Activites

• 1997/07/26 Final act published in Official Journal
  • Directive 1997/33
  • OJ L 199 26.07.1997, p. 0032
• 1997/06/30 Final act signed
• 1997/06/30 End of procedure in Parliament
• 1997/06/11 Decision by Parliament, 3rd reading
  • T4-0290/1997 summary

    In adopting the report by Mrs Imelda READ (PSE, UK), the European Parliament approved the joint text of the Conciliation Committee of the European Parliament and the Council on the directive on interconnection and interoperability of telecommunications networks and services. The compromise mainly concerned the following points: - financing of universal service: it was agreed that the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) would not be subject to a universal service requirement at this stage, but that such a requirement could be extended to it later; - facilitating market entry for new operators: national regulatory authorities will be able to lay down in advance conditions governing the negotiation of interconnection agreements. Such negotiations must be equitable to new entrants to the market; - interconnection charges: in the case of organizations 'which have significant market power', charges for interconnection must be transparent and based on real costs. National regulatory authorities may request an organization to justify and where appropriate adjust charges and other aspects of their offers; - the setting-up of a European Regulatory Authority: the possibility of setting up such an Authority is to be considered when the Directive is reviewed, taking into account the preparatory work of the Commission, which is to report before the end of 1999; - coordination of positions in international bodies: the Member States must seek to coordinate their positions in international forums and organizations where decisions are taken on numbering; - settlement of crossborder disputes: a procedure for resolving disputes concerning interconnection involving national regulatory authorities is provided for. At the request of one of the parties to a dispute, these authorities must coordinate their efforts to arrive at a solution which strikes a fair balance between the legitimate interests of the parties and respects the national rules applicable. The solution must be arrived at within 6 months; - portability of subscriber numbers: on this controversial subject, the Commission agreed to accept an amendment by Parliament whereby, until it becomes possible for subscribers to retain the same number when changing suppliers, the subscriber should be able to arrange, in return for a reasonable charge, that all calls made to him at the previous company will be transferred to him or that the caller will be informed of his new number without charge. The Council undertook to study the matter on the basis of a Commission proposal. The solution could be incorporated in the text of the directive on voice telephony which is currently being revised; - as regards commitology and on the basis of the modus vivendi for informing Parliament, the same solution was adopted as had been negotiated for the directive on voice telephony.�

• 1997/06/10 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament summary

    Commissioner Fischler welcomed the fact that Parliament and Council had agreed on the funding of the universal service, the cross-border arbitration process, cost-based pricing, reasonable pricing and number ‘portability’. In this last respect, the Commission agreed that the subscriber should be able to have any telephone call made to him at the former company transferred in return for a reasonable fee. The Commissioner also confirmed that Article 7(1) of the ‘Interconnection’ Directive would be applied to all organisations operating the public telecommunications networks and/or publicly available telecommunications services as set out in Annex 1.

• #2011
• 1997/06/02 Council Meeting
• 1997/05/21 Report tabled for plenary, 3rd reading
  • A4-0171/1997
• 1997/04/29 Joint text approved by Conciliation Committee co-chairs
  • 3610/1997
• 1997/03/20 Final decision by Conciliation Committee
• 1997/03/19 Formal meeting of Conciliation Committee
• #1970
• 1996/11/26 Council Meeting
• 1996/09/19 Decision by Parliament, 2nd reading
  • T4-0463/1996 summary

    Parliament unanimously adopted the recommendation for second reading by Mrs Imelda READ (PSE, UK) on the Directive concerning interconnection and interoperability of telecommunications networks and services. At second reading the EP retabled the amendments which had not been taken over by the Council, relating to the costing and financing of universal service, the cost of interconnection, environmental protection, numbering, and the setting up of a European Regulatory Authority. Furthermore, Parliament stressed the need to ensure a European character for the functioning of the telecommunications networks, which means reforming the institutional framework proposed by the Council, and a consumer protection guarantee by way of number portability (continuity of numbering and rerouting of old numbers when a user changes supplier). In addition, the EP would like to see the introduction of a 'Pay or play' system in universal service, whereby the provision of universal service would not be confined to the former monopoly. New entrants capable of providing such a service could be exempted from the financial contribution required of the operators. �

• 1996/09/18 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament summary

    The rapporteur, Mrs Read, again presented the amendments that had not been taken over by the Council, namely those relating to the cost and financing of the universal service, the cost of interconnection, environmental protection, telephone numbering and the setting-up of a European regulatory authority. Commissioner Bangemann declared that the establishment of a regulatory authority was absolutely essential. He assured the rapporteur that Amendments Nos 5 and 27 on number portability would be acceptable and that Amendment No 10 would also be taken over if it could be re-worded.

