Mutual recognition of declaration and licensing procedures for provision of telecommunications services

The amended proposal was based on a new approach that aimed to give greater weight to the principle of full mutual recognition on the basis of gradual harmonisation according to the service categories and to simplify the proposed procedures, whilst preserving the specific time limits laid down. In relation to the initial proposal, the amended proposal: - excluded from its scope voice telephony and telex services as well as satellite and mobile communications; - included the procedures allowing for the provision of telecommunications services throughout the Community on the basis of mutually recognised national authorisations or, for a transitional period, on the basis of national authorisations obtained through a one-stop shopping procedure. These procedures no longer required the introduction of the concept of a single European telecommunications licence; - provided for a procedure of mutual recognition of national authorisations for the provision of telecommunications services on the basis of harmonised national licensing regimes; - established a procedure permitting the use of the technical expertise of the national regulatory authorities by giving ECTRA mandates for the harmonisation of licensing conditions. This procedure also allowed for the mutual recognition of national authorisations for certain categories of services without prior harmonisation; - replaced the procedure permitting the recognition of authorisations on the basis of individual requests through a transitional one-stop shopping procedure that facilitated the obtention of national authorisations in cases where a telecommunications service could still not be offered through a mutually recognised authorisation. The transitional procedures provided for an appeal mechanism, accompanied by a conciliation procedure, for cases where a national authorisation was not granted within the time frame laid down by the directive; - provided for a review of the arrangements of the procedure, in light of the experience gained; - set out clear requirements regarding information (submission of an annual report by the CTC and the Member States). �