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Berec outlines opposition to EC proposals
2013-10-18 13:42:00| Telecompaper Headlines
(Telecompaper) EU regulator Berec has responded in detail to the European Commission's proposals on strengthening the single telecom market. Berec's initial reaction to the proposals presented last month was that the EC had rushed through the development of the package without sufficient consultation or evaluation of the possible consequences. The regulator has now published a more detailed opinion, after meeting with the EC to discuss the plans. While it shares the EC's overall objectives, it considers the proposals "disproportionate, and in some cases counterproductive to their stated aims". They also represent a fundamental shift in how the sector is regulated, adding the new aim that ex ante regulation must promote the global competitiveness of the EU. This could increased the room for legal challenges to regulation, creating market uncertainty. The new focus also appears to encourage market consolidation, which appears at odds with the previous goal of regulation to promote competition, Berec said. A number of elements also seem to undermine the principle of infrastructure competition in the current regulatory framework. The regulator is also concerned about the changing balance in power, centralising it more with the Commission at the expense of the EU member states, national regulators and Berec. The motivation for this, nor its potential consequences, have been explained, Berec said.
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Category:Telecommunications