5.5.2009   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CE 103/1

(1)

The functioning of the five directives comprising the existing EU regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services (Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework Directive) (4), Directive 2002/19/EC (Access Directive) (5), Directive 2002/20/EC (Authorisation Directive) (6), Directive 2002/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on universal service and users’ rights relating to electronic communications networks and services (Universal Service Directive) (7), and Directive 2002/58/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 July 2002 concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector (Directive on privacy and electronic communications) (8) (together referred to as ‘the Framework Directive and the Specific Directives’) is subject to periodic review by the Commission, with a view in particular to determining the need for modification in the light of technological and market developments.

(2)

In that regard, the Commission presented its initial findings in its Communication of 29 June 2006 on the review of the EU regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services. On the basis of these initial findings, a public consultation was held, which identified the continued lack of an internal market for electronic communications as the most important aspect needing to be addressed. In particular, regulatory fragmentation and inconsistencies between the activities of the national regulatory authorities were found to jeopardise not only the competitiveness of the sector, but also the substantial consumer benefits from cross-border competition.

(3)

The EU regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services should therefore be reformed in order to complete the internal market for electronic communications by strengthening the Community mechanism for regulating operators with significant market power in the key markets. This is complemented by Regulation (EC) No …/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of … [establishing the Group of European Regulators in Telecoms (GERT)]. The reform also includes the definition of an efficient and coordinated spectrum management strategy in order to achieve a single European information space and the reinforcement of provisions for users with disabilities in order to obtain an inclusive information society.

(4)

The aim is progressively to reduce ex ante sector specific rules as competition in the markets develops and, ultimately, for electronic communications to be governed by competition law only. Considering that the markets for electronic communications have shown strong competitive dynamics in recent years, it is essential that ex ante regulatory obligations should only be imposed where there is no effective and sustainable competition.

(5)

In order to ensure a proportionate and adaptable approach to varying competitive conditions, national regulatory authorities may define markets on a sub-national basis and lift regulatory obligations in markets and/or geographic areas where there is effective infrastructure competition.

(6)

A key issue in the coming years in the achievement of the goals of the Lisbon Agenda will be provision of the conditions for efficient investments in new high-speed networks that will support innovation in content-rich internet services and strengthen the international competitiveness of the European Union. Such networks have enormous potential to deliver benefits to consumers and businesses across the European Union. It is therefore vital to foster sustainable investment in the development of these new networks, while safeguarding competition and boosting consumer choice through regulatory predictability and consistency.

(7)

In order to allow national regulatory authorities to meet the objectives set out in the Framework Directive and the Specific Directives, in particular concerning end-to-end interoperability, the scope of the Framework Directive should be extended to cover certain aspects of radio equipment and telecommunications terminal equipment as defined in Directive 1999/5/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 1999 on radio equipment and telecommunications terminal equipment and the mutual recognition of their conformity (9) and consumer equipment used for digital television, in order to facilitate access for disabled users.

(8)

Certain definitions should be clarified or changed to take account of market and technological developments and to eliminate ambiguities identified in implementing the regulatory framework.

(9)

The independence of the national regulatory authorities should be strengthened in order to ensure a more effective application of the regulatory framework and to increase their authority and the predictability of their decisions. To this end, express provision should be made in national law to ensure that, in the exercise of its tasks, a national regulatory authority responsible for ex ante market regulation or for resolution of disputes between undertakings is protected against external intervention or political pressure liable to jeopardise its independent assessment of matters coming before it. Such outside influence makes a national legislative body unsuited to act as a national regulatory authority under the regulatory framework. For that purpose, rules should be laid down at the outset regarding the grounds for the dismissal of the head of the national regulatory authority in order to remove any reasonable doubt as to the neutrality of that body and its imperviousness to external factors. It is important that national regulatory authorities responsible for ex ante market regulation should have their own budget allowing them, in particular, to recruit a sufficient number of qualified staff. In order to ensure transparency, this budget should be published annually.

(10)

In order to ensure legal certainty for market players, appeal bodies should carry out their functions effectively; in particular, appeals proceedings should not be unduly lengthy.

(11)

There has been a wide divergence in the manner in which appeal bodies have applied interim measures to suspend the decisions of the national regulatory authorities. In order to achieve greater consistency of approach common standards should be applied in line with Community jurisprudence. Appeal bodies should also be entitled to request available information published by GERT. Given the importance of appeals for the overall operation of the regulatory framework, a mechanism should be set up for collecting information on appeals and decisions to suspend decisions taken by the regulatory authorities in all the Member States and for the reporting of that information to the Commission.

(12)

In order to ensure that national regulatory authorities carry out their regulatory tasks in an effective manner, the data which they gather should include accounting data on the retail markets that are associated with wholesale markets where an operator has significant market power and as such are regulated by the national regulatory authority. The data should also include data which enables the national regulatory authority to assess the possible impact of planned upgrades or changes to network topology on the development of competition or on wholesale products made available to other parties.

(13)

The national consultation provided for under Article 6 of the Framework Directive should be conducted prior to the Community consultation provided for under Article 7 of that Directive, in order to allow the views of interested parties to be reflected in the Community consultation. This would also avoid the need for a second Community consultation in the event of changes to a planned measure as a result of the national consultation.

(14)

The discretion of national regulatory authorities needs to be reconciled with the development of consistent regulatory practices and the consistent application of the regulatory framework in order to contribute effectively to the development and completion of the internal market. National regulatory authorities should therefore support the internal market activities of the Commission and those of GERT.

(15)

The Community mechanism allowing the Commission to require national regulatory authorities to withdraw planned measures concerning market definition and the designation of operators having significant market power has contributed significantly to a consistent approach in identifying the circumstances in which ex-ante regulation may be applied and those in which the operators are subject to such regulation. Monitoring of the market by the Commission and, in particular, the experience of the procedure under Article 7 of the Framework Directive, has shown that inconsistencies in the national regulatory authorities’ application of remedies, even under similar market conditions, could undermine the internal market in electronic communications. Therefore the Commission may participate in ensuring a higher level of consistency in the application of remedies by adopting opinions on draft measures proposed by national regulatory authorities. In order to benefit from the expertise of national regulatory authorities on the market analysis, the Commission should consult GERT prior to adoption of its decisions and/or opinion.

(16)

It is important that the regulatory framework is implemented in a timely manner. When the Commission has taken a decision requiring a national regulatory authority to withdraw a planned measure, national regulatory authorities should submit a revised measure to the Commission. A deadline should be laid down for the notification of the revised measure to the Commission under Article 7 of the Framework Directive in order to allow market players to know the duration of the market review and in order to increase legal certainty.

(17)

Having regard to the short time limits in the Community consultation mechanism, powers should be conferred on the Commission to adopt recommendations and/or guidelines to simplify the procedures for exchanging information between the Commission and national regulatory authorities, for example in cases concerning stable markets, or involving only minor changes to previously notified measures. Powers should also be conferred on the Commission in order to allow for the introduction of a notification exemption so as to streamline procedures in certain cases.

(18)

In line with the objectives of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the regulatory framework should ensure that all users, including disabled end-users, the elderly, and users with special social needs, have easy access to affordable high quality services. Declaration 22 annexed to the final Act of Amsterdam provides that the institutions of the Community shall take account of the needs of persons with a disability in drawing up measures under Article 95 of the Treaty.

(19)

Radio frequencies should be considered a scarce public resource that has an important public and market value. It is in the public interest that such a radio spectrum is managed as efficiently and effectively as possible from an economic, social and environmental perspective, taking into account the objectives of cultural diversity and of media pluralism, and that obstacles to its efficient use are gradually withdrawn.

(20)

Before a specific harmonisation measure under Decision No 676/2002/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on a regulatory framework for radio spectrum policy in the European Community (Radio Spectrum Decision) (10) is proposed, the Commission should carry out an impact assessments on the costs and benefits of the proposed measure, such as the realisation of economies of scale and the interoperability of services for the benefit of consumers, the impact on efficiency of spectrum use, or the demand for harmonised use in the different parts of the European Union.

(21)

Although spectrum management remains within the competence of the Member States, coordination and, where appropriate, harmonisation at Community level can help ensure that spectrum users derive the full benefits of the internal market and that EU interests can be effectively defended globally.

(22)

The spectrum management provisions of this Directive should be consistent with the work of international and regional organisations dealing with radio spectrum management, such as the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT), so as to ensure the efficient management of and harmonisation of the use of spectrum across the Community and globally.

(23)

Radio frequencies should be managed so as to ensure that harmful interference is avoided. This basic concept of harmful interference should therefore be properly defined to ensure that regulatory intervention is limited to the extent necessary to prevent such interference.

(24)

The current spectrum management and distribution system is generally based on administrative decisions that are insufficiently flexible to cope with technological and economic evolution, in particular with the rapid development of wireless technology and the increasing demand for bandwidth. The undue fragmentation amongst national policies results in increased costs and lost market opportunities for spectrum users, and slows down innovation, to the detriment of the internal market, consumers and the economy as a whole. Moreover, the conditions for access to, and use of, radio frequencies may vary according to the type of operator, while electronic services provided by these operators increasingly overlap, thereby creating tensions between rights holders, discrepancies in the cost of access to spectrum, and potential distortions in the functioning of the internal market.

(25)

National borders are increasingly irrelevant in determining optimal radio spectrum use. Fragmentation of the management of access to spectrum rights limits investment and innovation and does not allow operators and equipment manufacturers to realise economies of scale, thereby hindering the development of an internal market for electronic communications networks and services using radio spectrum.

(26)

Flexibility in spectrum management and access to spectrum should be increased through technology and service-neutral authorisations to allow spectrum users to choose the best technologies and services to apply in frequency bands available to electronic communications services as identified in national frequency allocation tables and in the ITU Radio Regulations (the ‘principles of technology and service neutrality’). The administrative determination of technologies and services should apply when general interest objectives are at stake and should be clearly justified and subject to regular periodic review.

(27)

Restrictions on the principle of technology neutrality should be appropriate and justified by the need to avoid harmful interference, for example by imposing emission masks and power levels, to ensure the protection of public health by limiting public exposure to electromagnetic fields, to ensure the proper functioning of services through an adequate level of technical quality of service, while not necessarily precluding the possibility of using more than one service in the same frequency band, to ensure proper sharing of spectrum, in particular where its use is only subject to general authorisations, to safeguard efficient use of spectrum, or to fulfil a general interest objective in conformity with Community law.

(28)

Spectrum users should also be able to freely choose the services they wish to offer over the spectrum subject to transitional measures to cope with previously acquired rights. Exceptions should be allowed to the principle of service neutrality which require the provision of a specific service to meet clearly defined general interest objectives such as safety of life, the need to promote social, regional and territorial cohesion, or the avoidance of the inefficient use of spectrum to be permitted where necessary and proportionate. Those objectives should include the promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity and media pluralism as defined by Member States in conformity with Community law. Except where necessary to protect safety of life or to fulfil other general interest objectives, exceptions should not result in certain services having exclusive use, but should rather grant them priority so that, insofar as possible, other services or technologies may coexist in the same band.

(29)

It lies within the competence of the Member States to define the scope and nature of any exception regarding the promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity and media pluralism.

(30)

As the allocation of spectrum to specific technologies or services is an exception to the principles of technology and service neutrality and reduces the freedom to choose the service provided or technology used, any proposal for such allocation should be transparent and subject to public consultation.

(31)

In the interests of flexibility and efficiency, national regulatory authorities may allow spectrum users freely to transfer or lease their usage rights to third parties. This would allow spectrum valuation by the market. In view of their power to ensure effective use of spectrum, national regulatory authorities should take action so as to ensure that trading does not lead to a distortion of competition where spectrum is left unused.

(32)

The introduction of technology and service neutrality and trading for existing spectrum usage rights may require transitional rules, including measures to ensure fair competition, as the new system may entitle certain spectrum users to start competing with spectrum users having acquired their spectrum rights under more burdensome terms and conditions.

(33)

In order to promote the functioning of the internal market and to support the development of cross-border services, the Commission should be given the power to adopt technical implementing measures in the field of numbering.

(34)

Permits issued to undertakings providing electronic communications networks and services allowing them to gain access to public or private property are essential factors for the establishment of electronic communications networks or new network elements. Unnecessary complexity and delay in the procedures for granting rights of way may therefore represent important obstacles to the development of competition. Consequently, the acquisition of rights of way by authorised undertakings should be simplified. National regulatory authorities should be able to coordinate the acquisition of rights of way, making relevant information accessible on their websites.

