Copenhagen hosted last 4-5 May the second meeting of the Council of Administration of the European Communications Office (ECO). Top on the agenda were approval of the Office’s first annual activities report and discussion concerning evolution of the reserve fund and maintenance of the contribution unit administrations pay to the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) secretariat.
According to the ECO Financial Rules, the following year’s budget must be approved by each spring Council. This notwithstanding, and bearing in mind discussions at the last Council (November 2009) and the strong criticism from various administrations regarding proposals to increase the value of the contribution unit (which has not changed since 2003), the ECO presented no draft budget for 2011. Instead, the Council’s second day was devoted to more thorough debate, during which the director gave a presentation on the financial structure and costs of the Office, including desirable evolution of the net capital, which should change from the current nearly 22 million to 8 million Danish kroner. The meeting’s participants thus decided to maintain the contribution unit in 2011, given the international financial situation and difficulties manifested by the administrations.
The meeting also saw approval of the 2009 accounts as well as the corresponding audit report. The Council indicated that two countries had yet to pay their financial contribution for the current year (Italy and Bulgaria – 25 and 1 contribution unit, respectively), which they should have done by 31 January 2010.
The Council also approved the draft of the first ECO Report, an initiative which arose following a recommendation from the Ad Hoc Audit group adopted in May 2009 by the Council, with a view to increasing the visibility and transparency of the Office’s management. The report covers the Office’s activities in 2009. Once printed, the final version will be sent to the 30 ECO Council member states. An online version will be posted on the Office’s website.
Regarding the ECO working programme, the difference between the plan envisaged for 2009 and the effective results was noted. The Council also reviewed the Office’s working programme for 2010. The ECO’s working programme for 2011 should be approved only at the autumn Council. However, a first version of that plan was already discussed at the spring Council.
The Council also noted that the current WG NNA chairman should be a candidate for chair of the group, which recently merged with PT TRIS. He is the only known and expected candidate. However, the Belgian administration indicated it could not provide resources for the respective secretariat, and support was requested from the ECO in this task. The Council agreed that the Office could grant such support during the group’s first term, that is, for the period of three years.
As for hiring another expert, the Council was informed that the selection board had chosen one of German nationality from the German regulator BNetzA, whose four-year contract will begin in July 2010. Fatih Yurdal, whose post is partially replaced by the new expert, should remain in the Office until the end of September to ensure a three-month transition period.
The Council also approved extending the contract of the ECO director for two more years, after his performance was evaluated as “very good” by the Council chairman and vice-chairman, based on comments requested in writing from the administrations and on staff interviews.
The CEPT conference’s future was discussed and the director’s recommendation to keep the issue pending until the next Council accepted. The ad hoc group should begin studying possible scenarios for the conference, probably to be held in September, despite high losses resulting from previous ones, especially the 15th Conference at Montreux (in October 2009, simultaneously commemorating CEPT’s 50th anniversary). A presentation was also given on the new joint ECO-CEPT website, due to be launched this coming 8 July.
On the second day, and in the scope of a ‘private session’ of the Council, the participants were informed of the Office director’s intention, already communicated to the Council chairman, to reduce the permanent staff from seven to six employees. The director justified this per application of the Staff Rules (article 11), which grants him the prerogative of internal management, and alleged financial reasons for the decision. Given the Council’s manifest disagreement, the director ended up justifying the decision by the fact that there was an excess of administrative personnel, and that he used the ‘last-in, first-out’ criterion. Some states raised objections to the way the process was handled, namely Portugal (it was asked whether alternative criteria had been considered, such as performance evaluation, in selection of the redundant element), France and the Netherlands.
The next ECO Council of Administration has been scheduled for 23-24 November 2010.
