Procedure completed
Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
---|---|---|---|
Lead | ECON | READ Imelda Mary (PSE) | |
Opinion | ENER | VAN VELZEN W.G. (PPE) | |
Opinion | JURI | THORS Astrid (ELDR) |
Legal Basis EC before Amsterdam E 100
Activites
- 1998/04/01 Final act published in Official Journal
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1998/02/26
Final act signed
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1998/02/26
End of procedure in Parliament
- #2067
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1998/02/12
Council Meeting
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1998/01/29
Decision by Parliament, 3rd reading
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T4-0049/1998
summary
The European Parliament approved the joint text which emergedfrom the conciliation procedure with the Council. During the conciliation, Parliament had obtained satisfaction on such points as the concept of affordable prices, services to users changing operator, special services for the disabled (equality of access to services, including directories, at affordable prices), the principle that rises in the price of universal service should be limited, consumer protection, the quality of services in contracts and commitology. �
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T4-0049/1998
summary
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1998/01/28
Debate in Parliament
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Debate in Parliament
summary
Having approved the Conciliation Committee’s proposal, Commissioner Bangemann was prepared to accept Parliament’s amendments as they improved the original proposal.
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Debate in Parliament
summary
- 1998/01/15 Report tabled for plenary, 3rd reading
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1998/01/14
Joint text approved by Conciliation Committee co-chairs
- 3635/1997
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1997/12/10
Formal meeting of Conciliation Committee
- #2035
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1997/10/27
Council Meeting
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1997/09/17
Debate in Parliament
- Debate in Parliament
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T4-0441/1997
summary
In adopting the recommendation for second reading by Mrs Imelda READ (PSE, Uk), Parliament amended the Council's common position. Parliament failed to secure the qualified majority requested to retable all the amendments from first reading that had not been taken over by the Council in its common position. Through its amendments, Parliament: - asked that the Member States specify an affordable price, on the basis of guidelines drawn up at European level in the light of specific national conditions, including town and country planning aspects; - highlighted the need for free access to directory enquiry services for handicapped people, especially the blind or partially-sighted and deaf or speech-impaired people; - underlined the need for users to have complete freedom when choosing suppliers of the various services they may wish to use; - noted that the Member States could impose additional universal service requirements. Such additional requirements should not, under any circumstances, affect the costing of universal service provision as laid down at EU level and could not be financed through a mandatory contribution from market players; - hoped that the Commission would examine the quality of the services offered through the Community in a half-yearly report for Parliament and the Council. �
- 1997/09/03 Vote in committee, 2nd reading
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1997/06/13
Committee referral announced in Parliament, 2nd reading
- #2014
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1997/06/09
Council Meeting
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06981/1/1997
summary
The common position takes over in full or in part 12 of the European Parliament amendments out of the 19 approved by the Commission in its modified proposal. The main modifications made by the Council relate to the following points: - extension of the scope: a specific reference to the universal service has been introduced in order to clarify the aims of this Directive. In addition certain rights relating to telephone information services, operator assistance and emergency services, contracts and access to information have been extended to mobile users; - definitions: a number of definitions have been modified or deleted with the aim of aligning them with other telecommunications directives in the context of the new regulatory framework (the terms concerned are 'fixed public telephone network' and 'publicly available telephone service', 'voice telephony service' and 'subscriber'); - directory services: this provision has been aligned with that of the draft data protection/ISDN directive, in particular by referring to directories of all subscribers who have not expressed opposition to being listed, rather than to subscribers who consent to be listed; - adjustment to a competitive market: in an endeavour to avoid over-regulation in the context of the new competitive situation in the telecommunications markets the Council has sought to: . ensure that where the market already adequately provides for certain facilities (public pay phones, itemized billing, tone dialling, selective call barring) certain requirements of the directive need not be applied; . avoid undue administrative burdens on all operators and in particular new market entrants; . avoid 'case-by-case' procedures when national regulatory authorities are required to intervene in the event of interruption, termination, significant variation or reduction in availability of services; . find a balance between an adequate level of consumer protection and the desire for a more market-oriented approach. - number portability: as a result of a compromise reached in the context of conciliation on the interconnection directive, the common position provides for the establishment of an interim service involving rerouting or indication of the new number until the number portability facility is available. The common position did not take over Parliament's amendments on the following points: - objective and non-discriminatory criteria with regard to the decision on which organizations provide the universal service; - reference to the ONP/framework and leased lines directives with regard to the definition of a national regulatory authority; - financing of the additional universal service; - specific measures for disabled users with regard to public text telephones and access to directory enquiry services; - access to operator assistance services and directory enquiry services free of charge or at a nominal cost; - modifications to contracts; - special access to the network. �
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06981/1/1997
summary
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1997/06/04
Modified legislative proposal published
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COM(1997)0287
summary
The Commission's amended proposal takes over in full or in part 19 of the 34 amendments adopted by the European Parliament at first reading. The main amendments accepted by the Commission seek: - to specify more clearly the scope of universal service and to improve consumer protection; - to bring the text in line with Community law, in particular the data protection directive and the interconnection directive; - to improve the clarity of the text. Other modification are based on amendments relating to the following points: - the establishment of tariff control systems or similar schemes, possibly based on geographic segmentation; - the publication by the Commission of regular reports on the evolution of tariffs in the Community; - number portability: when this facility is not yet available the national regulatory authorities shall ensure that for a reasonable period after a subscriber has changed supplier all telephone communications to his old number can be re-routed to his new number free of charge or that this new number is indicated to callers; any fees for such re-routing must be reasonable; - the consultation of interested parties, and especially terminal equipment suppliers and the representatives of users and consumers, on the changes in existing network interface specifications; - for blind and partially sighted people, free access to directory enquiry services and to information contained in directories and to alternative formats for bills; - for deaf and hearing-impaired people, the need to provide publicly accessible text telephones. �
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COM(1997)0287
summary
- #1991
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1997/03/06
Council Meeting
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1997/02/20
Debate in Parliament
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Debate in Parliament
summary
The rapporteur, Mrs READ (PSE, UK), confirmed that she was aware of the need to adopt in due course the texts forming part of the ‘1998 liberalisation package’ in the telecommunications sector. She also stressed the immensely lucrative nature of this market. As regards mobile telephony, Mrs Read admitted that this market was developing at different rates in the various Member States, but she also felt that there was a basic trend towards one market. Commissioner Bangemann considered that the problem of universal service would not be solved through social measures but would benefit more from the regulatory influence of the market and fairly rapid technological progress in this sector. While stressing the benefits of liberalisation for consumers, the Commissioner said that certain specific problems, such as those linked to disabled persons or low-income social categories, should be resolved at regional or national level rather than by the EU.