(35)

It is necessary to strengthen the powers of the Member States as regards holders of rights of way to ensure the entry or roll-out of a new network in a fair, efficient and environmentally responsible way and independently of any obligation on an operator with significant market power to grant access to its electronic communications network. Improving facility sharing can significantly improve competition and lower the overall financial and environmental cost of deploying electronic communications infrastructure for undertakings, particularly of new access networks. National regulatory authorities should be empowered to require that the holders of the rights to install facilities on, over or under public or private property share such facilities or property (including physical co-location) in order to encourage efficient investment in infrastructure and the promotion of innovation, after an appropriate period of public consultation, during which all interested parties should be given the opportunity to state their views. Such sharing or coordination arrangements may include rules for apportioning the costs of the facility or property sharing and should ensure that there is an appropriate reward of risk for the undertakings concerned. National regulatory authorities should in particular be able to impose the sharing of network elements and associated facilities, such as ducts, conduits, masts, manholes, cabinets, antennae, towers and other supporting constructions, buildings or entries into buildings, and a better coordination of civil works. The competent authorities, particularly local authorities, should also establish appropriate coordination procedures, in cooperation with national regulatory authorities, with respect to public works and other appropriate public facilities or property which may include procedures that ensure that interested parties have information concerning appropriate public facilities or property and on-going and planned public works, that they are notified in a timely manner of such works, and that sharing is facilitated to the maximum extent possible.

(36)

Reliable and secure communication of information over electronic communications networks is increasingly central to the whole economy and society in general. System complexity, technical failure or human mistake, accidents or attacks may all have consequences for the functioning and availability of the physical infrastructures that deliver important services to EU citizens, including e-Government services. National regulatory authorities should therefore ensure that the integrity and security of public communications networks are maintained. The European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) (11) should contribute to the enhanced level of security of electronic communications by, among other things, providing expertise and advice, and promoting the exchange of best practices. Both ENISA and the national regulatory authorities should have the necessary means to perform their duties, including powers to obtain sufficient information in order to assess the level of security of networks or services as well as comprehensive and reliable data about actual security incidents that have had a significant impact on the operation of networks or services. Bearing in mind that the successful application of adequate security is not a one-off exercise but a continuous process of implementation, review and updating, the providers of electronic communications networks and services should be required to take measures to safeguard their integrity and security in accordance with the assessed risks, taking into account the state of the art of such measures.

(37)

Where there is a need to agree on a common set of security requirements, power should be conferred on the Commission to adopt technical implementing measures to achieve an adequate level of security of electronic communications networks and services in the internal market. ENISA should contribute to the harmonisation of appropriate technical and organisational security measures by providing expert advice. National regulatory authorities should have the power to issue binding instructions relating to technical implementing measures adopted pursuant to the Framework Directive. In order to perform their duties, they should have the power to investigate cases of non-compliance and to impose penalties.

(38)

In order to provide market players with certainty as to regulatory conditions, a time limit for market reviews is necessary. It is important to conduct a market analysis on a regular basis and within a reasonable and appropriate timeframe. The timeframe should take account of whether the particular market has previously been subject to market analysis and duly notified. Failure by a national regulatory authority to analyse a market within the time limit may jeopardise the internal market, and normal infringement proceedings may not produce their desired effect on time. Alternatively, the national regulatory authority concerned should be able to request the assistance of GERT to complete the market analysis. For instance, this assistance could take the form of a specific task force composed of representatives of other national regulatory authorities.

(39)

Due to the high level of technological innovation and highly dynamic markets in the electronic communications sector, there is a need to adapt regulation rapidly in a coordinated and harmonised way at Community level, as experience has shown that divergence among the national regulatory authorities in the implementation of the EU regulatory framework may create a barrier to the development of the internal market.

(40)

One important task assigned to GERT is to adopt opinions in relation to cross-border disputes where appropriate. National regulatory authorities should therefore take account of any opinions of GERT in such cases.

(41)

Experience in the implementation of the EU regulatory framework indicates that existing provisions empowering national regulatory authorities to impose fines have failed to provide an adequate incentive to comply with regulatory requirements. Adequate enforcement powers can contribute to the timely implementation of the EU regulatory framework and therefore foster regulatory certainty, which is an important driver for investment. The lack of effective powers in the event of non-compliance applies across the regulatory framework. The introduction of a new provision in the Framework Directive to deal with breaches of obligations under the Framework Directive and Specific Directives should therefore ensure the application of consistent and coherent principles to enforcement and penalties for the whole EU regulatory framework.

(42)

The existing EU regulatory framework includes certain provisions to facilitate the transition from the old regulatory framework of 1998 to the new 2002 framework. This transition has been completed in all Member States and these measures should be repealed as they are now redundant.

(43)

Both efficient investment and competition should be encouraged in tandem, in order to increase economic growth, innovation and consumer choice.

(44)

Annex I to the Framework Directive identified the list of markets to be included in the Recommendation on relevant product and service markets which may warrant ex ante regulation. This Annex should be repealed since its purpose of serving as a basis for drawing up the initial version of the Recommendation on Relevant Product and Service Markets (12) has been fulfilled.

(45)

It may not be economically viable for new entrants to duplicate the incumbent's local access network in part or in its entirety within a reasonable period of time. In this context, mandating unbundled access to the local loop or sub-loop of operators enjoying significant market power may facilitate market entry and increase competition in retail broadband access markets. In circumstances where unbundled access to local loop or sub-loop is not technically or economically feasible, relevant obligations for the provision of non-physical or virtual network access offering equivalent functionality may apply.

(46)

The purpose of functional separation, whereby the vertically integrated operator is required to establish operationally separate business entities, is to ensure the provision of fully equivalent access products to all downstream operators, including the operator's own vertically integrated downstream divisions. Functional separation has the capacity to improve competition in several relevant markets by significantly reducing the incentive for discrimination and by making it easier to verify and enforce compliance with non-discrimination obligations. In exceptional cases, functional separation may be justified as a remedy where there has been persistent failure to achieve effective non-discrimination in several of the markets concerned, and where there is little or no prospect of infrastructure competition within a reasonable timeframe after recourse to one or more remedies previously considered to be appropriate. However, it is very important to ensure that its imposition preserves the incentives of the concerned undertaking to invest in its network and that it does not entail any potential negative effects on consumer welfare. Its imposition requires a coordinated analysis of different relevant markets related to the access network, in accordance with the market analysis procedure set out in Article 16 of the Framework Directive. When undertaking the market analysis and designing the details of this remedy, national regulatory authorities should pay particular attention to the products to be managed by the separate business entities, taking into account the extent of network roll-out and the degree of technological progress, which may affect the substitutability of fixed and wireless services. In order to avoid distortions of competition in the internal market, proposals for functional separation should be approved in advance by the Commission.

(47)

The implementation of functional separation should not prevent appropriate coordination mechanisms between the different separate business entities in order to ensure that the economic and management supervision rights of the parent company are protected.

(48)

Continued integration of the internal market for electronic communications networks and services requires better coordination in the application of the ex ante regulation provided for under the EU regulatory framework for electronic communications.

(49)

Where a vertically integrated undertaking chooses to transfer a substantial part or all of its local access network assets to a separate legal entity under different ownership or by establishing a separate business entity for dealing with access products, the national regulatory authority should assess the effect of the intended transaction on all existing regulatory obligations imposed on the vertically integrated operator in order to ensure the compatibility of any new arrangements with Directive 2002/19/EC (Access Directive) and Directive 2002/22/EC (Universal Service Directive). The national regulatory authority concerned should undertake a new analysis of the markets in which the segregated entity operates, and impose, maintain, amend or withdraw obligations accordingly. To this end, the national regulatory authority should be able to request information from the undertaking.

(50)

While it is appropriate in some circumstances for a national regulatory authority to impose obligations on operators that do not have significant market power in order to achieve goals such as end-to-end connectivity or interoperability of services, it is however necessary to ensure that such obligations are imposed in conformity with the EU regulatory framework and, in particular, its notification procedures.

(51)

The Commission should be empowered to adopt implementing measures with a view to adapting the conditions for access to digital television and radio services set out in Annex I to market and technological developments. This is also the case for the minimum list of items in Annex II that must be made public to meet the obligation of transparency.

(52)

Facilitating access to radio frequency resources for market players will contribute to removing the barriers to market entry. Moreover, technological progress is reducing the risk of harmful interference in certain frequency bands and therefore reducing the need for individual rights of use. Conditions for the use of spectrum to provide electronic communication services should therefore normally be laid down in general authorisations unless individual rights are necessary, considering the use of the spectrum, to protect against harmful interference, to ensure technical quality of service, to safeguard efficient use of the spectrum or to meet a specific general interest objective. Decisions on the need for individual rights should be made in a transparent and proportionate manner.

(53)

The introduction of the requirements of service and technology neutrality in granting rights of use, together with the increased possibility to transfer rights between undertakings, should increase the freedom and means to deliver electronic communications services to the public, thereby also facilitating the achievement of general interest objectives. However, certain general interest obligations imposed on broadcasters for the delivery of audiovisual media services may require the use of specific criteria for the granting of rights of use when it appears to be essential to meet a specific general interest objective set out by Member States in conformity with Community law. Procedures associated with the pursuit of general interest objectives should in all circumstances be transparent, objective, proportionate and non-discriminatory.

(54)

Considering its restrictive impact on free access to radio frequencies, the validity of an individual right of use that is not tradable should be limited in time. Where rights of use contain provision for renewing their validity, competent national authorities should first carry out a review, including a public consultation, taking into account market, coverage and technological developments. In view of spectrum scarcity, individual rights granted to undertakings should be regularly reviewed. In carrying out this review, competent national authorities should balance the interests of the rights holders with the need to foster the introduction of spectrum trading as well as the more flexible use of spectrum through general authorisations where possible.

(55)

Competent national authorities should have the power to ensure effective use of spectrum and, where spectrum resources are left unused, to take action to prevent anti-competitive hoarding, which can hinder new market entry.

(56)

National regulatory authorities should be able to take effective action to monitor and secure compliance with the terms and conditions of the general authorisation or of rights of use, including the power to impose effective financial or administrative penalties in the event of breaches of those terms and conditions.

(57)

The conditions that may be attached to authorisations should cover specific conditions governing accessibility for users with disabilities and the need of public authorities to communicate with the general public before, during and after major disasters. In addition, considering the importance of technical innovation, Member States should be able to issue authorisations to use spectrum for experimental purposes, subject to specific restrictions and conditions strictly justified by the experimental nature of such rights.

(58)

Regulation (EC) No 2887/2000 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on unbundled access to the local loop (13) has proved to be effective in the initial stage of market opening. The Framework Directive calls upon the Commission to monitor the transition from the regulatory framework of 1998 to the 2002 framework and to bring forward proposals to repeal that Regulation at an appropriate time. Under the 2002 framework, national regulatory authorities have a duty to analyse the market for wholesale unbundled access to metallic loops and sub-loops for the purpose of providing broadband and voice services as defined in the Recommendation on Relevant Product and Service Markets. Since all Member States have analysed this market at least once and the appropriate obligations based on the 2002 framework are in place, Regulation (EC) No 2887/2000 has become unnecessary and should therefore be repealed.

(59)

Measures necessary for the implementation of the Framework, Access and Authorisation Directives should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission (14).

(60)

In particular, the Commission should be empowered to adopt Recommendations and/or implementing measures in relation to the notifications under Article 7 of the Framework Directive; harmonisation in the fields of spectrum and numbering as well as in matters related to security of networks and services; the identification of the relevant product and service markets; the identification of trans-national markets; the implementation of standards and the harmonised application of the provisions of the regulatory framework. Power should also be conferred on the Commission to adopt implementing measures to update Annexes I and II to the Access Directive to market and technological developments. Since those measures are of general scope and are designed to amend non-essential elements of these Directives, inter alia by supplementing them with new non-essential elements, they must be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny provided for in Article 5a of Decision 1999/468/EC,

1.

Article 1(1) shall be replaced by the following:

‘1.   This Directive establishes a harmonised framework for the regulation of electronic communications services, electronic communications networks, associated facilities and associated services. It lays down tasks of national regulatory authorities and establishes a set of procedures to ensure the harmonised application of the regulatory framework throughout the Community. The framework also includes provisions on certain aspects of terminal equipment to facilitate access for disabled users.’;

2.

Article 2 shall be amended as follows:

3.

