PURPOSE: to establish the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) and the BEREC Support Agency (BEREC Office) as part of the telecommunications reform to promote better and faster connectivity in Europe.
LEGISLATIVE ACT: Regulation (EU) 2018/1971 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) and the Agency for Support for BEREC (BEREC Office), amending Regulation (EU) 2015/2120 and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1211/2009.
CONTENT: the Regulation establishes the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) and the BEREC Support Agency (BEREC Office) and defines the appropriate tasks and organisational structure for each of them:
- BEREC shall be composed of the Board of Regulators composed of one member from each Member State and the working groups set up by the Board of Regulators, which will be open to the participation of experts from the Commission;
- the BEREC Office shall be a body of the Union, with legal personality. It shall be represented by its Director, assume sole responsibility for the tasks assigned to it and the powers conferred on it. Its headquarters shall be in Riga, Latvia.
Tasks of BEREC and the BEREC Office
In accordance with its new mandate, BEREC shall play an important role in helping EU countries to deploy very high capacity networks and would contribute to the smooth application of the regulatory measures provided for in the European Electronic Communications Code, which defines a significant number of new tasks for BEREC, such as the publication of guidelines on various topics, the preparation of reports on technical issues, the maintenance of registers, lists or databases, and the preparation of opinions on internal market procedures for draft national measures relating to market regulation.
BEREC shall carry out its tasks independently, impartially, transparently and in a timely manner, and shall draw on the expertise available within national regulatory authorities (NRAs). It shall also serve as a body for reflection, debate and advice for the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission in the field of electronic communications.
The BEREC Office shall provide all necessary professional and administrative support for the work of BEREC, including financial, organisational and logistical support, and contribute to the regulatory work of BEREC. It shall need to be adequately staffed to carry out its tasks.
Maximum price limit for international calls within the EU
The BEREC Regulation also contains provisions for cheaper intra-EU calls. The new rules cap the price of calls between EU countries at a maximum of 19 euro cents for fixed and mobile calls (intra-EU calls). They also limit SMS messages to a maximum of 6 cents.
The beneficiaries shall be consumers, as companies usually negotiate their tariffs with operators. As with roaming, derogations are possible in exceptional circumstances. The new ceilings shall apply from 15 May 2019.
Member States shall have to determine the rules on penalties applicable to infringements of these provisions and take all necessary measures to ensure their implementation.
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 20.12.2018.