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T4-0054/1997
summary
In adopting the report by Mrs Imelda READ (PSE, UK) Parliament amended the proposal for a directive on voice telephony and the establishment of a universal service for telecommunications. With its amendments Parliament asks that the Commission regularly examine to what extent further provisions of this Directive can be applied to mobile telephony given the continuing integration of fixed and mobile telecommunications technology. Other amendments also provide that: - Member States may to some extent impose additional universal service requirements; - subscribers have the right, free of charge, to have an entry in publicly available directories and have the possibility to receive compensation in the case of incorrect entry of details in the directories; - subscribers have the right to withhold their details from publicly available directories and to restrict the use of that information for commercial purposes without any charge; - the Commission will develop common rules for monitoring the tariffs and will determine the frequency of the monitoring by the Member States; - the Commission will consider in its report on universal service to be published before 1 January 1998 whether other beneficiaries of the liberalisation process in the telecommunications sector can contribute to the financing of universal service; Another series of amendments seeks to ensure that the most vulnerable consumers and the geographically less favoured areas can benefit from an adequate service in the context of liberalisation. In this connection Parliament demands that: - the Member States take the necessary measures to ensure the availability of social rates and flexible payment schemes for low income consumers and for the provision of public access to information society resources; - free access to services is assured for people with disabilities (blind or partially-sighted, deaf and speech-impaired people, etc.). Lastly, Parliament asks that where number portability is not yet in use, national regulatory authorities shall ensure that a telephone call to his old number can be rerouted to the user against a reasonable fee or that during a reasonable period callers are given an indication of the new number. �
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Debate in Parliament
summary
- 1997/02/17 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
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1996/11/12
Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
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1996/11/04
Legislative proposal published
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COM(1996)0419
summary
OBJECTIVE: the purpose of the proposal for a Directive is to revise and replace Directive 95/62/EC on the application of open network provision (ONP) to voice telephony, currently in force, to take account of the liberalization of the telecommunications market, scheduled to come into effect on 1 January 1998, and to guarantee the provision of a universal service for telecommunications as laid down in the European Union. SUBSTANCE: the modified proposal for a Directive describes the scope of the universal service requirement in telecommunications, which must be accessible to all users in the European Union, and requires that the Member States should ensure, in the light of their national conditions, that such service is affordable. The Directive also lays down harmonized conditions for the provision of fixed public telephone networks and publicly available telephone services in the EU. More specifically, the revised Directive: - stipulates the telephone services and additional services which must be available to all users; it ensures that it is possible for all users on request to have access to the fixed public telephone network, at a fixed location, to make and receive calls, facsimile and/or data communications, as well as a range of basic additional services including itemized billing and tone dialling; - introduces a service quality control mechanism based on a common series of indicators and measurement methods. Where appropriate, performance targets may be set by the national regulatory authorities; the performance data may be published: - introduces an obligation that the Member States should ensure, in the light of their national conditions, that telephone services are affordable tariff; rebalancing should follow the pace of opening up to competition without causing sharp increases in prices for users. The proposal also encourages the use of targeted tariff schemes, rather than the application of uniformly low tariffs, to guarantee that services are affordable for all users. - calls on Member States to introduce mechanisms for consultation with users, consumers, service providers and manufacturers over matters relating to level, quality and affordability of universal service. The Commission may also introduce such mechanisms at Community level. In the case of Member States which under Community legislation are allowed a transitional period in which to liberalize public telecommunications networks and publicly available telephony services, the applicable provisions of Directive 95/62/EC are maintained in force by the revised Directive. �
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COM(1996)0419
summary
- #1949
- 1996/09/27 Council Meeting
Documents
- Debate in Council: 1949
- Legislative proposal published: COM(1996)0419
- Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading: A4-0049/1997
- Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
- Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T4-0054/1997
- Modified legislative proposal published: COM(1997)0287
- Council position published: 06981/1/1997
- Committee recommendation tabled for plenary, 2nd reading: A4-0263/1997
- Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
- Decision by Parliament, 2nd reading: T4-0441/1997
- Joint text approved by Conciliation Committee co-chairs: 3635/1997
- Report tabled for plenary, 3rd reading: A4-0013/1998
- Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
- Decision by Parliament, 3rd reading: T4-0049/1998
- : Directive 1998/10
- : OJ L 101 01.04.1998, p. 0024
History
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