Major Boost to EU Economy

The European Parliament voted on 12.12.2001 to accept the compromise reached between Parliament, Council of Ministers and European Commission (EC). A package of 5 Directives will modernise and simplify the current regulatory environment for electronic communications in Europe. The Directives were first proposed in July 2000.

The compromise empowers EC to review national regulatory regimes. In certain cases the EC will have the possibility to require national regulators to withdraw decisions in key areas linked to the functioning of the single market. This is crucial to harmonising European markets.

The decision also provides for the possibility of a co-ordination of spectrum policy issues in Europe. This is crucial in order to avoid in the future the fragmentation of the European market which followed the 3G licence procedures.

The Directives adapt the existing rules and take account the convergence between telecommunications, information technology and media: the same services can be delivered over a variety of platforms and received via a range of terminals.

Political decision makers regard the new legal package as very positive, for example Commissioner Liikanen who was quoted to say, that the agreement on telecommunications legal package is a „major boost“ to EU economy. This view can be shared – with slightly less enthusiasm.

The EU legal package is now to be transposed into national law by the 15 Member States. In Germany Telekommunikations-Gesetz has to be adapted as a consequence.