Article 3 shall be amended as follows:

4.

Article 4 shall be amended as follows:

5.

Article 5(1) shall be replaced by the following:

‘1.   Member States shall ensure that undertakings providing electronic communications networks and services provide all the information, including financial information, necessary for national regulatory authorities to ensure conformity with the provisions of, or decisions made in accordance with, this Directive and the Specific Directives. In particular, those undertakings may also be required to submit information concerning future network or service developments that could have an impact on the wholesale services that they make available to competitors. Undertakings with significant market power on wholesale markets may also be required to submit accounting data on the retail markets that are associated with those wholesale markets.

Undertakings shall provide such information promptly upon request and in conformity with the timescales and level of detail required by the national regulatory authority. The information requested by the national regulatory authority shall be proportionate to the performance of that task. The national regulatory authority shall give the reasons justifying its request for information and shall treat the information in accordance with paragraph 3.’;

6.

Articles 6 and 7 shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 6

Consultation and transparency mechanism

Except in cases falling within Articles 7(9), 20, or 21, Member States shall ensure that, where national regulatory authorities intend to take measures in accordance with this Directive or the Specific Directives, or where they intend to provide for restrictions in accordance with Article 9(3) and 9(4), which have a significant impact on the relevant market, they give interested parties the opportunity to comment on the draft measure within a reasonable period.

National regulatory authorities shall publish their national consultation procedures.

Member States shall ensure the establishment of a single information point through which all current consultations can be accessed.

The results of the consultation procedure shall be made publicly available by the national regulatory authority, except in the case of confidential information in accordance with Community and national law on business confidentiality.

Article 7

Consolidating the internal market for electronic communications

1.   In carrying out their tasks under this Directive and the Specific Directives, national regulatory authorities shall take the utmost account of the objectives set out in Article 8, including insofar as they relate to the functioning of the internal market.

2.   National regulatory authorities shall contribute to the development of the internal market by cooperating with each other and with the Commission and GERT in a transparent manner so as to ensure the consistent application, in all Member States, of the provisions of this Directive and the Specific Directives. To this end, they shall, in particular, cooperate with the Commission and GERT to identify the types of instruments and remedies best suited to address particular types of situations in the marketplace.

3.   Except where otherwise provided in recommendations or guidelines adopted pursuant to Article 7a upon completion of the consultation referred to in Article 6, where a national regulatory authority intends to take a measure which:

it shall make the draft measure accessible to the Commission, GERT, and the national regulatory authorities in other Member States, together with the reasoning on which the measure is based, in accordance with Article 5(3), and inform the Commission, the GERT and other national regulatory authorities thereof. National regulatory authorities, the GERT and the Commission may make comments to the national regulatory authority concerned only within one month. The one-month period may not be extended.

4.   Where an intended measure covered by paragraph 3 aims at:

and would affect trade between Member States, and the Commission has indicated to the national regulatory authority that it considers that the draft measure would create a barrier to the single market or if it has serious doubts as to its compatibility with Community law and in particular the objectives referred to in Article 8, the draft measure shall not be adopted for a further two months. This period may not be extended. The Commission shall inform other national regulatory authorities of its reservations in such a case.

5.   Within the two-month period referred to in paragraph 4, the Commission may:

The Commission shall take utmost account of the opinion of the GERT before issuing a decision or an opinion under points (a) to (c). A decision or opinion under points (a) and (b) shall be accompanied by a detailed and objective analysis of why the Commission considers that the draft measure should not be adopted, together with specific proposals for amending the draft measure.

6.   Where the Commission has adopted a decision in accordance with paragraph 5(a) requiring the national regulatory authority to withdraw a draft measure, the national regulatory authority shall amend or withdraw the draft measure within six months of the date of the Commission's decision. When the draft measure is amended, the national regulatory authority shall undertake a public consultation in accordance with the procedures referred to in Article 6, and shall re-notify the amended draft measure to the Commission in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 3.

7.   The national regulatory authority concerned shall take the utmost account of comments of other national regulatory authorities, the GERT and the Commission and may, except in cases covered by paragraph 4(a) and (b), adopt the resulting draft measure and, where it does so, shall communicate it to the Commission.

Where the national regulatory authority decides to amend the draft measure according to the opinion issued under paragraph 5(b), it shall, within six months of the date of the Commission's opinion, undertake a public consultation in accordance with the procedures referred to in Article 6 and communicate the amended measure to the Commission.

Where the national regulatory authority decides not to amend the draft measure on the basis of the opinion issued under paragraph 5(b), it shall also publish the reasons justifying its decision and shall communicate those reasons to the Commission within six months of the date of the Commission's opinion.

8.   The national regulatory authority shall communicate to the Commission and the GERT all final measures which fall under Article 7(3)(a) and (b).

9.   In exceptional circumstances, where a national regulatory authority considers that there is an urgent need to act, in order to safeguard competition and protect the interests of users, by way of derogation from the procedure set out in paragraphs 3 and 4, it may immediately adopt proportionate and provisional measures. It shall, without delay, communicate those measures, with full reasons, to the Commission, the other national regulatory authority, and GERT. A decision by the national regulatory authority to render such measures permanent or extend the time for which they are applicable shall be subject to the provisions of paragraphs 3 and 4.’;

7.

the following Article shall be inserted:

‘Article 7a

Notifications

1.   After public consultation and consultation with national regulatory authorities and taking utmost account of the opinion of GERT, the Commission may adopt recommendations and/or guidelines in relation to Article 7 that define the form, content and level of detail to be given in the notifications required in accordance with Article 7(3), the circumstances in which notifications would not be required, and the calculation of the time limits.

2.   The measures referred to in paragraph 1 shall be adopted in accordance with the advisory procedure referred to in Article 22(2).’;

8.

Article 8 shall be amended as follows:

9.

the following Article shall be inserted:

‘Article 8a

Strategic planning and coordination of radio spectrum policy in the European Union

1.   Member States shall cooperate with each other and with the Commission in the strategic planning, coordination and harmonisation of the use of radio spectrum in the European Union. To this end, they shall take into consideration, inter alia, the economic, safety, health, public interest, freedom of expression, cultural, scientific, social and technical aspects of EU policies as well as the various interests of radio spectrum user communities with the aim of optimising the use of radio spectrum and avoiding harmful interference.

2.   Member States shall promote the coordination of radio spectrum policy approaches in the European Union and, where appropriate, harmonised conditions with regard to the availability and efficient use of radio spectrum necessary for the establishment and functioning of the internal market in electronic communications.

3.   Member States shall promote the effective coordination of the EU interests in international organisations competent in radio spectrum matters. Whenever necessary for promoting this effective coordination, the Commission, taking utmost account of the opinion of the Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) established by Commission Decision 622/2002/EC of 26 July 2002 establishing a Radio Spectrum Policy Group (17), may propose common policy objectives to the European Parliament and the Council.

4.   The Commission, taking utmost account of the opinion of the RSPG, may submit legislative proposals for establishing multiannual radio spectrum policy programmes.

10.

Article 9 shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 9

Management of radio frequencies for electronic communications services

1.   Taking due account of the fact that radio frequencies are a public good that has an important social, cultural and economic value, Member States shall ensure the effective management of radio frequencies for electronic communication services in their territory in accordance with Article 8. They shall ensure that spectrum allocation used for electronic communications services and issuing general authorisations or individual rights of use of such radio frequencies by competent national authorities are based on objective, transparent, non-discriminatory and proportionate criteria. In doing so, they shall respect relevant international agreements and may take public policy considerations into account.

2.   Member States shall promote the harmonisation of the use of radio frequencies across the Community, consistent with the need to ensure effective and efficient use thereof and in pursuit of benefits for the consumer such as economies of scale and interoperability of services. In so doing, they shall act in accordance with Decision No 676/2002/EC (Radio Spectrum Decision).

3.   Unless otherwise provided in the second subparagraph, Member States shall ensure that all types of technology used for electronic communications services may be used in the radio frequency bands, available for electronic communications services in accordance with their National Frequency Allocation Plan and the ITU Radio Regulations.

Member States may, however, provide for proportionate and non-discriminatory restrictions to the types of radio network or wireless access technology used for electronic communications services where this is necessary to:

4.   Unless otherwise provided for in the second subparagraph, Member States shall ensure that all types of electronic communications services may be provided in the radio frequency bands, available for electronic communications services in accordance with their National Frequency Allocation Plan and the ITU Radio Regulations. Member States may, however, provide for proportionate and non-discriminatory restrictions to the types of electronic communications services to be provided.

Measures that require an electronic communications service to be provided in a specific band available for electronic communications services shall be justified in order to ensure the fulfilment of a general interest objective as defined by Member States in conformity with Community law, such as, and not limited to:

A measure which prohibits the provision of any other electronic communications service in a specific band may only be provided for where justified by the need to protect safety of life services. Member States may also extend such a measure in order to fulfil other general interest objectives.

5.   Member States shall regularly review the necessity of the restrictions referred to in paragraphs 3 and 4, and shall make the results of these reviews public.

6.   Paragraphs 3 and 4 shall apply to spectrum allocated to be used for electronic communications services, general authorisations issued and individual rights of use of radio frequencies granted after … (18).

Spectrum allocations, general authorisations and individual rights of use which existed by … (18) shall be subject to Article 9a.

7.   Without prejudice to the provisions of the Specific Directives and taking into account the relevant national circumstances, Member States may lay down rules in order to prevent spectrum hoarding, in particular by setting out strict deadlines for the effective exploitation of the rights of use by the holder of the rights and by applying penalties, including financial penalties or the withdrawal of the rights of use in case of non-compliance with the deadlines. These rules shall be established and applied in a proportionate, non-discriminatory and transparent manner.’;

11.

The following Articles shall be inserted:

‘Article 9a

Review of restrictions on existing rights

1.   For a period of five years starting from … (18), Member States shall ensure that holders of rights to use radio frequencies which were granted before that date and which will remain valid for a period of not less that five years after that date, may submit an application to the competent national authority for a reassessment of the restrictions on their rights in accordance with Article 9(3) and (4).

Before adopting its decision, the competent national authority shall notify the right holder of its reassessment of the restrictions, indicating the extent of the right after reassessment, and shall allow him a reasonable time limit to withdraw his application.

If the right holder withdraws his application, the right shall remain unchanged until its expiry or until the end of the five-year period, whichever is the earlier date.

2.   After the five-year period referred to in paragraph 1, Member States shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that Article 9(3) and (4) apply to all remaining general authorisations or individual rights of use and spectrum allocations used for electronic communications services which existed on … (18).

3.   In applying this Article, Member States shall take appropriate measures to promote fair competition.

4.   Measures adopted in applying this Article do not constitute the granting of new rights of use and therefore are not subject to the relevant provisions of Article 5(2) of Directive 2002/20/EC (Authorisation Directive).

Article 9b

Transfer or lease of individual rights to use radio frequencies

1.   Member States may make provision for undertakings to transfer or lease individual rights to use radio frequencies to other undertakings in accordance with national procedures.

Conditions attached to individual rights to use radio frequencies shall continue to apply after the transfer or lease, unless otherwise specified by the competent national authority.

2.   Member States shall ensure that an undertaking's intention to transfer rights to use radio frequencies, as well as the effective transfer thereof is notified in accordance with national procedures to the competent national authority responsible for granting individual rights of use and is made public. Where radio frequency use has been harmonised through the application of the Decision No 676/2002/EC (Radio Spectrum Decision) or other Community measures, any such transfer shall comply with such harmonised use.’;

12.

Article 10 shall be amended as follows:

13.

Article 11 shall be amended as follows:

14.

Article 12 shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 12

Co-location and sharing of network elements and associated facilities for providers of electronic communications networks

1.   Where an undertaking providing electronic communications networks has the right under national legislation to install facilities on, over or under public or private property, or may take advantage of a procedure for the expropriation or use of property, national regulatory authorities shall be able to impose the sharing of such facilities or property, including inter alia buildings or entries to buildings, masts, antennae, towers and other supporting constructions, ducts, conduits, manholes, cabinets, and network elements which are not active.

2.   Member States may require holders of the rights referred to in paragraph 1 to share facilities or property (including physical co-location) or take measures to facilitate the coordination of public works in order to protect the environment, public health, public security or to meet town and country planning objectives only after an appropriate period of public consultation, during which all interested parties shall be given an opportunity to express their views. Such sharing or coordination arrangements may include rules for apportioning the costs of facility or property sharing.

