The summit meeting of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) and the Latin American Forum of Telecommunications Regulatory Authorities (Regulatel) was held last 21-22 July in Buenos Aires, Argentina, chaired by the head of ANACOM's management board, Fátima Barros, representing the BEREC presidency, and by Argentina's State Secretary for Communications, Norberto Berner, representing the Regulatel presidency. At the opening session Barros reviewed BEREC/Regulatel cooperation priorities, specifically development of markets, defence of user rights and joint efforts under way in the working groups on consumer protection, net neutrality and roaming. She also reiterated the European partners' commitment vis-à-vis the Latin American partners. The summit included speeches given on behalf of the European Commission (EC), various regulators and BEREC working groups, as well as the Jordanian regulator, representing the Euro-Mediterranean Regulators Group (EMERG) presidency, taking part as an observer.
The summit was followed on 23 July by an extraordinary Regulatel plenary meeting, chaired by the State Secretary for Communications and the head of Argentina’s Comisión Nacional de Comunicaciones. The gathering aimed to work out Regulatel’s future action plan and evaluated the current situation of the Forum (new structure, internal protocols, website, bylaws, observer members, financing sources). ANACOM signed at the meeting the new Regulatel bylaws approved in November 2013 and thereby became a full member of the Forum.
The next plenary meeting will be held this coming 16-18 November in Puerto Rico.
