The draft legislative report on price ceilings in retail roaming markets received almost unanimous support at the European Parliament's industry (ITRE) committee on Wednesday 12 October.
Regulation 2015/ 2120 provides for an end to surcharges invoiced by telephone operators during trips to another member state as of June 2017 (roaming costs). The Commission proposed price ceilings in June, which the operators must apply among themselves for user of their network during trips by consumers in the EU.
Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (S&D, Finland), rapporteur on this dossier, is proposing to introduce a continually declining ceiling up until 2022 (see EUROPE 11630). The socialist MEP suggests introducing a cap from 15 June 2017 of 0.05 cents per megabyte (the Commission proposed 0.85 cents per megabyte) and reducing this limit every year to reach 0.01 cent per megabyte by the 1 July 2021. She indicated, ”the Commission proposal will not be competitive and will not allow consumers to obtain the best prices”. She criticized the sustainability clause, which will allow operators to reintroduce surcharges when the market is destabilised
Reactions from MEPs were rather positive: overall, the majority of groups supported the gradual approach of the rapporteur. Jens Rohde (ALDE, Denmark), however, indicated that his group would submit an amendment proposing reductions from the ceiling proposed by the Commission down to the rapporteur’s cap by 2021.
The deadline for submitting amendments was, however, set for the following day. MEPs must therefore work quickly if they want to respect the June 2017 deadline for the end to roaming surcharges. Particularly as the negotiations at the Council could prove difficult; the countries of the south, whose networks are under pressure during the summer period, are calling for even higher ceilings than those proposed by the Commission. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)