Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-11-23-Speech-1-072"
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"en.20091123.17.1-072"2
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"Mr President, today is the culmination of what has been a very long, and very often intense, legislative process, and the efforts shown by all sides in the negotiations have produced results which were worth waiting for. I would like to thank the rapporteurs, the committee chairs, the President and the members of the Conciliation Committee, and all the individual Members of Parliament who have brought their commitment and expertise to bear.
I already presented to you my declarations at the May plenary, saying that the Commission will build on the reforms by consulting widely next year on the scope of the future universal service and a wider application of the principles relating to data breach notification. I reaffirm these commitments today, adjusted of course only to the time that has elapsed since then.
The Commission will also do its part to ensure that the new tools are put to good use when needed. I have indicated that the Commission will monitor the impact of market and technological developments on net freedoms and report to the European Parliament and the Council before the end of 2010 on whether additional guidance is required. The Commission will also invoke its existing competition law powers to deal with any anti-competitive practices that may emerge.
I believe that the confidence and the legal certainty provided by these reforms will be critical in helping the e-communications sector to contribute to Europe’s economic recovery. I would therefore commend Parliament for its support for the package and urge Members to vote in favour of its adoption.
With the adoption of the reform package as it now stands, the Union will have a regulatory framework that is fit to meet the challenges of a rapidly developing digital economy based on fair prices for all to get telephone and internet connections, while preparing the ground for investments in high-speed networks delivering high-quality, innovative services.
These rules, these reforms, will make the European Union a global leader in the regulation of electronic communications, not just by improving the mechanism to move towards a competitive single market, but also by putting the rights of the citizens at the heart of a regulatory policy.
The compromise reached in conciliation lays down for the first time in EU law the fundamental rights of internet users against measures that could limit their internet access. This is a very important internet freedom provision. It makes clear that the internet, which is becoming more and more central to our daily lives, should be subject to the same safeguards for our fundamental rights as other areas of activity. Prior, fair procedures, with the presumption of innocence and the right to privacy, followed by the right to effective and timely judicial review: those are the rules which have been put into the new reform package.
At the same time, the reform package enshrines the vision of an open and mutual internet as an objective of regulatory policy. The EU approach is a very pragmatic one. It has, by the way, already been hailed on other continents as an important trendsetter.
The protection of consumers against loss of personal data and against spam has also been strengthened, particularly by requiring operators to notify consumers in case of personal data breaches and by strengthening the principle of user consent when it comes to use of cookies. Amongst other major gains for consumers is the right to change their fixed or mobile operator in one working day while keeping their old phone number.
Thanks to Parliament, the new provisions on radio spectrum will bring lower prices and encourage the introduction of new services, thereby helping to bridge the digital divide. Parliament will have a key role in setting the strategic direction for spectrum policy at European level through the new multiannual radio spectrum policy programme. The reforms will also permit investment by operators in the next-generation networks. They will strengthen the incentives to invest efficiently in new infrastructure by taking account of the investment risks, while ensuring that competition is not stifled.
At institutional level, the body of European regulators, the famous BEREC, offers the opportunity for the 27 national regulators to contribute to the functioning of the single market in a more transparent and effective manner. The strengthened oversight of remedies by the Commission, supported by BEREC, will consolidate the single market by improving the consistency and the quality of implementation of the framework across Europe and ensure that operators have a level playing field.
Let us not forget the important agreement reached on Article 19 of the framework directive, which gives the Commission enhanced harmonisation powers covering general regulatory approaches, including in relation to remedies. This gives the Commission a central role, in cooperation with BEREC, to ensure that the Telecoms Regulation is applied consistently in the single market in the interests of citizens and businesses."@en1
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