New EU Regulator Established

BRUSSELS -- Today marks the start of a new era for telecoms in the EU. The telecoms regulators of the 27 EU countries will meet for the first time in Brussels as members of the new Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC). The new European telecoms regulator BEREC has been established following the adoption by the Council and Parliament of the new EU Telecoms rules in December 2009. With 12 fixed and 10 mobile telecoms companies offering services in many other EU Member States and hundreds of service providers operating across borders, BEREC will play a crucial role in strengthening the single telecoms market and consistent regulation across Europe. Assisted by an office with expert staff, the new European telecoms regulatory body will in particular help ensure fair competition in the single telecoms market. In 2008, Europe's telecoms sector revenues accounted for €351 billion.

“The establishment of the EU telecoms regulator is an important milestone for telecoms in Europe," said Viviane Reding, the EU's Telecoms Commissioner who proposed the creation of the body in 2007. “ Indeed, Parliament, Council and the Commission all agreed that Europe's Single Telecoms Market needs BEREC. The new body will help national telecoms regulators and the European Commission to provide consistent rules and competitive conditions across the EU. This will boost European telecoms services, which are evolving rapidly in areas like mobile internet and can become a major driver of economic recovery in Europe.”