Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-05-23-Speech-3-018"
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"en.20070523.3.3-018"2
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".
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the proposal for a regulation on roaming charges is a subject in which citizens take a keen interest, and therefore requires us to ensure the best possible protection without ignoring the needs of industry. We can however note with satisfaction that we have witnessed all the political groups taking responsibility for this, which will certainly not have been what European users were expecting. This is a regulation that will bring Europe still closer to its citizens.
Following long negotiations, particularly with the Council and the Commission, to enable us to reach an agreement at first reading, the compromise solution formally reached only on Monday evening can please everyone, even if more could clearly be done. It would clearly have been possible to reach an agreement on figures closer to consumers’ expectations, as confirmed, moreover, by the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, if only the Member States had not opted initially for much higher charges more favourable to operators. The compromise is valid, however, setting maximum charges for the retail market of 49 cents for outgoing calls and 24 cents for incoming calls; in other words representing a cut of around 50% compared to the standard charges.
I believe we have found a successful solution in providing for the protective charges or ‘Eurotariff’ to be applied automatically to all users three months after the entry into force of the regulation, leaving users free to choose tariffs that they may think are better for them. In the future this will prevent users travelling abroad on business or on holiday from becoming victims of unfair charges, as is unfortunately the case today.
The compromise will still leave a profit margin for operators, who may nonetheless benefit from increased mobile telephone use in the future. In the interests of greater transparency, I consider the requirement for operators to inform users by providing personalised information on their tariff plans to be an achievement. I am somewhat less convinced by the gradual reduction of tariffs spread over three years, although this is understandable in a spirit of compromise. Perhaps a more diligent market would have cut prices further than this regulation can do over three years. It is equally true, however, that where the market has failed through a lack of transparency about excessive prices and a presumed abuse of power, regulation of both wholesale and retail is not only desirable but absolutely necessary."@en1
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