3.   Member States may, where appropriate, ensure that undertakings provide the necessary information, if requested by the competent authorities, in order for these authorities, in conjunction with national regulatory authorities, to be able to establish a detailed inventory of the nature, availability and geographical location of the facilities referred to in paragraph 1 and make it available to interested parties.

4.   Measures taken by a national regulatory authority in accordance with paragraph 1 shall be objective, transparent, non-discriminatory, and proportionate.’;

15.

the following chapter shall be inserted:

‘CHAPTER IIIa

SECURITY AND INTEGRITY OF NETWORKS AND SERVICES

Article 13a

Security and integrity

1.   Member States shall ensure that undertakings providing public communications networks or publicly available electronic communications services take appropriate technical and organisational measures to appropriately manage the risks posed to security of networks and services. Having regard to the state of the art, these measures shall ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk presented. In particular, measures shall be taken to prevent and minimise the impact of security incidents on users and interconnected networks.

2.   Member States shall ensure that undertakings providing public communications networks take all appropriate steps to guarantee the integrity of their networks, and thus ensure the continuity of supply of services provided over those networks.

3.   Member States shall ensure that undertakings providing public communications networks or publicly available electronic communications services notify the competent national regulatory authority of a breach of security or loss of integrity that has had a significant impact on the operation of networks or services.

The national regulatory authority concerned shall inform the national regulatory authorities in other Member States and the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) if other Member States could be or have been affected. The national regulatory authority concerned may inform the public or require the undertakings to do so, where it determines that disclosure of the breach is in the public interest.

Once a year, the national regulatory authority concerned shall submit a summary report to the Commission and ENISA on the notifications received and the action taken in accordance with this paragraph.

4.   The Commission, taking the utmost account of the opinion of ENISA, may adopt appropriate technical implementing measures with a view to harmonising the measures referred to in paragraphs 1, 2, and 3, including measures defining the circumstances, format and procedures applicable to notification requirements. These technical implementing measures shall be based on European and international standards to the greatest extent possible, and shall not prevent Member States from adopting additional requirements in order to pursue the objectives set out in paragraphs 1 and 2.

These implementing measures, designed to amend non-essential elements of this Directive by supplementing it, shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 22(3).

Article 13b

Implementation and enforcement

1.   Member States shall ensure that competent national regulatory authorities have the power to issue binding instructions to undertakings providing public communications networks or publicly available electronic communications services in order to implement Article 13a.

2.   Member States shall ensure that competent national regulatory authorities have the power to require undertakings providing public communications networks or publicly available electronic communications services to:

3.   Member States shall ensure that national regulatory authorities have all the powers necessary to investigate cases of non-compliance.

4.   These provisions shall be without prejudice to Article 3 of this Directive.’;

16.

in Article 14, paragraph 3 shall be replaced by the following:

‘3.   Where an undertaking has significant market power on a specific market, it may also be deemed to have significant market power on a closely related market, where the links between the two markets are such as to allow the market power held in one market to be leveraged into the other market, thereby strengthening the market power of the undertaking. Consequently, remedies aimed at preventing such leverage may be applied in the linked market pursuant to Articles 9, 10, 11 and 13 of Directive 2002/19/EC (Access Directive), and where such remedies prove to be insufficient, remedies pursuant to Article 17 of Directive 2002/22/EC (Universal Service Directive) may be imposed.’;

17.

Article 15 shall be amended as follows:

18.

Article 16 shall be amended as follows:

19.

Article 17 shall be amended as follows:

20.

Article 18 shall be amended as follows:

21.

Article 19 shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 19

Harmonisation procedures

1.   Without prejudice to Article 9 of this Directive and Articles 6 and 8 of Directive 2002/20/EC (Authorisation Directive), where the Commission finds that divergences in the implementation by the national regulatory authorities of the regulatory tasks specified in this Directive and the Specific Directives may create a barrier to the internal market, the Commission may, taking the utmost account of the opinion of GERT, if any, issue a recommendation on the harmonised application of the provisions in this Directive and the Specific Directives in order to further the achievement of the objectives set out in Article 8.

2.   Where the Commission issues a recommendation pursuant to paragraph 1, it shall act in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 22(2).

Member States shall ensure that national regulatory authorities take the utmost account of those recommendations in carrying out their tasks. Where a national regulatory authority chooses not to follow a recommendation, it shall inform the Commission, giving the reasons for its position.

3.   GERT may on its own initiative advise the Commission on whether a measure should be adopted pursuant to paragraph 1.’;

22.

Article 20(1) shall be replaced by the following:

‘1.   In the event of a dispute arising in connection with existing obligations under this Directive or the Specific Directives between undertakings providing electronic communications networks or services in a Member State, or between such undertakings and other undertakings in the Member State benefiting from obligations of access and/or interconnection arising under this Directive or the Specific Directives, the national regulatory authority concerned shall, at the request of either party, and without prejudice to the provisions of paragraph 2, issue a binding decision to resolve the dispute in the shortest possible time frame and in any case within four months, except in exceptional circumstances. The Member State concerned shall require that all parties cooperate fully with the national regulatory authority.’;

23.

Article 21 shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 21

Resolution of cross-border disputes

1.   In the event of a cross-border dispute arising under this Directive or the Specific Directives between parties in different Member States, and where the dispute lies within the competence of national regulatory authorities from more than one Member State, the provisions set out in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 shall be applicable.

2.   Any party may refer the dispute to the national regulatory authorities concerned. The competent national regulatory authorities shall coordinate their efforts in order to bring about a resolution of the dispute, in accordance with the objectives set out in Article 8.

Any national regulatory authority which has competence in such a dispute may request GERT to adopt an opinion as to the action to be taken in accordance with the provisions of the Framework Directive and/or the Specific Directives to resolve the dispute.

Where such a request has been made to GERT, any national regulatory authority with competence in any aspect of the dispute shall await GERT's opinion before taking action to resolve the dispute. This shall not preclude national regulatory authorities from taking urgent measures where necessary.

Any obligations imposed on an undertaking by the national regulatory authority in resolving a dispute shall respect the provisions of this Directive or the Specific Directives and take the utmost account of the opinion adopted by GERT.

3.   Member States may make provision for the competent national regulatory authorities jointly to decline to resolve a dispute where other mechanisms, including mediation, exist and would better contribute to resolving of the dispute in a timely manner in accordance with the provisions of Article 8.

They shall inform the parties without delay. If after four months the dispute is not resolved, where the dispute has not been brought before the courts by the party seeking redress and if either party requests it, the national regulatory authorities shall coordinate their efforts in order to resolve the dispute, in accordance with the provisions set out in Article 8 and taking the utmost account of any opinion adopted by GERT.

4.   The procedure referred to in paragraph 2 shall not preclude either party from bringing an action before the courts.’;

24.

the following Article shall be inserted:

‘Article 21a

Penalties

Member States shall lay down rules on penalties applicable to infringements of national provisions adopted pursuant to this Directive and the Specific Directives and shall take all measures necessary to ensure that they are implemented. The penalties provided for must be effective, proportionate and dissuasive. The Member States shall notify those provisions to the Commission by … (19) and shall notify it without delay of any subsequent amendment affecting them.’;

25.

Article 22 shall be amended as follows:

26.

Article 27 shall be deleted;

27.

Annex I shall be deleted;

28.

Annex II shall be replaced by the following:

1.

Article 2 shall be amended as follows:

2.

Article 4(1) shall be replaced by the following:

‘1.   Operators of public communications networks shall have a right and, when requested by other undertakings so authorised in accordance with Article 4 of Directive 2002/20/EC (Authorisation Directive), an obligation to negotiate interconnection with each other for the purpose of providing publicly available electronic communications services, in order to ensure provision and interoperability of services throughout the Community. Operators shall offer access and interconnection to other undertakings on terms and conditions consistent with obligations imposed by the national regulatory authority pursuant to Articles 5 to 8.’;

3.

Article 5 shall be amended as follows:

4.

Article 6(2) shall be replaced by the following:

‘2.   In the light of market and technological developments, the Commission may adopt implementing measures to amend Annex I. The measures, designed to amend non-essential elements of this Directive, shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 14(3).’;

5.

Article 7 shall be deleted;

6.

Article 8 shall be amended as follows:

7.

Article 9 shall be amended as follows:

8.

Article 12 shall be amended as follows:

9.

Article 13 shall be amended as follows:

10.

the following Articles shall be inserted:

‘Article 13a

Functional separation

1.   Where the national regulatory authority concludes that the appropriate obligations imposed under Articles 9 to 13 have failed to achieve effective competition and that there are important and persisting competition problems and/or market failures identified in relation to the wholesale provision of certain access products, it may, as an exceptional measure, in accordance with the provisions of the second subparagraph of Article 8(3), impose an obligation on vertically integrated undertakings to place activities related to the wholesale provision of relevant access products in an independently operating business entity.

That business entity shall supply access products and services to all undertakings, including to other business entities within the parent company, on the same timescales, terms and conditions, including those relating to price and service levels, and by means of the same systems and processes.

2.   When a national regulatory authority intends to impose an obligation for functional separation, it shall submit a proposal to the Commission that includes:

3.   The draft measure shall include the following elements:

4.   Following the Commission's decision on the draft measure taken in accordance with Article 8(3), the national regulatory authority shall conduct a coordinated analysis of the different markets related to the access network in accordance with the procedure set out in Article 16 of Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework Directive). On the basis of its assessment, the national regulatory authority shall impose, maintain, amend or withdraw obligations, in accordance with Articles 6 and 7 of Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework Directive).

5.   An undertaking on which functional separation has been imposed may be subject to any of the obligations identified in Articles 9 to13 in any specific market where it has been designated as having significant market power in accordance with Article 16 of Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework Directive), or any other obligations authorised by the Commission pursuant to Article 8(3).

Article 13b

Voluntary separation by a vertically integrated undertaking

1.   Undertakings which have been designated as having significant market power in one or several relevant markets in accordance with Article 16 of Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework Directive) shall inform the national regulatory authority in advance and in a timely manner, in order to allow the national regulatory authority to assess the effect of the intended transaction, when they intend to transfer their local access network assets or a substantial part thereof to a separate legal entity under different ownership, or to establish a separate business entity in order to provide to all retail providers, including its own retail divisions, fully equivalent access products.

Undertakings shall also inform the national regulatory authority of any change of that intent as well as the final outcome of the process of separation.

2.   The national regulatory authority shall assess the effect of the intended transaction on existing regulatory obligations under Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework Directive).

For that purpose, the national regulatory authority shall conduct a coordinated analysis of the different markets related to the access network in accordance with the procedure set out in Article 16 of Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework Directive).

On the basis of its assessment, the national regulatory authority shall impose, maintain, amend or withdraw obligations, in accordance with Articles 6 and 7 of Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework Directive).

3.   The legally and/or operationally separate business entity may be subject to any of the obligations identified in Articles 9 to 13 in any specific market where it has been designated as having significant market power in accordance with Article 16 of Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework Directive), or any other obligations authorised by the Commission pursuant to Article 8(3).’;

11.

Article 14 shall be amended as follows:

12.

Annex II shall be amended as follows:

1.

Article 2(2) shall be replaced by the following:

‘2.   The following definition shall also apply:

“general authorisation” means a legal framework established by the Member State ensuring rights for the provision of electronic communications networks or services and laying down sector specific obligations that may apply to all or to specific types of electronic communications networks and services, in accordance with this Directive.’;

2.

Article 5 shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 5

Rights of use for radio frequencies and numbers

1.   Member States shall facilitate the use of radio frequencies under general authorisations. Member States may grant individual rights of use in order to:

2.   Where it is necessary to grant individual rights of use for radio frequencies and numbers, Member States shall grant such rights, upon request, to any undertaking for the provision of networks or services under the general authorisation referred to in Article 3, subject to the provisions of Articles 6, 7 and 11(1)(c) of this Directive and any other rules ensuring the efficient use of those resources in accordance with Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework Directive).

Without prejudice to specific criteria and procedures adopted by Member States to grant rights of use of radio frequencies to providers of radio or television broadcast content services with a view to pursuing general interest objectives in conformity with Community law, the rights of use for radio frequencies and numbers shall be granted through open, objective, transparent, non-discriminatory and proportionate procedures, and, in the case of radio frequencies, in accordance with the provisions of Article 9 of Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework Directive). An exception to the requirement of open procedures may apply in cases where the granting of individual rights of use of radio frequencies to the providers of radio or television broadcast content services is necessary to achieve a general interest objective as defined by Member States in conformity with Community law.