• 1996/09/09 Vote in committee, 2nd reading
  • A4-0276/1996
• 1996/06/20 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 2nd reading
• #1937
• 1996/06/19 Council Meeting
• 1996/06/18 Council position published
  • 06901/2/1996 summary

    In many instances, the common position of the Council follows the position of the Commission as expressed in its amended proposal. The Council's changes to the Commission proposal and its attitude towards Parliament's amendments were motivated by its concern to: - ensure consistency with other relevant Community provisions, in particular the Directives on the application of open network provision (ONP) (e.g. as regards the procedure applicable for the committee); - clarify the scope of certain provisions (e.g. by extending universal service cost-sharing to organizations providing voice telephony services available to the public); - simplify the Directive by introducing greater flexibility in the planned provisions. The Council therefore introduced new provisions in its common position, particularly the following: - Definitions: reformulation of the definitions of 'interconnection' and 'telecommunications services'; - Rights and obligations for interconnection: organizations which have significant market power must meet all reasonable requests for access to the network; - Definition of 'significant market power': this is now defined in an article rather than a recital; - Universal service: inclusion of organizations providing voice telephony services accessible to the public among the possible contributors towards the costs of universal service obligations; - Principles for interconnection charges and cost accounting systems: the principles of transparency and cost orientation are extended to suppliers of networks and public mobile telephony services with significant market power. It is also permissible to set a number of different tariffs, terms and conditions for interconnection for different categories of organizations; - Accounting separation and financial reports: Member States may require structural separation of telecommunications operations in the case of organizations which have special or exclusive rights for the provision of services in other sectors; - Essential requirements: the reference to specific conditions concerning compensation is deleted; - Technical standards: the reference to specifications having a wide acceptance within industry and developed by international industry bodies is deleted; - Publication of and access to information: up-to-date information must be made available on request and free of charge to interested parties; - Commitology: a Type III(a) regulatory committee is chosen to adapt Annexes IV, V and VII to technological progress, in order to maintain consistency with the other ONP directives; - Review of implementation of the Directive: the review will particularly concern the provisions of the Directive on universal service and the date 01/01/2003 for the introduction of number portability in major population centres; - Fixed public telephone network: the definition of the fixed public telephone network is extended to include provision of special facilities to meet special social needs. The common position did not incorporate Parliament's amendments, notably concerning: - the portability of telephone numbers; - the emphasis on the need to protect the environment; - consideration of the possibility of setting up a European regulatory authority for telecommunications when the Directive is reviewed in 1999. �

• #1910
• 1996/03/21 Council Meeting
• 1996/03/20 Modified legislative proposal published
  • COM(1996)0121 summary

    The amended proposal incorporated, in whole or in part, 45 of the 69 amendments adopted by Parliament at first reading. The Commission accepted the amendments: - stressing the importance of guaranteeing universal service and a single European telecommunications market; - concerning number portability; - stressing the need to protect the environment; - increasing transparency and ensuring reasonable confidentiality; - calling for greater coordination among national regulatory authorities and between them and the Commission; - clarifying the text in a manner consistent with the objectives of the Directive; - calling for the possibility of setting up a European regulatory authority for telecommunications to be studied in connection with the review of the Directive in 1999; - which were compatible with existing European legislation. However, the Commission did not incorporate the amendments seeking in particular: - to restrict the scope of the Directive to interconnection between public networks of the same type and extending the confidentiality requirement to all telecommunications networks (public and private); - to replace the requirement of complete accounting separation with a less stringent requirement that accounts be transparent; - to regard services which cannot at present be made available to all users as forming part of a universal service obligation; - provide for the costs of universal service obligations to be shared among all telecommunications network operators (and not only among public network operators); - to delete the concept of market advantage for organizations subject to universal service obligations; - to reduce the role of national regulatory authorities in supervising contributions to covering universal service costs; - to make it possible to bring proceedings simultaneously in the national courts and at EU level; - to delete certain elements from the definition of the concept of power on the market; - to restrict the framework governing collocation and facility sharing. �

