Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-11-20-Speech-2-649-000"
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"en.20121120.34.2-649-000"2
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".
Mr President, the international telecommunications regulations concern matters relating to international, not national telecommunications services. However, there are aspects of the regulations that have a direct bearing on the
of the European Union, and specifically on the EU regulatory framework for electronic communications.
On the main issue, regarding internet regulation and charges to internet content providers, it is enough to say that at the WCIT they will agree that the ITU should regulate the internet and that telecommunications providers will be able to charge internet content providers. This is a development which is contrary to the European Union’s primary aim at the WCIT, because the results are not compatible with the
of the European Union, and it is not anticipated that they will become compatible in the future.
The common European positions reflect the joint European proposals, which will be submitted by the CEPT at the conference; these take account of, and are consistent with, the European
. I would like to end with the observation that when the international telecommunications regulations were adopted in 1988, this happened in an environment of traditional networks on the basis of leased connections; in other words, providing for separate services on separate networks. Nowadays, to an ever-increasing degree, there is a single IP-based infrastructure for providing all the services, regardless of whether they are voice, video or data, on a single device. In addition to this, there has been a dramatic rise in mobile telephony and increased network congestion due to the increase in data traffic, particularly video data traffic.
All these developments create challenges for the structure of today’s communications systems and for the rules governing those systems, both in the developed and in the developing world. The Council is fully committed to making every possible effort to ensure that the outcome of the WCIT is fully in harmony with the
of the European Union and with the EU objective of further expanding the digital economy in the European Union.
The European Union ought to ensure that any changes made to the regulations, as a result of the WCIT world conference in Dubai, do not contradict the legislation in force in the European Union. In addition, it must be guaranteed that the WCIT will not under any circumstances restrict the European Union in terms of the future development of the Community
.
As representative of the Presidency of the Council, I am here today to assure you that the Council fully supports the two objectives which have been set in the lead-up to the World Conference, namely the effort to avoid and resolve any clash with the EU
and the provision of assurances that the EU
will be able to develop as we choose in the future. The 27 Member States which are to participate and negotiate at the WCIT as full members will convey and defend these two messages before the 163 other member states of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), which is organising this world conference.
The 27 Member States have undertaken to make every possible effort to ensure that the end result of the WCIT reflects the priorities of the European Union and existing commitments.
As you know, the preparatory process for the WCIT is quite complex. Of particular importance for the European Union are the ITU working group and the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT). The EU Member States and the European Commission have actively participated in this preparatory process, where they took the same line. The European Commission will also take part in the WCIT as an observer, and not a full negotiating member. Under the ITU rules, full participation is granted only to the representations of the ITU member states. However, in order to derive greater benefit from the Commission’s presence at the WCIT as part of the effort to promote objectives or regulate matters affecting the European Union, we shall ask the WCIT organisers to accept the European Union, through the Commission, as an observer in an advisory role. Although this arrangement will not allow the Commission to negotiate on the proposals, it will nevertheless enable it to request the floor during the negotiations, after ITU member states have spoken, in order to provide useful advice or information on points which have a bearing on, and are in line with, the European Union’s position.
Since the start of the Cyprus Presidency, we have been discussing the Commission’s proposal, which essentially was fully supported by the Council and which consists in attempting to avoid or resolve any conflict with the EU
and ensuring that the EU
can be developed as we choose. The Commission also proposed that the European Union, represented by the Commission, should negotiate a revision of the regulations at Dubai. On this last point, however, we must recognise that the ITU rules do not allow the European Union to participate in the WCIT as a full negotiating member. Whether the Commission participates as an observer, or participates as an observer in an advisory capacity, the ITU rules do not allow observers to submit proposals or to negotiate positions. The decision on whether to allow the Commission to participate as an observer in an advisory capacity will be taken by the chairman on the first day of the conference in Dubai.
Let me stress that the Council fully recognises that the Commission must present the Union’s position while recognising that only the Member States of the European Union are able to negotiate proposals. These are the ITU rules and the Council cannot change them. What is important is that the Commission and Member States should cooperate closely to ensure that in Dubai the position of the European Union is presented correctly, consistently and promptly, on the basis of the collective expertise of the conference participants representing the Member States of the European Union. It is therefore particularly important that we should take care to coordinate effectively on this, so that we are in a position to respond promptly and effectively on the many proposals which ITU members intend to submit.
The Cyprus Presidency has prepared an informal document, which was discussed in the Council, setting out practical arrangements for better cooperation and coordination of the actions of the 27 Member States and the European Commission during the conference. For this purpose, the Cyprus Presidency and the European Commission jointly organised a meeting which was held on Friday, 16 November in Brussels, with the heads of the national representations of the Member States or their Dubai representatives. At this meeting, there was an in-depth discussion of questions of practical cooperation and coordination of actions with a view to better representation of the European Union at the conference.
I hope my answers regarding the procedural aspect of the WCIT have adequately covered the issues which Ms Verheyen raised in her oral question."@en1
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