When granting rights of use, Member States shall specify whether those rights can be transferred by the holder of the rights, and under which conditions. In the case of radio frequencies, such provision shall be in accordance with Article 9b of Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework Directive).

Where Member States grant rights of use for a limited period of time, the duration shall be appropriate for the service concerned in view of the objective pursued and the necessary investments.

Any individual right to use radio frequencies that is granted for more than 10 years and that may not be transferred or leased between undertakings as allowed pursuant to Article 9b of Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework Directive) shall be subject to a review by the competent national authority in the light of the criteria in paragraph 1, in particular upon a justified request of the holder of the right. If the criteria to grant individual rights of use are no longer applicable, the individual right of use shall be changed into a general authorisation for the use of radio frequencies, or made transferable or leaseable between undertakings in accordance with Article 9b of Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework Directive).

3.   Decisions on the granting of rights of use shall be taken, communicated and made public as soon as possible after receipt of the complete application by the national regulatory authority, within three weeks in the case of numbers that have been allocated for specific purposes within the national numbering plan and within six weeks in the case of radio frequencies that have been allocated to be used by electronic communications services within the national frequency plan. The latter time limit shall be without prejudice to any applicable international agreements relating to the use of radio frequencies or of orbital positions.

4.   Where it has been decided, after consultation with interested parties in accordance with Article 6 of Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework Directive), that rights for use of numbers of exceptional economic value are to be granted through competitive or comparative selection procedures, Member States may extend the maximum period of three weeks by up to a further three weeks.

With regard to competitive or comparative selection procedures for radio frequencies, Article 7 shall apply.

5.   Member States shall not limit the number of rights of use to be granted except where this is necessary to ensure the efficient use of radio frequencies in accordance with Article 7.

6.   Competent national authorities shall ensure that radio frequencies are efficiently and effectively used in accordance with Articles 8(2) and 9(2) of Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework Directive). They shall ensure competition is not distorted by any transfer or accumulation of radio frequencies usage rights. For such purposes, Member States may take appropriate measures such as mandating the sale or the lease of rights to use radio frequencies.’;

3.

Article 6 shall be amended as follows:

4.

Article 7 shall be amended as follows:

5.

Article 10 shall be amended as follows:

6.

Article 11, paragraph 1 shall be amended as follows:

7.

Article 14 shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 14

Amendment of rights and obligations

1.   Member States shall ensure that the rights, conditions and procedures concerning general authorisations and rights of use or rights to install facilities may only be amended in objectively justified cases and in a proportionate manner, taking into consideration, where appropriate, the specific conditions applicable to transferable rights of use for radio frequencies. Except where proposed amendments are minor and have been agreed with the holder of the rights or general authorisation, notice shall be given in an appropriate manner of the intention to make such amendments and interested parties, including users and consumers, shall be allowed a sufficient period of time to express their views on the proposed amendments, which shall be no less than four weeks except in exceptional circumstances.

2.   Member States shall not restrict or withdraw rights to install facilities or rights of use for radio frequencies before expiry of the period for which they were granted except where justified and where applicable in conformity with Annex I and relevant national provisions regarding compensation for withdrawal of rights.’;

8.

Article 15(1) shall be replaced by the following:

‘1.   Member States shall ensure that all relevant information on rights, conditions, procedures, charges, fees and decisions concerning general authorisations, rights of use and rights to install facilities is published and kept up to date in an appropriate manner so as to provide easy access to that information for all interested parties.’;

9.

in Article 17 paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be replaced by the following:

‘1.   Without prejudice to Article 9a of Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework Directive), Member States shall bring general authorisations and individual rights of use already in existence on 31 December 2009 into conformity with Articles 5, 6, 7, and Annex I of this Directive within two years from the date of entry into force of this Directive at the latest.

2.   Where application of paragraph 1 results in a reduction of the rights or an extension of the general authorisations and individual rights of use already in existence, Member States may extend the validity of those authorisations and rights until 30 September 2012 at the latest, provided that the rights of other undertakings under Community law are not affected thereby. Member States shall notify such extensions to the Commission and state the reasons therefore.’;

10.

the Annex shall be amended as set out in the Annex to this Directive.

5.5.2009   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CE 103/40

(1)

The functioning of the five directives comprising the existing regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services (Directive 2002/19/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on access to, and interconnection of, electronic communications networks and associated facilities (Access Directive) (5), Directive 2002/20/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on the authorisation of electronic communications networks and services (Authorisation Directive) (6), Directive 2002/21/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of 7 March 2002 on a common regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services (Framework Directive) (7), Directive 2002/22/EC (Universal Service Directive) (8) and Directive 2002/58/EC (Directive on privacy and electronic communications) (9) (together referred to as ‘the Framework Directive and the Specific Directives’)) is subject to periodic review by the Commission, with a view, in particular, to determining the need for modification in the light of technological and market developments.

(2)

In that regard, the Commission presented its findings in its Communication to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions of 29 June 2006 on the review of the EU regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services.

(3)

The reform of the EU regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services, including the reinforcement of provisions for end-users with disabilities, represents a key step towards simultaneously achieving a Single European Information Space and an inclusive information society. These objectives are included in the strategic framework for the development of the information society as described in the Commission Communication to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions of 1 June 2005 entitled ‘i2010 — A European Information Society for growth and employment’.

(4)

For the sake of clarity and simplicity, this Directive only deals with amendments to Directives 2002/22/EC (Universal Service Directive) and 2002/58/EC (Directive on privacy and electronic communications).

(5)

Without prejudice to Directive 1999/5/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 1999 on radio equipment and telecommunications terminal equipment and the mutual recognition of their conformity (10), and in particular the disability requirements laid down in Article 3(3)(f) thereof, certain aspects of terminal equipment, including equipment intended for disabled users, should be brought within the scope of Directive 2002/22/EC (Universal Service Directive) in order to facilitate access to networks and the use of services. Such equipment currently includes receive-only radio and television terminal equipment as well as special terminal devices for hearing-impaired end-users.

(6)

Member States should introduce measures to promote the creation of a market for widely available products and services incorporating facilities for disabled end-users. One way among others of achieving this is, with reference to European standards, introducing electronic accessibility (eAccessibility) requirements for public procurement procedures and tendering services in accordance with legislation upholding the rights of the disabled end-users.

(7)

Definitions need to be adjusted so as to conform to the principle of technology neutrality and to keep pace with technological development. In particular, conditions for the provision of a service should be separated from the actual definitional elements of a publicly available telephone service, i.e. an electronic communications service made available to the public for originating and receiving, directly or indirectly, national and/or international calls through a number or numbers in a national or international telephone numbering plan, whether such a service is based on circuit switching or packet switching technology. It is the nature of such a service that it is bidirectional, enabling both the parties to communicate. A service which does not fulfil all these conditions, such as for example a ‘click-through’ application on a customer service website, is not a publicly available telephone service. Publicly available telephone services also include means of communication specifically intended for disabled end-users using text relay or total conversation services.

(8)

It is necessary to clarify that the indirect provision of services could include situations where originating is made via carrier selection or pre-selection or where a service provider resells or re-brands publicly available telephone services provided by another undertaking.

(9)

As a result of technological and market evolution, networks are increasingly moving to ‘Internet Protocol’ (IP) technology, and consumers are increasingly able to choose between a range of competing voice service providers. Therefore, Member States should be able to separate universal service obligations concerning the provision of a connection to the public communications network at a fixed location from the provision of a publicly available telephone service (including calls to emergency services via the number ‘112’). Such separation should not affect the scope of universal service obligations defined and reviewed at Community level. Member States that use national emergency numbers besides ‘112’ may impose on undertakings similar obligations for access to those national emergency numbers.

(10)

In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, it is for the Member States to decide on the basis of objective criteria which undertakings are designated as universal service providers, where appropriate taking into account the ability and the willingness of undertakings to accept all or part of the universal service obligations. This does not preclude that Member States may include, in the designation process, specific conditions justified on grounds of efficiency, including, inter alia, grouping geographical areas or components or setting minimum periods for the designation.

(11)

National regulatory authorities should be able to monitor the evolution and level of retail tariffs for services that fall under the scope of universal service obligations, even where a Member State has not yet designated an undertaking to provide universal services. In such a case, the monitoring should be carried out in such a way that it would not represent an excessive administrative burden for either national regulatory authorities or undertakings providing such services.

(12)

Redundant obligations designed to facilitate the transition from the regulatory framework of 1998 to that of 2002 should be deleted, together with other provisions that overlap with and duplicate those laid down in Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework Directive).

(13)

The requirement to provide a minimum set of leased lines at retail level, which was necessary to ensure the continued application of provisions of the regulatory framework of 1998 in the field of leased lines, which was not sufficiently competitive at the time the 2002 framework entered into force, is no longer necessary and should be repealed.

(14)

To continue to impose carrier selection and carrier pre-selection directly in Community legislation could hamper technological progress. These remedies should rather be imposed by national regulatory authorities as a result of market analysis carried out in accordance with the procedures set out in Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework Directive) and through the obligations referred to in Article 12 of Directive 2002/19/EC (Access Directive).

(15)

Provisions on contracts should apply not only to consumers but also to other end-users, primarily micro enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which may prefer a contract adapted to consumer needs. To avoid unnecessary administrative burdens for providers and the complexity related to the definition of SMEs, the provisions on contracts should not apply automatically to those other end-users, but only where they so request. Member States should take appropriate measures to promote awareness amongst SMEs of this possibility.

(16)

As a consequence of technological developments, other types of identifiers may be used in the future, in addition to ordinary forms of numbering identification.

(17)

Providers of electronic communications services that allow calls should ensure that their customers are adequately informed as to whether or not access to emergency services is provided and of any limitation on service (such as a limitation on the provision of caller location information or the routing of emergency calls). Such providers should also provide their customers with clear and transparent information in the initial contract and in the event of any change in the access provision, for example in billing information. This information should include any limitations on territorial coverage, on the basis of the planned technical operating parameters of the service and the available infrastructure. Where the service is not provided over a switched telephony network, the information should also include the level of reliability of the access and of caller location information compared to a service that is provided over a switched telephony network, taking into account current technology and quality standards, as well as any quality of service parameters specified under Directive 2002/22/EC (Universal Service Directive).

(18)

With respect to terminal equipment, the customer contract should specify any restrictions imposed by the provider on the use of the equipment, such as by way of ‘SIM-locking’ mobile devices, if such restrictions are not prohibited under national legislation, and any charges due on termination of the contract, whether before or on the agreed expiry date, including any cost imposed in order to retain the equipment.

(19)

Without imposing any obligation on the provider to take action over and above what is required under Community law, the customer contract should also specify the type of action, if any, the provider might take in case of security or integrity incidents, threats or vulnerabilities.

(20)

In order to address public interest issues with respect to the use of communications services and to encourage protection of the rights and freedoms of others, the relevant national authorities should be able to produce and have disseminated, with the aid of providers, public interest information related to the use of communications services. This information could include public interest information regarding copyright infringement, other unlawful uses and the dissemination of harmful content, and advice and means of protection against risks to personal security, which may for example arise from disclosure of personal information in certain circumstances, as well as risks to privacy and personal data. The information could be coordinated by way of the cooperation procedure established in Article 33(3) of Directive 2002/22/EC (Universal Service Directive). Such public interest information should be updated whenever necessary and should be presented in easily comprehensible printed and electronic formats, as determined by each Member State, and on national public authority websites. National regulatory authorities should be able to oblige providers to disseminate this standardised information to all their customers in a manner deemed appropriate by the national regulatory authorities. When required by Member States, the information should also be included in contracts.

(21)

The right of subscribers to withdraw from their contracts without penalty refers to modifications in contractual conditions which are imposed by the providers of electronic communications networks and/or services.

(22)

Given the increasing importance of electronic communications for consumers and businesses, users should be fully informed of the traffic management policies of the service and/or network provider with which they conclude the contract. Where there is a lack of effective competition, national regulatory authorities should use the remedies available to them under Directive 2002/19/EC (Access Directive) to ensure that users’ access to particular types of content or application is not unreasonably restricted.

(23)

In the absence of relevant rules of Community law, content, applications and services are deemed lawful or harmful in accordance with national substantive and procedural law. It is a task for the Member States, not for providers of electronic communications networks or services, to decide, in accordance with due process, whether content, applications or services are lawful or harmful. The Framework Directive and the Specific Directives are without prejudice to Directive 2000/31/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2000 on certain legal aspects of information society services, in particular electronic commerce, in the Internal Market (Directive on electronic commerce) (11), which, inter alia, contains a ‘mere conduit’ rule for intermediary service providers, as defined therein.

