EU Ministers Oppose ‘Unnecessary’ Plan for Telecom Advisory Authority

Ministers believe the e-communications internal market should be more efficient, but want to avoid “unnecessary administrative structures,” and ensure that whatever is created is transparent, independent and doesn’t interfere with the European Network and Information Security Agency, Vizjak said at a press briefing. The council hopes to reach accord with the European Parliament position, which is to extend ENISA’s life for three years to give everyone time to reflect on a general approach to EU-level protection of networks and data, said Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Mojca Kucler Dolinar.

Nearly all agree that the European Regulators Group “is not enough” to address Europe’s evolving internal market in e-communications, Reding said. However, government wants something smaller than she proposed, and she acknowledged the apparent agreement between the Telecom Council and the parliament on the need to keep ENISA separate from any new body.

Reding continues to believe one agency is better than two, but won’t oppose governments on the issue, she said. But she asked them to stiffen Europe’s response to network security before another cyberattack akin to what happened in Estonia occurs. The European Parliament, which also opposes the EC plan, votes this summer on its own proposal for an advisory body, BERT (CD, April 24, p18). Reding thinks the next presidency will consider legislators’ approach, she said.

Reding called the meeting constructive, citing apparent consensus among ministers on the need to maintain and boost competition in e-communications and to reject the idea of “regulatory holidays” for operators building out next generation networks. Ministers sent a “strong message” in support of authorizing national regulators to impose functional separation on dominant companies, she said.

One issue needs more work under the French Presidency, Reding said -- the evolving single telecommunications market’s benefits to consumers. Ministers want a better spectrum management regime to encourage wireless and broadband deployment, she said. She offered the “very bold proposal” that by 2010, 50 percent of spectrum freed by digital switchover be allocated to new mobile and wireless services. There must be a balance between broadband for all and modernization of broadcast services, but the solution must wait until the next presidency, Reding said.

Officials agreed to consider coordinating use of some UHF spectrum freed by digital switchover for mobile communications. EU states must cooperate closely to coordinate spectrum usage and avoid harmful interferences, but that could pay off in economies of scale, the council conclusions said. They stressed that any shared use of parts of the UHF band must be voluntary and non-exclusive. They asked the EC to come up with a “coherent basis” for coordinated usage of the spectrum.

Ministers urged member countries to make information and communications technology a higher priority by, among other things, creating appropriate conditions for next generation networks, defining “ambitious” national targets for broadband penetration, promoting adoption of Internet Protocol version 6 and deploying more e-government services. They asked the EC to develop a broadband performance index to compare developments in the EU states.

ENISA welcomed its extension to 2012. The need for secure networks, systems and services won’t “suddenly disappear in 2012,” said Executive Director Andrea Pirotti. But with the Commission and Parliament changing in 2009, the delay will allow time to consider the agency’s activities when its mandate expires, he said.