Telecommunications: implementation of the regulatory package. 8th report 2002

The committee adopted the own-initiative report by Nick CLEGG (ELDR, UK) on the 8th Commission report on the regulatory package on telecommunications. MEPs congratulated the Commission on launching proceedings against those Member States which had not transposed the new regulatory package into national law as soon as the two-month period for notifying the Commission had passed. They demanded that the infringement proceedings against those Member States be completed as quickly as possible. MEPs also wanted the Commission and national supervisors in the European Regulators Group to commit themselves to definitively solving "old" problems in the sector, including international roaming tariffs, mobile call termination tariffs and number portability, and then to turn their attention to new questions, in particular joint dominance and the need for co-operation on developing 3G applications and services, so as to maintain competition in the sector. The committee underlined the importance of a consistent and certain legal framework across the whole of the enlarged EU if new entrants to the communications sector were to be encouraged. It therefore called on the new Member States and their NRAs to give high priority to achieving consistent treatment of market players based on clear competition-law principles. The Commission was asked to collate information on the state of play in the accession countries and their readiness to implement the new framework, and to keep the European Parliament fully informed. The Commission should also set out what technical assistance should be made available to facilitate implementation in cases where countries were unlikely to meet the requirements. The report also stressed that NRAs should be fully independent, properly resourced, have the necessary powers to carry out their functions and be capable of taking a proactive role so as to stimulate sector competition. Furthermore, given the importance of speedy determination of appeals against NRAs' decisions, Member States should ensure that effective dispute resolution procedures were in place. Other points raised in the report included the need to improve access for disabled and disadvantaged telecommunications users and the need to implement tariff transparency measures, including the right to receive itemised bills free of charge.