(24)

The availability of transparent, up-to-date and comparable information on offers and services is a key element for consumers in competitive markets where several providers offer services. End-users and consumers of electronic communications services should be able to easily compare the prices of various services offered on the market based on information published in an easily accessible form. In order to allow them to make price comparisons easily, national regulatory authorities should be able to require from undertakings providing electronic communications networks and/or services greater transparency as regards information (including tariffs, consumption patterns and other relevant statistics) and to ensure that third parties have the right to use, without charge, publicly available information published by such undertakings. National regulatory authorities should also be able to make price guides available, in particular where the market has not provided them free of charge or at a reasonable price. Undertakings should not be entitled to any remuneration for the use of information where it has already been published and thus belongs in the public domain. In addition, end-users and consumers should be adequately informed of the price and the type of service offered before they purchase a service, in particular if a freephone number is subject to additional charges. National regulatory authorities should be able to require that such information is provided generally, and, for certain categories of services determined by them, immediately prior to connecting the call, unless otherwise provided for by national law. When determining the categories of call requiring pricing information prior to connection, national regulatory authorities should take due account of the nature of the service, the pricing conditions which apply to it and whether it is offered by a provider who is not a provider of electronic communications services. Without prejudice to Directive 2000/31/EC (Directive on electronic commerce), undertakings should also, if required by Member States, provide subscribers with public interest information produced by the relevant public authorities regarding, inter alia, the most common infringements and their legal consequences.

(25)

Customers should be informed of their rights with respect to the use of their personal information in subscriber directories and in particular of the purpose or purposes of such directories, as well as their right, free of charge, not to be included in a public subscriber directory, as provided for in Directive 2002/58/EC (Directive on privacy and electronic communications). Customers should also be informed of systems which allow information to be included in the directory database but which do not disclose such information to users of directory services.

(26)

A competitive market should ensure that users enjoy the quality of service they require, but in particular cases it may be necessary to ensure that public communications networks attain minimum quality levels so as to prevent degradation of service, the blocking of access and the slowing of traffic over networks.

(27)

In future IP networks, where provision of a service may be separated from provision of the network, Member States should determine the most appropriate steps to be taken to ensure the availability of publicly available telephone services provided using public communications networks and uninterrupted access to emergency services in the event of catastrophic network breakdown or in cases of force majeure, taking into account the priorities of different types of subscriber and technical limitations.

(28)

In order to ensure that disabled end-users benefit from competition and the choice of service providers enjoyed by the majority of end-users, relevant national authorities should specify, where appropriate and in light of national conditions, consumer protection requirements to be met by undertakings providing publicly available electronic communications services. Such requirements may include, in particular, that undertakings ensure that disabled end-users take advantage of their services on the same terms and conditions, including prices and tariffs, as those offered to their other end-users, and charge equivalent prices for their services, irrespective of any additional costs incurred by them. Other requirements may relate to wholesale arrangements between undertakings.

(29)

Operator assistance services cover a range of different services for end-users. The provision of such services should be left to commercial negotiations between providers of public communications networks and operator assistance services, as is the case for any other customer support service, and it is not necessary to continue to mandate their provision. The corresponding obligation should therefore be repealed.

(30)

Directory enquiry services should be, and frequently are, provided under competitive market conditions, pursuant to Article 5 of Commission Directive 2002/77/EC of 16 September 2002 on competition in the markets for electronic communications networks and services (12). Measures concerning the inclusion of end-user data (held by undertakings that assign telephone numbers to subscribers) in databases should comply with the safeguards for the protection of personal data, including Article 12 of Directive 2002/58/EC (Directive on privacy and electronic communications). The cost-oriented supply of that data for the purposes of publicly available directory and directory enquiry services should be in place in order to ensure that end-users benefit fully from reasonable and transparent competitive conditions.

(31)

End-users should be able to call and access the emergency services using any telephone service capable of originating voice calls through a number or numbers in national telephone numbering plans. Emergency authorities should be able to handle and answer calls to the number ‘112’ at least as expeditiously and effectively as calls to national emergency numbers. It is important to increase awareness of ‘112’ in order to improve the level of protection and security of citizens travelling in the European Union. To this end, citizens should be made fully aware, when travelling in any Member State, in particular through information provided in international bus terminals, train stations, ports or airports and in telephone directories, payphone kiosks, subscriber and billing material, that ‘112’ can be used as a single emergency number throughout the Community. This is primarily the responsibility of the Member States, but the Commission should continue both to support and to supplement initiatives of the Member States to heighten awareness of ‘112’ and periodically to evaluate the public's awareness of it. The obligation to provide caller location information should be strengthened so as to increase the protection of citizens of the European Union. In particular, undertakings should make caller location information available to emergency services as soon as the call reaches that service, independently of the technology used.

(32)

Member States should ensure that undertakings providing end-users with an electronic communications service designed for originating calls through a number or numbers in a national telephone numbering plan provide access to emergency services with such accuracy and reliability as is technically feasible for that electronic communications service. Network-independent service providers may not have control over networks and may not be able to ensure that emergency calls made through their service are routed with the same reliability as traditional integrated telephone service providers, as they may not be able to guarantee service availability, given that problems related to infrastructure are not under their control. Once internationally-recognised standards ensuring accurate and reliable routing and connection to the emergency services are in place, network-independent service providers should also fulfil the obligations related to access to emergency services at a level comparable to that required of other undertakings.

(33)

Member States should take specific measures to ensure that emergency services, including ‘112’, are equally accessible to disabled end-users, in particular deaf, hearing-impaired, speech-impaired and deaf-blind users. This could involve the provision of special terminal devices for hearing-impaired users, text relay services, or other specific equipment.

(34)

Voice calls remain the most robust and reliable form of access to emergency services. Other means of contact, such as text messaging, may be less reliable and may suffer from lack of immediacy. Member States should, however, if they deem it appropriate, be free to promote the development and implementation of other means of access to emergency services which are capable of ensuring access equivalent to voice calls.

(35)

Pursuant to its Decision 2007/116/EC of 15 February 2007 on reserving the national numbering range beginning with ‘116’ for harmonised numbers for harmonised services of social value, (13) the Commission has asked Member States to reserve numbers in the ‘116’ numbering range for certain services of social value. The appropriate provisions of that Decision should be reflected in Directive 2002/22/EC (Universal Service Directive) in order to integrate them more firmly into the regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services and to facilitate access by disabled end-users.

(36)

A single market implies that end-users are able to access all numbers included in the national numbering plans of other Member States and to access services using non-geographic numbers within the Community, including, among others, freephone and premium rate numbers. End-users should also be able to access numbers from the European Telephone Numbering Space (ETNS) and Universal International Freephone Numbers (UIFN). Cross-border access to numbering resources and associated services should not be prevented, except in objectively justified cases, for example to combat fraud or abuse (e.g. in connection with certain premium-rate services), when the number is defined as having a national scope only (e.g. a national short code) or when it is technically or economically unfeasible. Users should be fully informed in advance and in a clear manner of any charges applicable to freephone numbers, such as international call charges for numbers accessible through standard international dialling codes.

(37)

In order to take full advantage of the competitive environment, consumers should be able to make informed choices and to change providers when it is in their interests. It is essential to ensure that they can do so without being hindered by legal, technical or practical obstacles, including contractual conditions, procedures, charges and so on. This does not preclude the imposition of reasonable minimum contractual periods in consumer contracts. Number portability is a key facilitator of consumer choice and effective competition in competitive markets for electronic communications. It should be implemented with the minimum delay. In any case, the technical transfer of the number should not exceed one day. Competent national authorities may establish the global process of the porting of numbers, taking into account national provisions on contracts and technical feasibility, and, where necessary, appropriate measures ensuring that consumers are protected throughout the switching process. This protection may include the limitation of porting abuse and the setting of speedy corrective action.

(38)

Legal ‘must-carry’ obligations may be applied to specified radio and television broadcast channels and complementary services supplied by a specified media service provider. Member States should provide a clear justification for the ‘must carry’ obligations in their national law so as to ensure that such obligations are transparent, proportionate and properly defined. In that regard, ‘must carry’ rules should be designed in a way which provides sufficient incentives for efficient investment in infrastructure. ‘Must carry’ rules should be periodically reviewed in order to keep them up-to-date with technological and market evolution and in order to ensure that they continue to be proportionate to the objectives to be achieved. Complementary services include, but are not limited to, services designed to improve accessibility for end-users with disabilities, such as videotext, subtitling, audio description and sign language.

(39)

In order to overcome existing shortcomings in terms of consumer consultation and to appropriately address the interests of citizens, Member States should put in place an appropriate consultation mechanism. Such a mechanism could take the form of a body which would, independently of the national regulatory authority and service providers, carry out research into consumer-related issues, such as consumer behaviour and mechanisms for changing suppliers, and which would operate in a transparent manner and contribute to the existing mechanisms for stakeholder consultation. Furthermore, a mechanism could be established for the purpose of enabling appropriate cooperation on issues relating to the promotion of lawful content. Any cooperation procedures agreed pursuant to such a mechanism should, however, not allow for the systematic surveillance of internet usage.

(40)

Universal service obligations imposed on an undertaking designated as having universal service obligations should be notified to the Commission.

(41)

The processing of traffic data to the extent strictly necessary for the purposes of the detection, location and elimination of faults and malfunctions of network and information security, ensuring the availability, authenticity, integrity and confidentiality of stored or transmitted data, will help prevent unauthorised access and malicious code distribution, ‘denial of service’ attacks and damage to computer and electronic communication systems.

(42)

The liberalisation of electronic communications networks and services markets and rapid technological development have combined to boost competition and economic growth and resulted in a rich diversity of end-user services accessible via public electronic communications networks. It is necessary to ensure that consumers and users are afforded the same level of protection of privacy and personal data, regardless of the technology used to deliver a particular service.

(43)

In line with the objectives of the regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services and with the principles of proportionality and subsidiarity, and for the purposes of legal certainty and efficiency for European businesses and national regulatory authorities alike, this Directive focuses on public electronic communications networks and services, and does not apply to closed user groups and corporate networks.

(44)

Technological progress allows the development of new applications based on devices for data collection and identification, which could be contactless devices using radio frequencies. For example, Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFID) use radio frequencies to capture data from uniquely identified tags which can then be transferred over existing communications networks. The wide use of such technologies can bring considerable economic and social benefit and thus make a powerful contribution to the internal market, if their use is acceptable to citizens. To achieve this aim, it is necessary to ensure that all fundamental rights of individuals, including the right to privacy and data protection, are safeguarded. When such devices are connected to publicly available electronic communications networks or make use of electronic communications services as a basic infrastructure, the relevant provisions of Directive 2002/58/EC (Directive on privacy and electronic communications), including those on security, traffic and location data and on confidentiality, should apply.

(45)

The provider of a publicly available electronic communications service should take appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure the security of its services. Without prejudice to Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (14), such measures should ensure that personal data can be accessed only by authorised personnel for legally authorised purposes, and that the personal data stored or transmitted, as well as the network and services, are protected. Moreover, a security policy with respect to the processing of personal data should be established in order to identify vulnerabilities in the system, and monitoring and preventive, corrective and mitigating action should be regularly carried out.

(46)

Competent national authorities should monitor measures taken and disseminate best practices among providers of publicly available electronic communications services.

(47)

A breach of security resulting in the loss or compromising of personal data of an individual subscriber may, if not addressed in an adequate and timely manner, result in substantial economic loss and social harm, including identity fraud. Therefore, as soon as the provider of publicly available electronic communications service becomes aware that such a breach has occurred, it should assess the risks associated with it, e.g. by establishing the type of data affected by the breach (including their sensitivity, context and the security measures in place), the cause and extent of the breach, the number of subscribers affected and the possible harm for subscribers as a result of the breach (e.g. identity theft, financial loss, loss of business or employment opportunities or physical harm). The subscribers concerned by security incidents that could result in a serious risk to their privacy (e.g. identity theft or fraud, physical harm, significant humiliation or damage to reputation) should be notified without delay in order to allow them to take the necessary precautions. The notification should include information about measures taken by the provider to address the breach, as well as recommendations for the users affected. Notification of a security breach to a subscriber should not be required if the provider has demonstrated to the competent authority that it has implemented appropriate technological protection measures, and that those measures were applied to the data concerned by the security breach. Such technological protection measures should render the data unintelligible to any person who is not authorised to access it.

