Luxembourg, 20/12/2000 (Agence Europe) - The third (enlarged) Chamber of the European Court of Justice, presided by Claus Gulmann, has found Belgium guilty of incorrectly transposing European Directive 97/33/EC on universal telecommunications services. The European Commission contended that subsidies provided to the Belgian media for telephone communications weres incompatible with European law.
In its ruling, the Court of First Instance points out that the Commission is currently examining the Belgian law of 3 December 1999, which should put an end to such infringement. Under the terms of this proposal of law, the preferential charges granted to certain Belgian dailies and magazines and to the Belga Agency would no longer be financed through the payment of other organisations, as is currently the case, but by the Belgian State as public service obligations.
The Commission claims that the preferential tariffs granted to the Belga Agency and to certain newspapers are in excess of those allowed in Annex I of the Directive, which limits such specific measures financed under universal service criteria to handicapped and economically disadvantaged persons. Furthermore, Belgium has done what is necessary to come into line with the provisions of the directive.