On 10 December 2019, at the occasion of the ecta Regulatory Conference, CEOs of ecta members met with Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager in charge of ‘A Europe fit for the Digital Age’ and Commissioner for Competition. The delegation included: Mr Carl Grivner, CEO Colt Technology Services; Dr Peter Grüter, CFO Fastweb; Mr Jean-Marc Harion, CEO Play; Mr Maxime Lombardini, Chairman of the Board Iliad; Mr Jan Oetjen, CEO, 1&1 Mail & Media Applications SE; Mr Meinrad Spenger, CEO Grupo MásMóvil; Mr Richard Viel, CEO, Bouygues Telecom as well as Mr Emmanuel Forest, ecta Chairman and Mr Luc Hindryckx, ecta Director General.

Time to rethink ePrivacy

Brussels, 8 October 2019. The draft ePrivacy Regulation was proposed in January 2017 and remains on the agenda of the Council of the EU following two and a half years of intense discussions.

Progress on the file has, however, been limited. While the Council has considered ways to improve the text, too many important questions remain unaddressed and amendments continue to create more confusion than clarity.

Brussels, 5 June 2019: ASTEL (La Asociación de Empresas Operadoras y de Servicios de Telecomunicaciones - The Association of Telecommunication Operators and Service Providers) the Spanish association gathering alternative electronic communication providers joins ecta as Affiliate Member.

Brussels, 3 April 2019. As Europe prepares to elect a new European Parliament and appoint new Commissioners, the European Automotive and Telecoms Alliance (EATA) urges policy makers to step up efforts in order to ensure that the EU takes the global lead in connected and automated mobility.

Brussels, 14 February 2019. Today, ecta’s Board of Directors elected Emmanuel Forest, Executive Vice-President European and Institutional Affairs, Bouygues Group as new Chairman of the Board.

Emmanuel Forest succeeds Gijs Phoelich who served as Chairman for the last three years.

Brussels, 04 December 2018. Today, the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council approved a new legislative framework for the telecommunications sector in the EU.  ecta, representing the widest range of competitive telecommunications operators, welcomes the vote and calls on Members States to take the fullest possible account of pro-competitive options under the Code when licensing 5G spectrum during the transition to full implementation of the new rules into national law.

Brussels, 28 November 2018

Ahead of the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council meeting of 4 December, businesses from across all sectors of the European economy would like to reiterate their concern about the proposal for an ePrivacy Regulation. Despite ongoing negotiations in the Council, the text remains far from addressing the many substantive issues that have been raised since the proposal was first put forward. We therefore urge Member States to signal clearly that negotiations with the European Parliament should not be rushed on the basis of a flawed text, which would have profound repercussions for the European economy.

Strasbourg 14 November 2018. Today, the European Parliament voted in favour of a new legislative framework for the telecommunications sector in the EU. ecta, representing the widest range of competitive telecommunications operators, welcomed the vote, stressing that pro-competitive implementation of the new rules will decide whether the EU Gigabit vision can become reality.

Berlin / Brussels, 12 September 2018. On the occasion of the annual German Gigabit symposium, ecta supports leading German associations in sending a strong message to politicians and the administration to create the right conditions for advancing Gigabit connectivity and to highlight the need for a strong competitive underpinning.

Brussels, 26 July 2018.  In a judgment delivered yesterday, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) rejects on all counts Orange's appeal to overturn the General Court's confirmation of abuses committed by it Polish subsidiary, or to reduce the fine imposed. ecta, having intervened at both stages of the proceedings, welcomes this judgment, notably for rejecting Orange`s attempt to have its investments recognised as mitigating circumstances in fine-setting.
Case reference: C-123/16 P Orange Polska v Commission, judgment of 25.7.2018, ECLI:EU:C:2018:590.