Spanje hoopt dat een bijeenkomst van de Europese Raad van Ministers op 18, 19 and 20 april met een nieuwe richtlijn voor de toekomst van telecommunicatie in de EU komt (en)

European Union telecommunications ministers will meet in Granada on 18, 19 and 20 April with the goal of approving a strategy in consensus with the European Commission for the digital agenda for the next five years.

According to the Spain's Secretary of State for Telecommunications, Francisco Ros, the new strategy's objective is for "Europe to maintain its predominance in areas where it is a leader, and to make progress in those where it is not”, in terms of information technologies.

The “Spanish Proposal for a Digital Europe” establishes five main action areas: infrastructure; advanced Internet usage; the European charter of users' rights; the development of digital services and content, and the strengthening of the information technology sector. The intention is to seek the development of next-generation networks, as well as ways of encouraging the necessary investment by private operators.

The Spanish Presidency believes that Europe should provide itself with a "proper" infrastructure network, involving significant investment which will largely be carried out by the network providers themselves, according to Ros.

According to the Secretary of State, the development of new telecommunications networks and services can be promoted by public authorities through actions such as allocating new frequencies to private network providers.

In areas not reached by private investment due to low population or difficult terrain, public money should be invested or paid "in kind", said Ros.

“This public contribution could be made either directly or indirectly by means of the spectrum. In competitions for spectrum allocation, economic contributions will be valued along with coverage commitments made by providers”.

The proposal has been distributed to the other governments of the EU and will be debated in Granada to incorporate new points of view, with the consensus of the European Commission, so as to form a basis for the formal Council to be held in Brussels on 31 May.

Google Tax

Furthermore, the Secretary of State insisted that during the meeting, Spain will not propose regulatory measures for search engines to pay providers, the so-called "Google tax".

According to Ros, in a fast-moving sector like telecommunications, it is a mistake to attempt to establish detailed regulations in advance (ex-ante).

“We should opt for future (ex-post) regulation, and leave room for the providers to reach the proper trade balances”, whilst remaining vigilant to prevent abusive practices, said Ros.

The guidelines established in Granada will serve as a basis for the strategy of the next five years, which will be reflected in the “Europe 2020” strategy, and which will also be a continuation of the Lisbon Declaration which expires this year.