Brussels, 28/10/2002 (Agence Europe) - Speaking of the "aberrant management" of the procedure for attributing UMTS licenses in Europe, French President Jacques Chirac declared on Friday, on the fringe of the European Council, that he would ask the Commission to make proposals to allow the telecommunications sector to come out of a "deep crisis". He hoped the European Council of March 2003, in Brussels, could thus give its stance on the initiatives to be taken at European level. "Decisions can only be European. I am not going to impose my solution", he stressed, insisting: "Europe must react and reaffirm its support to the telecommunications sector in a context where global competition is strong (…). European coordination is for now quite unsatisfactory, and yet it is essential". Mr Chirac specified that he would inform the EU Danish President and the Member States in writing on the problem which, as there was not enough time, was not discussed at the European Council in Brussels. Mr Chirac felt the crisis had been caused by "quite excessive, if not irresponsible, levies on companies when UMTS licenses were attributed (…) all because in the beginning each country wanted to manage its own little business in its own corner. There is a kind of overbidding and the result is that the sector has been deeply disturbed".