The 22nd meeting of the ECO Council was held last 12 May by videoconference, chaired by Portugal and attended by 19 administrations.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Office’s closure, since mid-March all CEPT meetings have been held by videoconference, a decision that will be maintained at least until July. However, nearly a year ago the ECO Council had already discussed, per a proposal by its chair, the possibility of preferably holding remote meetings whenever the respective agenda so permits. This was thus the second time the Council held a web-meeting; the test-meeting was held in September 2019.
In this regard, the ECO Director (Per Christensen of Denmark) reported on the current situation of the pandemic’s impact on the Office’s activity and called the Council members’ attention to the document containing guidelines about electronic working means, whose capacity has now been strengthened; the “ECC Q&A for COVID-19 related issues” can be consulted at ECC Q&A for Covid-19 related issues https://cept.org/ecc/electronic-working-arrangements-ewa/ecc-qa-for-covid-19-related-issues.
This session also served to discuss the financial issues usually included on the agenda of the spring Council. Among others, the value of the contributory unit to be in effect in 2021 was approved (it remains unchanged, as has been the trend for the last 18 years). The ECO Financial Plan for 2022-2023 was also noted, though the cost structure is still not well-defined due to uncertainty about the length of the current public health crisis. The Council noted that five countries must still regularise their financial contribution for 2020.
Also approved was the ECO’s statement of accounts for 2019 and the respective audit report prepared in accordance with the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). The Office’s capital investment policy was likewise analysed; given the tendency for bonds’ value to fall, the Council asked the ECO to benchmark the financial practices of other international organisations based in Denmark, in the context of the pandemic and economic crisis.
The Council noted the final results of the 2019 ECO work programme, presented by the Office’s deputy director (Freddie McBride, Ireland), as well as the revision up to the end of the first quarter of 2020 of the Office’s current work programme, which was not subject to significant changes beyond a major increase in electronic staff meetings held on a daily basis. The draft ECO work programme for 2021, based on the work of seven experts and five technical/administrative personnel, was also noted.
The Office’s deputy director presented the current state of various ongoing projects such as the Office’s internet portal (CEPT-ECO-ECC-Com-UIT-CERP website), the Spectrum Engineering Advanced Monte Carlo Analysis Tool (SEAMCAT), the ECO frequency information system (EFIS), the document database, the Application Programming Interface (API), the Single Sign-on System and the database of the ECC work programme.
The Council members noted the completion and digital publication in May of the ECO Annual Report.
Regarding human resources management, the Council agreed to the ECO director’s proposal for a final six-month extension of the contract (set to expire this coming November) of the numbering expert, who accumulates the functions of deputy director of the Office. Eventual difficulties in the hiring of a new expert, due to the current circumstances, can thus be overcome, if necessary. The replacement process is to begin this May; the recruitment panel will comprise the ECO director, the chair and vice-chair of the Council and the head of the working group on Numbering and Networks (WG NaN).
The director described the usual process for selecting the Office’s deputy director, normally chosen internally. The director should thus initiate the process, asking for expert candidates. The recommendation of the name to select will be made at the upcoming autumn Council, which should confirm the director’s choice.
In the wake of the previous Council, a change to the staff rules and internal instructions was formally approved, with a view to bringing the employees’ contribution into line with the rules in force in Denmark, which determine that pensions are henceforward regulated by a bilateral agreement between the civil servant and an insurer of his or her choice.
The German Council member asked if there had been any developments in the area of future financing of the CEPT Satellite Monitoring Station located in Leeheim, Germany, given that two (Spain and the United Kingdom) of the eight members of the respective memorandum of understanding (SAT MoU) have denounced the agreement. The chair indicated that she had replied to the letter addressed to her in January by the head of the SAT MoU Management Committee (Frédéric Couturier, France), explaining that the ECO Council would only formally discuss the matter if the Electronic Communications Committee (ECC) identified such a need. She added that she knew that the ECC had sent a questionnaire to the administrations to assess the foreseeable evolution of satellite monitoring needs and the way administrations not part of the memorandum monitor satellite services. The Committee may make a decision on the matter during its next plenary meeting, scheduled for late June. If the financing shortfall is not resolved, then the memorandum will expire in 2021. The MoU, created in 2003, currently comprises Cyprus, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
The next meeting of the ECO Council is scheduled for 2-3 December at the ECO offices in Copenhagen. It should be preceded by the annual performance evaluation of the director, by means of interviews of all staff conducted by the chair and vice-chair of the Council. The Council members also approved the dates of the ECO Council sessions to be held in 2021 (4-5 May and 2-3 December, in Copenhagen).
The chair thanked all the Council members for their cooperation and the staff and the Office’s director for their unsurpassable dedication and professionalism during this public health crisis. The Council members expressed their gratitude for the efficient conduct of the work, enabling the meeting to end earlier.
- ECC Q&A for Covid-19 related issues https://cept.org/ecc/electronic-working-arrangements-ewa/ecc-qa-for-covid-19-related-issues
