Brussels, 15/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - At an international forum on competition policy in Switzerland on Thursday 15 May, EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia opposed the solutions mooted to counter fragmentation in European telecoms by the chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, and the EPP candidate to become the next president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker.
Merkel and Juncker recommend changing competition rules to allow European telecoms companies to become bigger and hence more competitive globally. Recognising the existence of barriers within the single market, Almunia said that it would be wrong to change competition policy because this would lead to costs being passed on to consumers. He called for a genuine single telecoms market without roaming charges and with a European regulatory body allocating frequencies rather than 28 separate markets. The commissioner said that if European political leaders want to take a strong line, then when they talk about the telecoms industry in the EU, they should start thinking like European leaders rather than giving preference to their national priorities. The Commission is currently studying plans for a merger between two German telecoms' companies. (EL)