EU Commission vicePresident Kroes to EuroFora: Unify EU Telecom Markets to reap EU Digital Potential
*Brussels/EU Council/Angelo Marcopolo/- Defragmentation of EU's 27 Telecom Markets by clearly establishing one Single Phone Market, would boost a Huge Growth and Jobs' Potential in the Digital Agenda, replied in substance the experienced EU Commission's vice-President Neelie Kroes to a relevant "EuroFora"s Question.
Thereby, she almost confirmed an earlier question/reply encounter between "EuroFora" and EU Commission's vice-President for Competition, Joachin Almunia, last week at EU Parliament in Strasbourg, on the similar issue of the possibility of Mergers between EU Telephone Companies for the creation of Strong New EU Players in the Global Competition, on which Almunia stressed, in reply to our question, the current "need to build a Single European Market for Telephone",
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- Pointing at the "Huge Potential of the Digital Market", highlighted earlier by Kroes, "EuroFora" asked her if she agrees with what was recently said by her collegue, EU Commission's vice-President for Competition, Joaquin Almunia, in reply to one of our questions, previously at EU Parliament in Strasbourg, that the Fragmentation of Telecom Markets in the EU, which hinders also the dreams that some had some time ago to unite (merge) the big (EU) Telephone Companies, should be overcome soon, in order to benefit frrom the full Potential of the Digital Market, that she had just highlighted, (on the occasion of a Ministerial meeting concluding Cyprus' rotating EU Chairmanchip), and also for the EU to become more competitive in the World market.
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- "Fascinating Question ! Thank you for that !", started to positively reply to "EuroFora" the experienced EU Commission's vice-President, with a friendly smile.
- "We've never met before on that, so, I didn't do it, (i.e.) this question wasn't asked from my side", she joked, obviously glad that a long-time EU Journalist, and simple EU Citizen from Strasbourg, after crossing by train Luxembourg, was brandishing his Mobile Phone in Brussels, and asked why he couldn't simply use one and same supplier, with one price, while traveling accross these 3 interlinked Top EU Cities..
- "You touched upon the Issues where we (EU) should be much more aware of the fact that there is a Single Market, and the (EU) Commission and the Council are struggling hard to fill in the Digital Market, (because) we still have there some hurdles, so to say, in a diplomatic way",... Kroes denounced.
- "But, indeed, much more can be done, when you are looking at Spectrum, at TelePhone, Operational issues, (etc)., then, there shouldn't be hurdles, of ringfences around National Markets.
>>> - "And that's (i.e. EU's Telecom Markets united) one of the Ideals, one of the Dreams on which we (EU) still have to work on", she stressed.
- "So, not everything can be done in one (EU Council's rotating) Presidency of Cyprus", she smiled, "but I can ensure you that we (EU) have to think to that", (i.e. to End the Fragmentation of EU TelePhone Markets in 27).
>>> - Also because "that could make a lot of Difference in terms of Economic Growth and Jobs", the experienced EU Commission's vice-President pointed out.
- Moreover, "this is the area where we (EU) could deliver, and (therefore) you can be certain that we are pushing", Kroes promissed in conclusion to her Reply to "EuroFora"s Question for the Future.
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- Considering "the Worldwide Competition which exists today between various big Phone Companies, both in Equipments and/or on Networks, some time ago, there were projects to unite big EU Telecom Companies, and, if we could dream, as it has already happened in the USA, etc., f.ex. that Telefonica (Spanish), Orange (French), Deutsche Telecom (Germany), and/or others, might come together in the Future, then, what would be the situation, from your point of view, (i.e. that of Competition) ? Would it be feasible, would it face problems, or, on the contrary, be Facilitated ?", "EuroFora" had asked Almunia last week in Strasbourg's EU Parliament's plenary.
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- "On the Mobile Telecommunications Market, we have in Europe big Operators, and the 4 Biggest have together a 80% of the total users/customers of Mobile Phones in Europe. So, the degree of Concentration, looking from this EU perspective, is not very differend from the one that we have in the US, where there are also 4 main Mobile Operators, From this point of view, the situation is not very different from what prevails in the USA, where there are 4 main Telecom operators, and the American Competition Authority has just given a Negative opinion on a proposed Merger between 2 of them", Almunia noted.
- "But, at any case, here we can't only look at the Number of Big Operators at the Size of EU Market, because, in fact, the Mobile Phone Markets remain National : So, we (EU) have 27 National Markets, so, we have to look Country by Country about whether a proposed Merger affects, or not, Competition conditions (f.ex. today in Austria, etc).
- If we (EU) want to take advantage of our possible Economies of scale, we (EU) need to build a Single European Market for Telephone Operators", the experienced EU Commission's vice-President Almunia had concluded in reply to "EuroFora"s Query.
+ By the way, I'd just love to become able to travel from Strasbourg to Brussels, and vice-versa, without having to change 3 mobile Phone providers, with expensive "roaming" prices, and even some "Cuts" of telecommunications between them, during the trip, (at the Heart of Europe), he added smiling, ad absurdum...