(48)

National regulatory authorities should promote the interests of the citizens of the European Union by, inter alia, contributing to ensuring a high level of protection of personal data and privacy. To this end, they must have the necessary means to perform their duties, including access to comprehensive and reliable data about actual security incidents that have led to the personal data of individuals being compromised.

(49)

When implementing measures transposing Directive 2002/58/EC (Directive on privacy and electronic communications), the authorities and courts of the Member States should not only interpret their national law in a manner consistent with that Directive, but should also ensure that they do not rely on an interpretation of it which would conflict with fundamental rights or general principles of Community law, such as the principle of proportionality.

(50)

Provision should be made for the Commission to adopt recommendations on the means to achieve an adequate level of privacy protection and security of personal data transmitted or processed in connection with the use of electronic communications networks in the internal market.

(51)

In setting detailed rules concerning the format and procedures applicable to the notification of personal data breaches, due consideration should be given to the circumstances of the breach, including whether or not personal data had been protected by encryption or other means effectively limiting the likelihood of identity fraud or other forms of misuse. Moreover, such rules and procedures should take into account the legitimate interests of law enforcement authorities in cases where early disclosure could unnecessarily hamper the investigation of the circumstances of a breach.

(52)

Software that surreptitiously monitors the actions of the user or subverts the operation of the user's terminal equipment to the benefit of a third party (so-called ‘spyware’) poses a serious threat to the privacy of users. A high and equal level of protection of the private sphere of users needs to be ensured, regardless of whether unwanted spying programmes are inadvertently downloaded via electronic communications networks or are delivered and installed hidden in software distributed on other external data storage media, such as CDs, CD-ROMs or USB keys. Member States should encourage end-users to take the necessary steps to protect their terminal equipment against viruses and spyware.

(53)

Electronic communications service providers make substantial investments in order to combat unsolicited commercial communications (‘spam’). They are also in a better position than end-users in that they possess the knowledge and resources necessary to detect and identify spammers. Email service providers and other service providers should therefore be able to initiate legal action against spammers, and thus defend the interests of their customers, as part of their own legitimate business interests.

(54)

The need to ensure an adequate level of protection of privacy and personal data transmitted and processed in connection with the use of electronic communications networks in the Community calls for effective implementation and enforcement powers in order to provide adequate incentives for compliance. Competent national authorities and, where appropriate, other relevant national bodies should have sufficient powers and resources to investigate cases of non-compliance effectively, including powers to obtain any relevant information they might need, to decide on complaints and to impose sanctions in cases of non-compliance.

(55)

The implementation and enforcement of the provisions of this Directive often require cooperation between the national regulatory authorities of two or more Member States, for example in combating cross-border spam and spyware. In order to ensure smooth and rapid cooperation in such cases, procedures relating for example to the quantity and format of information exchanged between authorities, or deadlines to be complied with, should be defined in recommendations. Such procedures will also allow the resulting obligations of market actors to be harmonised, contributing to the creation of a level playing field in the Community.

(56)

Cross-border cooperation and enforcement should be reinforced in line with existing Community cross-border enforcement mechanisms, such as that laid down in Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 (the Regulation on consumer protection cooperation) (15), by way of an amendment to that Regulation.

(57)

The measures necessary for the implementation of Directive 2002/22/EC (Universal Service Directive) should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission (16).

(58)

In particular, the Commission should be empowered to adapt the Annexes to technical progress or changes in market demand. Since those measures are of general scope and are designed to amend non-essential elements of Directive 2002/22/EC (Universal Service Directive) by supplementing it with new non-essential elements, they must be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny provided for in Article 5a of Decision 1999/468/EC.

(59)

Directives 2002/22/EC (Universal Service Directive) and 2002/58/EC (Directive on privacy and electronic communications) should therefore be amended accordingly.

(60)

In accordance with point 34 of the Interinstitutional Agreement on better law-making (17), Member States are encouraged to draw up, for themselves and in the interests of the Community, their own tables illustrating, as far as possible, the correlation between Directives 2002/22/EC (Universal Service Directive) and 2002/58/EC (Directive on privacy and electronic communications) and the transposition measures, and to make them public,

1.

Article 1 shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 1

Subject-matter and scope

1.   Within the framework of Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework Directive), this Directive concerns the provision of electronic communications networks and services to end-users. The aim is to ensure the availability throughout the Community of good-quality publicly available services through effective competition and choice and to deal with circumstances in which the needs of end-users are not satisfactorily met by the market. The Directive also includes provisions concerning certain aspects of terminal equipment intended to facilitate access for disabled end-users.

2.   This Directive establishes the rights of end-users and the corresponding obligations of undertakings providing publicly available electronic communications networks and services. With regard to ensuring provision of universal service within an environment of open and competitive markets, this Directive defines the minimum set of services of specified quality to which all end-users have access, at an affordable price in the light of specific national conditions, without distorting competition. This Directive also sets out obligations with regard to the provision of certain mandatory services.

3.   The provisions of this Directive concerning end-users’ rights shall apply without prejudice to Community rules on consumer protection, in particular Directives 93/13/EEC and 97/7/EC, and national rules in conformity with Community law.’;

2.

Article 2 shall be amended as follows:

3.

Article 4 shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 4

Provision of access at a fixed location and provision of telephone services

1.   Member States shall ensure that all reasonable requests for connection at a fixed location to a public communications network are met by at least one undertaking.

2.   The connection provided shall be capable of supporting voice, facsimile and data communications at data rates that are sufficient to permit functional Internet access, taking into account prevailing technologies used by the majority of subscribers and technological feasibility.

3.   Member States shall ensure that all reasonable requests for the provision of a publicly available telephone service over the network connection referred to in paragraph 1 that allows for originating and receiving of national and international calls are met by at least one undertaking.’;

4.

Article 5(2) shall be replaced by the following:

‘2.   The directories referred to in paragraph 1 shall comprise, subject to the provisions of Article 12 of Directive 2002/58/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 July 2002 concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector (Directive on privacy and electronic communications) (18), all subscribers of publicly available telephone services.

5.

Article 7 shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 7

Measures for disabled end-users

1.   Unless requirements have been specified under Chapter IV which achieve the equivalent effect, Member States shall take specific measures to ensure access to, and affordability of, the services identified in Article 4(3) and Article 5 for disabled end-users which is comparable to that enjoyed by other end-users. Member States may oblige national regulatory authorities to assess the general need and the specific requirements, including the extent and concrete form of such specific measures for disabled end-users.

2.   Member States may take specific measures, in the light of national conditions, to ensure that disabled end-users can also take advantage of the choice of undertakings and service providers available to the majority of end-users.’;

6.

in Article 8, the following paragraph shall be added:

‘3.   When an undertaking designated in accordance with paragraph 1 intends to dispose of a substantial part or all of its local access network assets to a separate legal entity under different ownership, it shall inform in advance the national regulatory authority in a timely manner, in order to allow that authority to assess the effect of the intended transaction on the provision of access at a fixed location and of telephone services pursuant to Article 4. The national regulatory authority may impose, amend or withdraw specific obligations in accordance with Article 6(2) of Directive 2002/20/EC (Authorisation Directive).’;

7.

Article 9(1), (2) and (3) shall be replaced by the following:

‘1.   National regulatory authorities shall monitor the evolution and level of retail tariffs of the services identified in Articles 4 to 7 as falling under the universal service obligations and either provided by designated undertakings or available on the market, if no undertakings are designated in relation to those services, in particular in relation to national consumer prices and income.

2.   Member States may, in the light of national conditions, require that designated undertakings provide to consumers tariff options or packages which depart from those provided under normal commercial conditions, in particular to ensure that those on low incomes or with special social needs are not prevented from accessing the network referred to in Article 4(1) or from using the services identified in Article 4(3) and Articles 5, 6 and 7 as falling under the universal service obligations and provided by designated undertakings.

3.   Member States may, besides any provision for designated undertakings to provide special tariff options or to comply with price caps or geographical averaging or other similar schemes, ensure that support is provided to consumers identified as having low incomes or special social needs.’;

8.

Article 11(4) shall be replaced by the following:

‘4.   National regulatory authorities shall be able to set performance targets for those undertakings with universal service obligations. In so doing, national regulatory authorities shall take account of views of interested parties, in particular as referred to in Article 33.’;

9.

the title of Chapter III shall be replaced by the following:

10.

Article 16 shall be deleted;

11.

Article 17 shall be amended as follows:

12.

Articles 18 and 19 shall be deleted;

13.

Articles 20 to 23 shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 20

Contracts

1.   Member States shall ensure that, when subscribing to services providing connection to a public communications network and/or publicly available electronic communications services, consumers, and other end-users so requesting, have a right to a contract with an undertaking or undertakings providing such connection and/or services. The contract shall specify in a clear, comprehensive and easily accessible form at least:

Member States may also require that the contract include any information which may be provided by the relevant public authorities for this purpose on the use of electronic communications networks and services to engage in unlawful activities or to disseminate harmful content, and on the means of protection against risks to personal security, privacy and personal data, referred to in Article 21(4)(a) and relevant to the service provided.

2.   Member States shall ensure that where contracts are concluded between subscribers and undertakings providing electronic communications services that allow voice communication, subscribers are clearly informed as to whether or not access to emergency services and caller location information is provided. Providers of electronic communications services shall ensure that customers are clearly informed in advance of the conclusion of a contract of any limitation on access to emergency services, and of any change to access to emergency services.

3.   Member States shall ensure that subscribers have a right to withdraw from their contract without penalty upon notice of modification to the contractual conditions proposed by the undertakings providing electronic communications networks and/or services. Subscribers shall be given adequate notice, not shorter than one month, of any such modification, and shall be informed at the same time of their right to withdraw, without penalty, from their contract if they do not accept the new conditions. Member States shall ensure that national regulatory authorities are able to specify the format of such notifications.

Article 21

Transparency and publication of information

1.   Member States shall ensure that national regulatory authorities are able to oblige undertakings providing electronic communications networks and/or services to publish transparent, comparable, adequate and up-to-date information, as set out in Annex II, on applicable prices and tariffs and standard terms and conditions in respect of access to, and use of, services provided by them to end-users and consumers. National regulatory authorities may specify additional requirements regarding the form in which such information is published to ensure transparency, comparability, clarity and accessibility for the benefit of consumers.

2.   National regulatory authorities shall encourage the provision of comparable information to enable end-users and consumers to make an independent evaluation of the cost of alternative usage patterns, for instance by means of interactive guides or similar techniques. Member States shall ensure that national regulatory authorities may make such guides or techniques available, in particular where they are not available, on the market free of charge or at a reasonable price. Third parties shall have a right to use, free of charge, the information published by undertakings providing electronic communications networks and/or services for the purposes of selling or making available such guides or techniques.

3.   Member States shall ensure that national regulatory authorities are able to oblige undertakings providing electronic communications services to inter alia:

If deemed appropriate, national regulatory authorities may promote self- or co-regulatory measures prior to imposing any obligation.

4.   Member States may require that undertakings referred to in paragraph 3 distribute public interest information free of charge to existing and new subscribers, where appropriate. In such a case, that information shall be provided by the relevant public authorities in a standardised format and shall, inter alia, cover the following topics:

Article 22

Quality of service

1.   Member States shall ensure that national regulatory authorities are, after taking account of the views of interested parties, able to require undertakings that provide publicly available electronic communications networks and/or services to publish comparable, adequate and up-to-date information for end-users on the quality of their services and measures taken to ensure comparable access for disabled end-users. That information shall, on request, be supplied to the national regulatory authority in advance of its publication.

2.   National regulatory authorities may specify, inter alia, the quality of service parameters to be measured and the content, form and manner of the information to be published, including possible quality certification mechanisms, in order to ensure that end-users have access to comprehensive, comparable, reliable and user-friendly information. Where appropriate, the parameters, definitions and measurement methods set out in Annex III may be used.

3.   In order to prevent the degradation of service and the hindering or slowing down of traffic over networks, Member States shall ensure that national regulatory authorities are able to set minimum quality of service requirements on an undertaking or undertakings providing public communications networks.

