Brussels, 22/01/2009 (Agence Europe) - It will be an arduous task to find a compromise on the Telecoms Package by the end of the European Parliament's legislature in June, admitted Martin Riman, Czech Minister for Industry and Trade, who came to present his country's priorities in the field of telecommunications to the Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday 21 January. The positions adopted by the European Commission, the Parliament and Council are very different and there is considerable divergence, the minister said. “It will be very difficult unless all those involved are ready to make an effort to reach a compromise”, he warned, pointing out the differences between member states and the political agreement that they just managed to reach during the last Council of telecommunications ministers on 27 November 2008 (see EUROPE 9792). Martin Riman went on to say that the position in Council is strong and, for future reforms, it will be necessary to take this into account as well as the positions of member states. In order to take into account amendments voted in first reading by the Parliament, the Commission revised its proposals early November, discarding the idea of a “super regulator” and suggesting instead a “Group of European Regulators in Telecoms” (GERT). In its political agreement, the Council reduced the scope of GERT still further, refused the idea of bringing GERT under the scope of Community competence, and reduced the role of the Commission to a simple opinion for adopting measures at national level. On the subject of reform of the “roaming” regulation, the Czech Presidency will set aside its national interests to the advantage of the collective interest in order to allow the new regulation to take effect in July, the minister said. “We shall remain neutral towards the Council and Parliament, even if the Czechs do not agree with the different positions taken”, Mr Riman commented. The Czech Republic takes the view that price regulation must remain an exceptional and temporary measure pending a more conceptual and more lasting solution. (I.L./transl.jl)