decided to choose a ''negotiations package'' solution that ended up by including quite diverse items, but each one of them of the interest of a particular group. In detail, the discussion included the development of studies in the following areas (vide a) and b)) and the Secretary-General was also requested to put forward the measures proposed in c), below:
a) Structure and functioning
Study on the structure, reporting and accountability, number and terms of office of the elected officials, functioning of the coordination committee, elections procedure, transparency, reporting and accountability of the sectors' consulting groups;
b) Definitions and terminology on security and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
Study on the terminology concerning the building of confidence and security in the use of ICT, also intended to examine and develop definitions in this area;
c) Functions and tasks of the vice-Secretary-General
In order to increase transparency and efficiency in the Union's management, the functions of the vice-Secretary-General should be defined by the Secretary-General and subject to the Council's appreciation.
Fulfilling the negotiations' compromise, the proposal regarding this negotiations package was approved in the plenary session without any comments, namely by the several regional organizations involved in the negotiation.