Article 23

Availability of services

Member States shall take all necessary measures to ensure the fullest possible availability of publicly available telephone services provided over public communications networks in the event of catastrophic network breakdown or in cases of force majeure. Member States shall ensure that undertakings providing publicly available telephone services take all necessary measures to ensure uninterrupted access to emergency services.’;

14.

the following Article shall be inserted:

‘Article 23a

Ensuring comparable access and choice for disabled end-users

1.   Member States shall enable relevant national authorities to specify, where appropriate, requirements to be met by undertakings providing publicly available electronic communication services to ensure that disabled end-users:

2.   In order to be able to adopt and implement specific arrangements for disabled end-users, Member States shall encourage the availability of terminal equipment offering the necessary services and functions.’;

15.

Article 25 shall be amended as follows:

16.

Articles 26 and 27 shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 26

Emergency services and the single European emergency call number

1.   Member States shall ensure that all end-users of the service referred to in paragraph 2, including users of public pay telephones, are able to call the emergency services free of charge and without having to use any means of payment, by using the single European emergency call number “112” and any national emergency call number specified by Member States.

2.   Member States shall ensure that undertakings providing end-users with an electronic communications service for originating national calls to a number or numbers in a national telephone numbering plan provide access to emergency services.

3.   Member States shall ensure that calls to the single European emergency call number “112” are appropriately answered and handled in the manner best suited to the national organisation of emergency systems. Such calls shall be answered and handled at least as expeditiously and effectively as calls to the national emergency number or numbers, where these continue to be in use.

4.   Member States shall ensure that access for disabled end-users to emergency services is comparable to that enjoyed by other end-users. Measures taken to ensure that disabled end-users are able to access emergency services whilst travelling in other Member States shall be based to the greatest extent possible on European standards or specifications published in accordance with the provisions of Article 17 of Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework Directive), and they shall not prevent Member States from adopting additional requirements in order to pursue the objectives set out in this Article.

5.   Member States shall ensure that, to the extent technically feasible, undertakings concerned make caller location information available free of charge to the authority handling emergency calls as soon as the call reaches that authority. This applies to all calls to the single European emergency call number “112”. Member States may extend this obligation to cover calls to national emergency numbers. Where undertakings referred to in paragraph 2 wish to claim that providing caller location information is not technically feasible, they shall bear the burden of proving this.

6.   Member States shall ensure that citizens are adequately informed about the existence and use of the single European emergency call number “112”, in particular through initiatives specifically targeting persons travelling between Member States.

Article 27

European telephone access codes

1.   Member States shall ensure that the “00” code is the standard international access code. Special arrangements for making calls between locations adjacent to one another across borders between Member States may be established or continued. End-users in the locations concerned shall be fully informed of such arrangements.

2.   Member States shall ensure that all undertakings that provide publicly available telephone services allowing international calls handle all calls to and from the European Telephone Numbering Space (ETNS), without prejudice to the need for undertakings to recover their costs.’;

17.

the following Article shall be inserted:

‘Article 27a

Harmonised numbers for harmonised services of social value, including the missing children hotline number

1.   Member States shall promote the specific numbers in the numbering range beginning with “116” identified by Commission Decision 2007/116/EC of 15 February 2007 on reserving the national numbering range beginning with “116” for harmonised numbers for harmonised services of social value (19). They shall encourage the provision within their territory of the services for which such numbers are reserved.

2.   Member States shall facilitate access by disabled end-users to services provided under the “116” numbering range. Measures taken to facilitate disabled end-users’ access to such services whilst travelling in other Member States may include ensuring compliance with relevant standards or specifications published in accordance with the provisions of Article 17 of Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework Directive).

3.   Member States shall ensure that citizens are adequately informed of the existence and use of services provided under the “116” numbering range, in particular through initiatives specifically targeting persons travelling between Member States.

4.   Member States shall, in addition to measures of general applicability to all numbers in the “116” numbering range taken pursuant to paragraphs 1, 2, and 3, facilitate citizens’ access to a service operating a hotline to report cases of missing children. The hotline shall be available on the number 116000.

18.

Article 28 shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 28

Access to numbers and services

1.   Member States shall ensure that, where technically and economically feasible, and except where a called subscriber has chosen for commercial reasons to limit access by calling parties located in specific geographical areas, relevant national authorities take all necessary steps to ensure that end-users are able to:

2.   Member States shall ensure that the relevant authorities are able to require undertakings providing public communications networks and/or publicly available electronic communications services to block, on a case-by-case basis, access to numbers or services where this is justified by reasons of fraud or misuse and to require that in such cases providers of electronic communications services withhold relevant interconnection or other service revenues.’;

19.

Article 29 shall be amended as follows:

20.

Article 30 shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 30

Facilitating change of provider

1.   Member States shall ensure that all subscribers with numbers from the national telephone numbering plan who so request can retain their number(s) independently of the undertaking providing the service in accordance with the provisions of Part C of Annex I.

2.   National regulatory authorities shall ensure that pricing between operators and/or service providers related to the provision of number portability is cost-oriented, and that direct charges to subscribers, if any, do not act as a disincentive for subscribers against changing service provider.

3.   National regulatory authorities shall not impose retail tariffs for the porting of numbers in a manner that would distort competition, such as by setting specific or common retail tariffs.

4.   Porting of numbers and their subsequent activation shall be carried out within the shortest possible time. In any case, the time taken for the technical transfer of the number shall not exceed one day.

Competent national authorities may establish the global process of porting of numbers, taking into account national provisions on contracts and technical feasibility, including where necessary measures ensuring that subscribers are protected throughout the switching process.

5.   Member States shall ensure that contracts concluded between users and undertakings providing electronic communications services do not mandate an initial commitment period that exceeds 24 months.

6.   Without prejudice to any minimum contractual period, Member States shall ensure that conditions and procedures for contract termination do not act as a disincentive against changing service provider.’;

21.

Article 31(1) shall be replaced by the following:

‘1.   Member States may impose reasonable “must carry” obligations, for the transmission of specified radio and television broadcast channels and complementary services, particularly accessibility services to enable appropriate access for disabled end-users, on undertakings under their jurisdiction providing electronic communications networks used for the distribution of radio or television broadcast channels to the public where a significant number of end-users of such networks use them as their principal means to receive radio and television broadcast channels. Such obligations shall only be imposed where they are necessary to meet general interest objectives as clearly defined by each Member State and shall be proportionate and transparent.

The obligations referred to in the first subparagraph shall be reviewed by the Member States at the latest within one year of … (20), except where Member States have carried out such a review within the previous two years.

Member States shall review “must carry” obligations on a regular basis.’;

22.

Article 33 shall be amended as follows:

23.

Article 34(1) shall be replaced by the following:

‘1.   Member States shall ensure that transparent, simple and inexpensive out-of-court procedures are available for dealing with unresolved disputes between consumers and undertakings providing electronic communications networks and/or services arising under this Directive and relating to the contractual conditions and/or performance of contracts concerning the supply of those networks and/or services. Member States shall adopt measures to ensure that such procedures enable disputes to be settled fairly and promptly and may, where warranted, adopt a system of reimbursement and/or compensation. Member States may extend these obligations to cover disputes involving other end-users.’;

24.

Article 35 shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 35

Adaptation of annexes

Measures designed to amend non-essential elements of this Directive and necessary to adapt Annexes I, II, III, and VI to technological developments or changes in market demand shall be adopted by the Commission in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 37(2).’;

25.

Article 36(2) shall be replaced by the following:

‘2.   National regulatory authorities shall notify to the Commission the universal service obligations imposed upon undertakings designated as having universal service obligations. Any changes affecting these obligations or of the undertakings affected under the provisions of this Directive shall be notified to the Commission without delay.’;

26.

Article 37 shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 37

Committee procedure

1.   The Commission shall be assisted by the Communications Committee set up under Article 22 of Directive 2002/21/EC (Framework Directive).

2.   Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5a (1) to (4) and Article 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to the provisions of Article 8 thereof.’;

27.

Annexes I, II, III and VI shall be replaced by the text appearing in Annexes I and II to this Directive;

28.

Annex VII shall be deleted.

1.

Article 1(1) shall be replaced by the following:

‘1.   This Directive provides for the harmonisation of the national provisions required to ensure an equivalent level of protection of fundamental rights and freedoms, and in particular the right to privacy, with respect to the processing of personal data in the electronic communication sector and to ensure the free movement of such data and of electronic communication equipment and services in the Community.’;

2.

Article 2 shall be amended as follows:

3.

Article 3 shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 3

Services concerned

This Directive shall apply to the processing of personal data in connection with the provision of publicly available electronic communications services in public communications networks in the Community, including public communications networks supporting data collection and identification devices.’;

4.

Article 4 shall be amended as follows:

5.

Article 5(3) shall be replaced by the following:

‘3.   Member States shall ensure that the storing of information, or access to information already stored, in the terminal equipment of a subscriber or user is only allowed on condition that the subscriber or user concerned is provided with clear and comprehensive information, in accordance with Directive 95/46/EC, inter alia about the purposes of the processing, and is offered the right to refuse such processing by the data controller. This shall not prevent any technical storage or access for the sole purpose of carrying out or facilitating the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network, or as strictly necessary in order to provide an information society service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user.’;

6.

Article 6 shall be amended as follows:

7.

Article 13 shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 13

Unsolicited communications

1.   The use of automated calling systems without human intervention (automatic calling machines), facsimile machines (fax) or electronic mail (including short message services (SMS) and multimedia messaging services (MMS)) for the purposes of direct marketing may be allowed only in respect of subscribers or users who have given their prior consent.

2.   Notwithstanding paragraph 1, where a natural or legal person obtains from its customers their electronic contact details for electronic mail, in the context of the sale of a product or a service, in accordance with Directive 95/46/EC, the same natural or legal person may use these electronic contact details for direct marketing of its own similar products or services provided that customers clearly and distinctly are given the opportunity to object, free of charge and in an easy manner, to such use of electronic contact details at the time of their collection and on the occasion of each message in case the customer has not initially refused such use.

3.   Member States shall take appropriate measures to ensure that unsolicited communications for the purposes of direct marketing, in cases other than those referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2, are not allowed either without the consent of the subscribers or users concerned or in respect of subscribers or users who do not wish to receive these communications, the choice between these options to be determined by national legislation, taking into account that both options must be free of charge for the subscriber or user.

4.   In any event, the practice of sending electronic mail for the purposes of direct marketing disguising or concealing the identity of the sender on whose behalf the communication is made, or in contravention of Article 6 of Directive 2000/31/EC, or without a valid address to which the recipient may send a request that such communications cease, shall be prohibited.

5.   Paragraphs 1 and 3 shall apply to subscribers who are natural persons. Member States shall also ensure, in the framework of Community law and applicable national legislation, that the legitimate interests of subscribers other than natural persons with regard to unsolicited communications are sufficiently protected.

6.   Without prejudice to any administrative remedy for which provision may be made, inter alia, under Article 15a(2), Member States shall ensure that any natural or legal person adversely affected by infringements of national provisions adopted pursuant to this Article and therefore having a legitimate interest in the cessation or prohibition of such infringements, including an electronic communications service provider protecting its legitimate business interests, may bring legal proceedings in respect of such infringements. Member States may also lay down specific rules on penalties applicable to providers of electronic communications services which by their negligence contribute to infringements of national provisions adopted pursuant to this Article.’;

8.

the following Article shall be inserted:

‘Article 15a

Implementation and enforcement

1.   Member States shall lay down the rules on penalties applicable to infringements of the national provisions adopted pursuant to this Directive and shall take all measures necessary to ensure that they are implemented. The penalties provided for must be effective, proportionate and dissuasive and may be applied to cover the period of any breach, even where the breach has subsequently been rectified. The Member States shall notify those provisions to the Commission by … (22), and shall notify it without delay of any subsequent amendment affecting them.

2.   Member States shall ensure that the competent national authority and, where relevant, other national bodies have the power to order the cessation of the infringements referred to in paragraph 1.

3.   Member States shall ensure that the competent national authority and, where relevant, other national bodies have all necessary investigative powers and resources, including the power to obtain any relevant information they might need to monitor and enforce national provisions adopted pursuant to this Directive.

4.   In order to ensure effective cross-border cooperation in the enforcement of the national laws adopted pursuant to this Directive and to create harmonised conditions for the provision of services involving cross-border data flows, the Commission may adopt recommendations, following consultation with ENISA, the Article 29 Working Party and the relevant regulatory authorities.’.

‘17.

Directive 2002/58/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 July 2002 concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector (Directive on privacy and electronic communications): Article 13 (OJ L 201, 31.7.2002, p. 37).’.