Brussels, 31/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 31 May, the European Commission called on the Court of Justice of the EU to impose fines on five countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Slovenia) for failing to implement EU common telecoms rules into the national body of law within the timeframe set.
The Commission suggested the Court impose a daily penalty payment on each member state - €70,000 on Belgium, €105,000 on the Netherlands, €112,000 on Poland, €22,000 on Portugal, and €13,000 on Slovenia (to be paid from the date of the ruling until notification of full transposition of European rules into national law). A Commission spokesman said they were informed by the government of the Netherlands that it would notify the Commission within 24 hours of compliance with the rules. He explained that the fine on Portugal was lower than for the other countries as Portugal had done everything it had been asked to do except with regard to the protection of personal data on-line. The EU's telecoms rules, which were to take effect in all EU countries by May 2011 at the latest, guarantee more competitive markets for consumers and businesses and give EU customers new rights, such as switching their phone operator in one day without changing the number of being informed without delay when their personal data is stolen online. (LC/transl.jl)