A new authority emerging out of harmonization needs: Is BEREC the right solution for European eCommunications market?

Özet: Avrupa Topluluğu'nun kurulmasından bu yana elektronik haberleşme Tek Pazarı'nın oluşturulması yüksek politika öncelikleri arasında yer almıştır. AB Komisyonu, belirli teknolojik gelişmeler ve 'daha iyi regülasyon' ilkesini benimsemenin yanında ileri düzeydeki rekabetin bir sonucu olarak-, AB kurallarının uygulanmasında tutarlılığın olmaması ve iç pazardaki düzenleyici parçalılık başta olmak üzere çözüm bekleyen bazı önemli sorunlara ışık tutmak amacıyla 2002 Düzenleyici Çerçevesini gözden geçirmiştir. Muhtelif sebeplerle Birlik, uyumlaştırılmış bir elektronik haberleşme pazarının oluşturulmasında, temelde farklı üye ülkelerdeki farklı uygulamalardan kaynaklanan nedenlerle çok başarılı olamamıştır. Kurum, anlaşıldığı üzere, pazar düzenlemelerine ilişkin konularda Komisyona danışmanlık rolünü haiz olup, bağlayıcı olmayan kararlar, tavsiyeler ile belirli hallerde, ulusal düzenleyici otoriteler arasında iyi uygulamaların yayılması ve desteklenmesi amacıyla bağlayıcı kararlar tesis edebilmektedir. Bununla birlikte, BEREC'm yetkisi ve ulusal düzenleyici otoritelerin yaklaşımlarında ve/veya uygulamalarında tutarlılığın sağlanmasına ilişkin yeterliliği konusunda bir takım tereddütler mevcuttur. Dolayısıyla, Komisyon, bu engelleri aşmak amacıyla nihai olarak; düzenleyici otoriteler ve Komisyon ile yakın işbirliği içerisinde çalışmak üzere görevlendirilen Elektronik Haberleşme için Avrupa Düzenleyiciler Kurumunun (BEREC) kurulmasına karar vermiştir. Bu çalışmada, BEREC 'in kurulmasının uyumlaştırılmış elektronik haberleşme pazarı ve AB kurallarının uygulanmasındaki tutarsızlığın giderilmesi hedefleri için doğru bir çözüm olup olmadığı tartışılmaktadır.

Uyumlaştırma İhtiyaçları Neticesinde Ortaya Çıkan Yeni Bir Kurum: Avrupa Elektronik Haberleşme Pazarı için BEREC Doğru Bir Çözüm mü?

Abstract: Since the establishment of the European Community, creating an effective eCommunications single market has been a matter of highest political priority. As a result of certain technological development and enhanced competition as well as keeping with the principle of 'better regulation needs, the EU Commission has reviewed 2002 Regulatory Framework which preliminarily aimed at shedding light on a number of important problems that remain to be solved, in particular the lack of consistency in the application of EU rules and the regulatory fragmentation of the internal market. However, due to several reasons, the European Union (EU) has not become so successful in constituting such a harmonized eCommunications market mainly stemming from different applications applied in different member states. To overcome these obstacles, the Commission is therefore, in the end decided to establish a new Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) which has the responsibility to work in close cooperation with National Regulatory Agencies (NRAs) and the Commission. It is understood that the Authority has an advisory role vis-â-vis the Commission as regards market regulation issues and could issue non-binding guidelines, recommendations and binding decisions in specific circumstances to promote and disseminate good practices among the NRAs. However, there are also some hesitations about the power of BEREC and its capability with regard to ensure consistency of NRAs' approaches and/or implementations. In this paper, it is discussed as to whether the creation of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) is the right solution for the intended results of a harmonized eCommunications market and elimination of inconsistency in the application of EU rules.