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(NDLR : "DraftNews", as already sent earlier to "EuroFora"s Subscribers/Donors. A more accurate, full Final Version may be published asap).
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Facing a 70% Abstention threat in 2009 Election, EU endorses EuroFora's idea for Citizens' debates on crucial EU decisions !
- Different views on "Europe's Future", should be debated among Citizens at June 2009 EU Elections, thanks to political Parties' "Manifestos", says EU Parliament's Report
A main idea, initiated and promoted by EuroFora's founders since 1997: the vital need to develop European Citizens' democratic right to actively participate in multilingual debates on EU decisions, is formally endorsed by the EU from 2009 !
The move is a key attempt to overcome "catastrophic" Polls which warn that only ...30% of Citizens are ready to vote in the forthcoming June 2009 EU Election ! This was revealed by EU Commission's vice-president, in charge of Communication policy, Margot Wallstrom, during a "hot" meeting of EU Parliament's Committee on Culture and Education, during the December 2008 Strasbourg session.
Wallstrom faced criticism, but also suggestions from various MEPs, naturally worried by Abstention threats which herself found even "worse" than in 1999 or 2004...
A Report on "Active Dialogue with Citizens",examined at the same time, presented some useful practical tips, on "facilitating Interviews"; etc., but also a potentialy important call to "incorporate the conclusions of ...debates...into (EU) policies, and take into consideration the expectations that Citizens have of the EU when deciding". An amendment even implies that Citizens' participation in debates on EU decisions is a democratic "Right".
More importantly, it finds that a Debate "on the Future of Europe", (as French President Nicolas Sarkozy has asked since 2007), would be a good idea " for the 2009 European parliamentary Elections", because "clarifying the political differences between the EU political parties would help citizens to identify themselves with, and choose between various concepts", for which "all parties (should) present their Manifesto".
A "Joint political declaration on Communicating Europe in Partnership", co-signed by "the European Parliament, Council and ... Commission", confirms that they "attach the utmost importance to improving communication on EU issues", by "enabling European citizens to exercise their right to participate in the democratic life of the Union, in which decisions are taken as openly as possible and as closely as possible to the citizens, observing the principles of pluralism, participation, openness and transparency".
This should "enable Citizens to exercise their right to express their views and to participate actively in the public Debate on European Union issues", while also "promoting the respect of multilingualism". In this regard, EU confirms its "wish to develop synergies with national, regional and local authorities as well as with representatives of Civil Society".
It's since 1997 that a group of EuroFora's founders have officially presented a pioneer Project (then called "EIW", for "Europe in the World"), which aimed to develop Strasbourg's "Polyphonic music", by providing "Interactive information", on "main issues ... during the Decision-making process of European Organizations which engage in Transparent and Public Democratic Debates"
This should be done, inter alia, by "exploring the potential of New Communication Tools (mainly Internet)", as well as classic-form debates, the 1997 EIW pioneer project's anounced in its "Synopsis". It was formally "accepted for evaluation" by EU Commission in Brussels in order to be examined for a grant in the framework of the "Research/Technology/Development (RTD) Programme in the field of Information Technologies", then called "ESPRIT", as a "Best Practice Pilot Project".
But the vital, urgent Political need for EU to search new, efficient ways to reach the People and interact with European Citizens, was really felt in Brussels and elsewhere only after the unprecedented in History 1999 and 2004 Majority Abstention in EU Elections, followed by 3 "NO" in Referenda in France, the Netherlands and Ireland, on 2005 and 2008...
In this New Political Landscape, we prepared a new, actualised and more developed version of our initial idea, in a simplified and more efficient form, thanks also to a large Experience accumulated during many years of EU/CoE/UNO Press work and Multi-lingual debates, with the New project "EuroFora" :
On 2006 we presented in Public its main lines during Questions/Replies that we raised at two Press Conferences by EU Commission President, Jose Baroso, and mainly EU Commission's vice-President, in charge of Communication policy, Margot Wallstrom, together with EU Parliament's vice-president, Alejo Vidal-Quadras, in Strasbourg, (Videos available), and we reminded it at various brief contacts with Commissioner Wallstrom in 2007 and 2008.
Meanwhile, a new Text was also presented for "EuroFora" Project mainly to certain Political and other personalities, at European, National or Regional/Local level, mainly in 2007, but also in 2008..
Now, after the unexpected 2008 Irish "NO", and before the 2009 EU Elections, which are due to be of exceptionally crucial importance for Europe's Future, the moment has obviously come to launch that project, progressively, but in real practice.
Whoever really cares for Europe and its Citizens is welcome to join, in one way or another. Only anti-European, anti-democratic, obscure or ignorant groups might oppose or attempt to "steal" and deviate the main idea.
But European Citizens, incited by enlightened political leaders, are those who will finally write the real History.
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