Brussels, 26/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 26 November, the European Commission launched a public consultation to help it elaborate the technical modalities for Regulation 2015/2120 on the end to roaming charges in Europe. This regulation was published the same day in the Official Journal of the European Union and includes the removal of these kinds of charges by June 2017 at the latest and also establishes net neutrality.
The consultation document focuses on three aspects in particular: (1) assessment of the retail roaming market; (2) the definition of the “reasonable use” principle and (3) modalities in the sustainability clause. According to the terms of the new regulation, the Commission has the powers of implementation: to develop, before 15 December 2016, the detailed rules on the application of the principle of reasonable use, which seeks to prevent abusive or abnormal practices (such as permanent roaming) by mobile operators; to work out a method for assessing the viability of the end to roaming costs and additional details and information the roaming services providers must provide to the purpose of this assessment. As this involves an “implementation” act, the European Parliament will only be consulted and will not be able to intervene.
The consultation is open until 18 February 2016 and is addressed to mobile operators, consumer organisations, national regulators, the public authorities, civil society organisations, enterprise and citizens. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)