___

  • Andriessen, J. H. Erik and Robert, Roe A. (ed.), Telematics and Work, (Sussex-. Hove Publications, 1994).
  • Burkert, Herbert The Post-Deregulatory Landscape in International Telecommunications Law: A Unique European Union Approach' Brooklyn Journal of International Law, XXVII: 3, 2002, p. 739-816.
  • Cave, Martin E.- Majumdar, Sumit K. and Vogelsang, Ingo, Handbook of Telecommunications Economics, Volume 1, (Amsterdam: NH Elsevier Science B.V., 2002).
  • Directive 2009/140/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 amending Directives 2002/21/EC on a common regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services, 2002/19/EC on access to, and interconnection of, electronic communications networks and associated facilities, and 2002/20/EC on the authorisation of electronic communications networks and services ("Better Regulation Directive"), 18.12.2009, OJ L 337/37, Recital 27, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do? uri=OJ:L:2009:337:0037:0069:EN :PDF, (accessed: 16.09.2010).
  • Directive 2009/136/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 amending Directive 2002/22/EC on universal service and users' rights relating to electronic communications networks and services, Directive 2002/58/EC concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector and Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 on cooperation between national authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection laws, ("Citizens' Rights Directive"), 18.12.2009, OJ L 337/11, http;//eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUri Serv/LexUriServ.do?uri =C>J:L:2009:337:0011:0036 :En:PDF, (accessed 16.09.2010).
  • Directive 2002/21/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on a common regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services ("Framework Directive"), OJ 24.4.2002, L 108/33, http://www.europa.eu.int/inf ormation_society/topics/telecoms/regulatory/new_rf/index_en.htm#reg, (accessed 16.09.2010).
  • Directive 2002/21/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on a common regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services ("Framework Directive"), OJ 24.4.2002, L 108/33, http://eur-lex.europa .eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ :L: 2002:108:0033:0050: EN: PDF, (accessed 16.09.2010).
  • European Commission, Recommendation of 11/02/2003 on Relevant Product and Service Markets within the eCommunications Sector Susceptible to ex ante Regulation, http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/topics/telecoms/regulatory/maindocs/docum ents/recomen.pdf, (accessed: 16.09.2010).
  • European Commission, Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the Review of the EU Regulatory Framework for Electronic Communications Networks and Services, Brussels, 29.6.2006, COM(2006) 334 final, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/ com/2006/com2006_0334en01.pdf, (accessed: 16.09.2010).
  • European Commission, "Growth, Competitiveness, Employment: The Challenges and Ways Forward into the 21st Century' White Paper COM(93) 700, December 1993.
  • European Commission, Impact Assessment (IA), COM(2006) 334 Final, SEC(2006) 817, Brussels, 28.06.2006,
  • http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/ecomm/doc/info_centre/ public_consult/review/impactassessment_final.pdf, (accessed: 16.09.2010).
  • European Commission, Staff Working Document, COM(2006) 334 Final, SEQ2006) 816, Brussels, 28.06.2006, http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/ecomm/doc/info _centre/public_consult/review/staffworkingdocument_final.pdf, (accessed 16.09.2010).
  • Forrester 1. S., Ian S. and Keegan S. Sandra., "The Tension between Regulation and Competitive Market Forces In Europe', Tulane European and Civil Law Forum, Vol. 21, No. 125, 2006, p. 125-145.
  • Marcus, J. Scott "The Potential Relevance to the United States of the European Union's Newly Adopted Regulatory Framework for Telecommunications', journal on Telecommunications & High Technology Law, Vol. 2, Issue 1, Fall 2003, http://www.jthtl.org/content/ articles/V2Il/JTHTLv2il_Marcus.PDF, (accessed: 16.09. 2010), p. 111-140.
  • Regulation (EC) No 1211/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 establishing the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) and the Office, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriS erv.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:337:0001:0010:EN:PDF, (accessed: 16.09.2010).
  • Selvadurai, Niloufer 'The Regulation of the Information Society in The European Union', Computer and Telecommunications haw Review, Vol. 10, No. 4, 2004, p. 130-136.
  • Web Sites (accessed 16.09.2010):
  • http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/ecomm/doc/info_centre/public_consult/re view/impactassessment_final.pdf
  • http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/ecomm/tomorrow/index_en.htm
  • http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/ecomm/library/ext_studies/index_en.htm #2006
  • http://erg.eu.int
  • http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/ecomm/library/public_consult/past/index en.htm#review.