Concerns about increased European Commission (EC) power surfaced ...

tweaks are needed to the legal framework because the market as a whole has developed well, an ITRE spokeswoman said. But German MEP Alexander Alvaro told us the plan to create a telecom market authority encompassing the European Network and Information Security Agency could give the EC more power. A second issue is that a clause in the proposal would require re-evaluation of the market authority after five years, leading to questions on the outcome for it and the security agency if its mandate expires, he said. His worries about “the gain in powers for the Commission that underlies all the proposals” was echoed by Spanish MEP Francisca Pleguezuelos, who said implementing the plan would unbalance member countries, the spokeswoman said. Spanish MEP Pilar del Castillo, who will draft the official report on the proposal to establish the market authority, wondered who will ensure its independence. French lawmaker Catherine Trautmann, official reporter on the proposed regulation on networks and services, access, interconnection and authorization, asked about possible conflicts of agendas among national regulators and the new body. Some lawmakers said they worry about the costs and benefits of the proposal to allow national regulators to order telecom providers with significant market power to split their network and services functions, the committee spokeswoman said. Fabio Colasanti, Information Society and Media director general, defended the new authority, saying some decisions must occur at EU level, the spokeswoman said. Besides boosting coordination among national regulators, the authority would provide technical assistance, cooperation with third-world countries and information on spectrum use, he said. The parliament and Council of Ministers will consider the package under the EU co-decision procedure.