EU countries split over revamping telecom markets

EU countries remain divided over European Commission plans to overhaul telecom rules to improve connectivity, according to minutes of a telecom working party seen by Euronews, which suggest levels of investment in the sector remain a source of contention.

The Commission launched a series of discussions in February designed to address problems with connectivity, spectrum and investment, with a view to the adoption of new or updated legislation in the next mandate.

Representatives of national governments aim to land on a common position on a Commission white paper on connectivity by December. Hungary, which is chairing the talks until the end of this year, presented a second draft text earlier this week. 

Member states have been sceptical of the proposals and questioned their necessity.

Despite work by the Hungarians on a compromise text, some issues remain unresolved, including the question whether consolidation of national markets will lead to more investment, and countries including Romania and Portugal have suggested removing this passage from the proposal. 

The Dutch delegation suggested keeping a legal framework that will allow national supervisors to intervene in domestic telecom markets on the basis of their local regulation, and this was supported by Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Malta and Sweden. 

France, Greece and Luxembourg have also questioned the implications of the proposed introduction of investments in sustainable communication networks.

The Commission white paper suggested that the future of digital infrastructure needs to be reassessed. This paves the way for a new telecom law for the next mandate: the Digital Networks Act (DNA), set to be published early 2025.

The executive wants to address problems with