The EU telecoms regulator Berec has called on the European Commission to take action to ensure the independence of national telecoms regulators. The official statement from Berec, repeating a similar call last made in 2012, follows national governments in some countries intervening in the work of regulators, particularly when it comes to auctioning 5G spectrum.
The EU's new telecoms code, which must be implemented in national laws by the end of this year, confirms and strengthens the independence of the national regulatory authorities that enforce EU law. While the national regulators remain accountable to elected officials and courts, their work is expected to take place without political interference, in order to ensure predictable market conditions, fair competition and optimum outcomes for consumers.
Despite the new measures, Berec said it "observes with concern" certain actions taken by some EU states that could hamper the national regulators' independence and autonomy. It called on the European Commission to "proactively guard against any action and/or omission that undermines the ability of independent NRAs to perform their regulatory tasks effectively, as prescribed by EU Law".
Berec did not name any specific countries or actions that raised concern and prompted the statement. Most recently, the Commission sent questions to Slovakia about its sudden decision to cancel a 5G auction and to Poland about its abrupt replacement of the head of the national regulator UKE. The Czech government has also faced questions about the re-writing of conditions for the 5G auction there.
