Your Excellency the Minister of Economy
Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear colleagues and friends,
I would like to begin by saying how much we value the trust that the Minister has placed in us; the Minister has given us the responsibility of carrying out a task which we consider of utmost importance to the development of the communications sector and to the competitiveness of Portugal's economy.
As we all know, the independence of regulators is critical, a factor of major importance in ensuring that regulation is effective. I would like to emphasise that this team, which has just been presented to the public, is an independent team, selected based solely on professional competence and technical capability; its members have held positions of responsibility in both private and public sectors, in areas as diverse as the Competition Authority, the Directorate-General for Energy and Sectorial Regulation; and so each member brings a different set of skills and experience, including a wealth of academic and business experience, and also significant international experience. I should thank the Minister for all the efforts made to ensure that, today, I have the best team to carry out the Mission which has been entrusted to us. Unfortunately, things have not always been done this way in our country, and I hope that this day marks the beginning of a new paradigm.
The quality of the work carried out by a regulatory authority depends to a great extent on the quality of its human and technical resources. And we must remember that when it comes to recruiting talent, regulators have to compete with the companies they regulate. If regulators are unable to recruit and retain highly qualified personnel, then this undermines the quality of consumer protection and market efficiency. Therefore, it is essential that regulators retain their administrative and financial independence, to ensure that they have access to the human and technical resources that are so crucial to the proper performance of their duties.
The latest European Directives and the Memorandum of Understanding call for the independence of regulators to be strengthened. However, this is only possible if proper conditions are created which enable this independence.
And in this respect, we are confident that the Government will ensure that the conditions necessary to defend and strengthen the regulators' status of independence are put in place, so that regulators have the resources required to perform their mission effectively.
The team that, as of today, makes up ANACOM's Management Board is determined to regulate in a manner which is predictable, stable and non-discriminatory; in a manner which promotes efficient investment and innovation, enhancing competition in the various relevant markets for the benefit of consumers and making Portugal more competitive as a country.
Indeed, in terms of regulation, ANACOM has three major goals for the next five years:
- Promote development and competition in the market of electronic communications and postal services;
- Defend the interests of consumers; and
- Contribute to the development of the European Union's internal market.
In order to achieve these goals certain conditions must be established and secured, including:
- Competition that is free from distortions and restrictions, and the promotion of the entry of new players into the market;
- The guarantee that users are provided maximum benefit in terms of choice, price and quality of communications services;
- The guarantee of access to the universal service and consumer protection, especially for social groups with more specific needs;
- The guarantee of access to information to support decision-making by end-users of communications services;
- The promotion of technological development in the telecommunications sector, ensuring an environment which is conducive to innovation and investment;
- Active collaboration with European and international organisations and with the European Commission, supporting implementation of the MoU agreed with the Troika in areas where ANACOM has responsibility;
- Encouraging the creation and development of trans-European networks and interoperability of services at European level.
ANACOM is responsible for regulating the sector; as such, we are committed to ensuring that the conditions necessary for the accomplishment of these goals are put in place.
And today, we make a public undertaking to give our best; supported by the excellence and expertise of ANACOM's people, we will strive to ensure that regulation in Portugal is conducted in an exemplary manner.
I would like to conclude by thanking the team led by Prof. Amado da Silva, which has now completed its term in office. Over the past six years, the work it has done in regulating the communications sector has been highly competent and they have made sure that we have all the information we need to begin our work.
A final word of thanks goes out to all family and friends who wanted to be here today to share this moment with us. Many thanks to all.
Fátima Barros
Lisbon, May 29th, 2012.