• 1996/02/14 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T4-0050/1996 summary

    The European Parliament adopted the report by Mrs Mel READ (PSE, UK) on the proposal for a directive on interconnection in telecommunications with regard to ensuring universal service and interoperability through application of the principles of Open Network Provision (ONP). In relation to the Commission proposal, the European Parliament proposed, in particular: - conferring on the Commission increased powers of action with a view to rules being laid down at European level. This could result in the establishment of a European Regulatory Authority; - clarifying certain control rules; - limiting obligations relating to transparency and accounting separation to various large organizations; - encouraging competition whilst preventing penetration of the market by inefficient players; - encouraging investment rather than physical collocation; - ensuring numbering continuity and number portability when changing supplier; - clarifying the concept of universal service in the directive, with the introduction of European legislation, and sharing the cost of universal service between all operators. A universal service must permit access to a minimum service to all users at an affordable price. The Commission was invited to come forward with a Communication forming the basis of a definition of universal service at the latest by 31 December 1996. �

• 1996/02/13 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament summary

    The rapporteur, Mrs Read (PSE, UK), said that most of the amendments were of a technical nature, though this did not mean that they were not based on a coherent philosophy: the aim of the directive was to ensure a universal service for telephone users at an acceptable cost and in accordance with a set of clear rules for the industry. Commissioner Bangemann began by declaring that the Commission could take over 45 of the 70 amendments tabled. He went on to point out that the universal service did not mean a public service and with this in mind he supported the rapporteur’s definition by emphasising that the universal service should provide each citizen with the same quality of service at an affordable price. Mr Bangemann also said that there was no contradiction between a universal service and the rules of the market, since the latter was not a jungle where there were no holds barred. Rather the market could be regarded as an instrument that formed an integral part of a mass of instructions that were fixed in relation to other objectives lying outside the sphere of the market, such as social justice and the protection of the environment. He also gave examples of the deregulation and improvement of the universal service, as in the case of Scotland and Sweden. With regard to interconnection, he declared that he was in favour of environmental considerations being included when setting up new installations. This was why Amendment No 44 was preferable to Amendment No 70, because it provided that the interconnection agreements would include conditions on compliance with town and country planning requirements. Finally, the Commissioner reaffirmed his confidence in the new technical opportunities being made available, provided they proved to be of more practical use to consumers than had been the case in the past.

• 1996/01/25 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • A4-0017/1996
• #1888
• 1995/11/27 Council Meeting
  • 1888
• 1995/09/18 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 1995/07/19 Legislative proposal published
  • COM(1995)0379 summary

    OBJECTIVE: the proposal for a directive from the European Parliament and the Council aims to permit new entrants to the market to interconnect their equipment to that of existing market operators. This measure is needed for the effective liberalization of the telecommunications sector on 1 January 1998 and will therefore apply before that date. At the same time the measure will introduce safety clauses guaranteeing the interconnection and interoperability of networks and services, so that users will be able to benefit increasingly from the universal provision of telecommunications services throughout the territory of the European Union. SUBSTANCE: The directive provides a harmonized framework for interconnection by application of the principles of open network provision (ONP). The main provisions of the directive are as follows: . application of the principles of transparency, objectivity and non-discrimination in the provision of an open network, in accordance with the principle of proportionality; . priority is given to commercial negotiations between the parties to an interconnection agreement, subject to certain conditions which must be laid down in advance by the national regulatory authorities; . the precise responsibilities of the national regulatory authorities, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, including effective mechanisms for settling disputes; . description of the way in which the essential requirements (security of operations handled on the network, maintenance of network integrity, interoperability of services and protection of personal data and confidentiality) are applied when providing interconnection services; . in addition, the Treaty's rules on competition are to be applied. �

Documents

• Legislative proposal published: COM(1995)0379
• Debate in Council: 1888
• Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading: A4-0017/1996
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T4-0050/1996
• Modified legislative proposal published: COM(1996)0121
• Council position published: 06901/2/1996
• Committee recommendation tabled for plenary, 2nd reading: A4-0276/1996
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 2nd reading: T4-0463/1996
• Joint text approved by Conciliation Committee co-chairs: 3610/1997
• Report tabled for plenary, 3rd reading: A4-0171/1997
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 3rd reading: T4-0290/1997
• : Directive 1997/33
• : OJ L 199 26.07.1997, p. 0032

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)