Brussels, 10/12/2015 (Agence Europe) - European ministers in charge of telecommunications are moving ahead somewhat: during the Council of the EU on Friday morning 11 December, they will proceed to a first exchange of views on the future of the “telecoms” package.
According to the strategy for developing a digital single market, this revision should take place in 2016, in accordance to what has been announced. They will seek to ensure more efficient coordination of radio-frequency spectrum and include common criteria throughout the EU for the allocation of national level frequency, the introduction of investment incentives in ultrafast broadband, ensure a level playing field for all market actors, established market players as well as new arrivals, and introduce an efficient institutional framework.
The questions drawn up by the Luxembourg Presidency for framing the debate mainly focused on new generation connectivity, equal treatment for equivalent services and the main priorities for this re-examination. The ministers are therefore called on to identify the best ways for high-capacity fixed and mobile networks to be accessed on an equal basis in less densely populated areas. They are also being urged to give their views on what rules should apply to companies that propose Over the Top (OTT) provision and messaging services but do not depend on given access to a network.
Two other points on the agenda: the draft directive on network and information security and the draft directive to facilitate access to public sector websites. The Luxembourg Presidency will brief ministers about the details of the informal meeting on 7 December with the European Parliament on the first chapter. With regard to the second chapter, it will simply provide a report back on the progress accomplished at the Council over the past six months.
In the session that is closed to the public, the Commission will inform ministers about the most recent developments regarding Internet governance, including the transfer of functions to IANA (Internet Assigned Number Authority) and the examination process at the Global Summit on the Information Society + 10 (SMSI+10). The Commission will also brief ministers about the progress achieved on questions relating to telecommunications and the information society as part of the ongoing trade negotiations with the US (TTIP). Finally, the Dutch Presidency will also be presenting its work programme for the telecommunications domain. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)