The European Parliament has voted to accept a compromise deal on a
legislative package designed to modernise and simplify the legal
framework for electronic communications in the European
Union.
The compromise gives the European Commission, the EU's executive
body, powers to oversee national regulatory regimes and to overrule
national regulators in key areas that make an impact on the
functioning of the single EU-wide market.
The decision, which required European Parliament agreement, will
allow for co-ordination of radio spectrum policy issues across
Europe. This is vital to avoid a repeat of the fragmentation of the
European market that followed the sale of licences for
third-generation (3G) mobile communication networks, the European
Commission said.
Making Europe the most competitive economy in the world within 10
years is the ambitious target set by EU heads of state at a summit
in Lisbon in the spring of 2000. One of the first steps they called
for was an overhaul of EU laws relating to the telecoms industry,
to be completed by the end of 2001.
A controversial directive on data protection for telecoms was
earlier dropped from the package approved this week, because it was
feared that the impasse on two central issues in that law would
delay the whole process. Those two issues are data retention and
unsolicited commercial e-mail.
The directive is expected to be delayed until early 2002, according
to an official at the Commission.