 Ofcom
has welcomed the formation of a new organisation to shape, coordinate
and influence European telecoms regulation.
Called the Body of European Regulations in Electronic Communications
(BEREC), it is made up of 27 regulators from the European Union member
states. It meets for the first time today in Brussels to elect a
Chairman and Vice Chairmen, who will serve a 12 month term. BEREC
replaces the European Regulators' Group, with beefed-up powers
formalised under European legislation, but remains very clearly a body
of independent national regulators.
The formation of BEREC is a major step forward and will improve
the consistency and quality of regulation across the EU. BEREC
establishes authority in the group of national regulators, working
together to the common goal of serving the interests of consumers and
the communications sector as a whole, said Ed Richards, Ofcom's
Chief Executive.
BEREC also has an important responsibility to act as an
authoritative and independent adviser to the Commission and the European
Parliament on regulatory matters.
See
article
from
ec.europa.eu
The first meetings of the Board of Regulators of BEREC and the
Management Committee of the Office were held in Brussels on 28 January
2010. The 27 heads of the NRAs laid down the cornerstone for the
institutional structure that will deliver the results that the
legislators intended. They also discussed ways to ensure that the both
BEREC and the Office will be operational as soon as possible to respond
to the needs of the single market.
Although, the increased participation of BEREC in the new Article 7
procedure and the possibility to give opinions on cross-border disputes
will need to wait until May 2011, the date for the transposition of the
new framework to be completed, BEREC is able to carry out many tasks
without the need to wait so long. BEREC is already able to:
- disseminate best practice, assist NRAs, advise the Commission, the
European Parliament and the Council, and assist the institutions and
the NRAs in their relations with third parties
- deliver opinions on draft recommendations and/or guidelines on the
form, content and level of detail to be given in notifications, in
accordance with Article 7b of Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework
Directive)
- be consulted on draft recommendations on relevant product and
service markets, in accordance with Article 15 of the Framework
Directive
- deliver opinions on draft decisions on the identification of
transnational markets, in accordance with Article 15 of the Framework
Directive
- be consulted on draft measures relating to effective access to the
emergency call number 112
- be consulted on draft measures relating to the effective
implementation of the 116 numbering range
- deliver opinions on draft decisions and recommendations on
harmonisation, in accordance with Article 19 of the Framework
Directive
- deliver opinions aiming to ensure the development of common rules
and requirements for providers of cross-border business services
- provide assistance to NRAs on issues relating to fraud or the
misuse of numbering resources within the Community in particular for
cross-border services
- monitor and report on the electronic communications sector
- issue reports and provide advice and deliver opinions to the
European Parliament and the Council, on any matter regarding
electronic communications within its competence.
|
The
Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications was going to
be a superpower: able to dictate policy across the EU and ride roughshod
over national regulators. Since then its power has been steadily eroded
to the point where it's a talking shop with a staff of ten, who now find
themselves based in the capital of Latvia. 
