Skip to main content
European Commission logo print header

Article Category

Content archived on 2022-11-18

Article available in the following languages:

DE EN

Council Resolution on the future regulatory framework for telecommunications

The Council of the European Union has recently adopted a Resolution on the implementation of the future regulatory framework for telecommunications (Resolution of 18 September 1995). In its Resolution, the Council welcomes the Commission's Green Paper on the liberalization o...

The Council of the European Union has recently adopted a Resolution on the implementation of the future regulatory framework for telecommunications (Resolution of 18 September 1995). In its Resolution, the Council welcomes the Commission's Green Paper on the liberalization of telecommunications infrastructure and cable television networks. The Council also welcomes the broad consensus resulting from the Paper in favour of establishing an appropriate regulatory framework, focusing on universal service, licences and inter-connection, which should permit the introduction of fair and dynamic competition in line with the timetable laid down in two previous Council Resolutions (93/C 213/01 and 94/C 379/03). These specified a deadline of 1 January 1988 with possible transitional periods for certain Member States. The new Resolution calls on the Commission to present proposals, by the beginning of 1996, which centre on: - Liberalizing all telecommunications services and infrastructures in line with the procedures and transitional periods already specified by the Council; - Adapting Open Network Provision (ONP) measures to the future competitive environment; - Maintaining and developing a minimum supply of services throughout the Union and defining common principles for financing the universal service; - Establishing a common framework for inter-connecting networks and services; - Approximating the general authorization and individual licensing regimes in the Member States. The Council also invites the Member States to foster dynamic competition by: - Promoting the necessary re-balancing of tariffs so as to establish efficient economic conditions for all players and users, while ensuring the development of universal service; - Defining and publishing the general authorization and individual licensing regimes applicable to the whole telecommunications sector. The Council further calls on the Commission and the Member States to continue consultation on elaborating the future regulatory framework, in particular with the ad hoc high-level Committee of National Regulators, and stresses that the main points of the regulatory framework and the Council's timetable should be used as a basis for negotiations in the context of the World Trade Organization.

Related articles