Overview
About BEREC
Chair
Strategy
Work Programme
Working Groups
DMA High Level Group
Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications
With BEREC, the EU brings all European regulatory authorities and neighboring observers to one independent table working on electronic communications. Here we learn from each other using "best practices", implement them harmonized across Europe and advise the legislator with expertise.
This expertise is nourished by the large pool of experts from the member states. They come together in working groups and deal with important issues in order to move Europe forward. These topics build on the BEREC strategy in the medium term and on the BEREC work programme in the short term.
BEREC's Chair
Tonko Obuljen from the Crotation regulator HAKOM chairs BEREC in 2024. Chair and Vice-Chairs are elected annually for the following year. Together they form the Mini Board.
One of the three additional Vice-Chairs is provided by the countries with observer status at BEREC. The Vice-Chairs support the Troika (Chair, Incoming and Outgoing Chair) in their strategic work. Usually each Vice-Chair is responsible for a specific topic.
The Mini Board meets twice a year and also regularly before the plenary sessions to discuss current topics on the telecommunications markets and to ensure the implementation of the Work Programme.
Mini Board 2024
| Chair | Tonko Obuljen | Kroatien (HAKOM) |
| Incoming Chair | Robert Mourik | Irland (ComReg) |
| Outgoing Chair | Konstantinos Masselos | Griechenland (EETT) |
| Vice Chair | Patrícia Silva Gonçalves | Portugal (ANACOM) |
| Vice Chair | Laure de La Raudière | Frankreich (ARCEP) |
| Vice Chair | Hrafnkell V. Gíslason | Island (ECOI) |
A Strategy for Europe
The current BEREC strategy is valid for the years 2021 to 2025. It therefore runs parallel to the legislative periods of the European Commission in order to make BEREC's work more effective. The strategy itself follows the five priorities from the EECC:
- Promoting connectivity and access to, and take-up of, very high capacity networks;
- Promoting competition and efficient investment;
- Contributing to the development of the internal market;
- Promoting the interests of the citizens of the Union.
BEREC set itself three high-level goals derived from this:
- Promoting full connectivity;
- Supporting sustainable and open digital markets;
- Empowering end-users.
Work Programme 2024
The BEREC Strategy 2021 to 2025 with its three strategic priorities "Enhancing Connectivity", "Digital Markets" and "End Users" sets the direction in the current BEREC Work Programme 2024.
It contains a total of 46 tasks. 13 topics are assigned to the strategic priority of promoting full connectivity. These include 5G networks, network resilience, satellite communication, the Digital Decade Policy Programme, remedies and infrastructure
Ten topics can be found under the strategic priority of promoting sustainable and open digital markets. These include a measurement tool for the open internet, the implementation of the Data Act, empowerment of national regulatory authorities and challenges in the area of sustainability.
Four topics can be found within the strategic priority of empowering end users. These are three carry-overs from the previous year and a BEREC opinion on Article 123 of the EECC. Article 123 introduces a specific review procedure for end user rights, where BEREC publishes and assesses an opinion on market and technological developments in relation to the different types of electronic communications services.
19 common topics or topics foreseen in the regulatory framework can also be found in the 2024 work programme as well as a concluding chapter with proposals for 2025 or beyond.
Working Groups
The tasks of the Work Programme are distributed among the different Working Groups. The work for 2024 is assigned to the respective Working Groups according to the list below.
| Working Group | Deliverable 2024 |
|---|---|
| Fixed Network Evolution (FNE) | Update of criterion 3 of the BEREC Guidelines on very high capacity networks |
| BEREC Progress Report on managing copper network switch-off | |
| Market and Economic Analysis (MEA) | Report on the regulation of physical infrastructure access |
| Workshop on ex ante regulatory experience concerning commitments, wholesale-only undertakings and commercial agreements review | |
| Report on the design, enforcement and monitoring of remedies in subnational markets with multiple SMP operators | |
| Digital Markets (DM) | BEREC contribution to the implementation of the Digital Markets Act |
| BEREC Report on the entry of large content and application providers into the markets for electronic communications networks and services (carry-over) | |
| BEREC internal workshop on the implementation of the Digital Services Act | |
| BEREC contribution to the implementation of the Data Act | |
| Open Internet (OI) | Implementation of the Open Internet Regulation and the BEREC Open Internet Guidelines |
| Collaboration on net neutrality measurement tools | |
| BEREC Report on the IP Interconnection ecosystem (carry-over) | |
| End User (EU) | BEREC Opinion on Article 123 EECC |
| BEREC Report on Member States’ best practices to support the defining of adequate broadband Internet access service (carry-over) | |
| BEREC Guidelines detailing Quality of Service (QoS) parameters (carry-over) | |
| Regulatory Framework (RF) | Ad hoc input to the EU/NRAs |
| BEREC opinion on the national implementation and functioning of the general authorisation regime | |
| BEREC report on national experiences of the implementation of the EECC (carry-over) + External Workshop | |
| BEREC Report on the authorisation and related framework for international connectivity infrastructures (carry over) | |
| Inventory of the evolution of NRAs’ competencies | |
| International Roaming (ROAM) | International roaming benchmark data and monitoring Report |
| Update of BEREC retail Guidelines on the Roaming Regulation | |
| Intra-EU communications Benchmark Report | |
| Ukraine monitoring report | |
| Update BEREC Intra-EU communications Guidelines | |
| BEREC Opinion about the functioning of the Roaming Regulation | |
| BEREC Report on M2M and permanent roaming (carry-over) | |
| Remedies and Market Monitoring (RAMM) | Article 32/33 Phase II process |
| Implementation report on the BEREC Guidelines on Geographical surveys of network deployments | |
| WACC parameters’ calculation according to the EC Notice | |
| Report on regulatory accounting in practice | |
| Report on Connectivity Indicators for the Digital Decade Policy Programme | |
| Workshop on economic replicability test practices in the context of art. 61.3 of the EECC | |
| Wireless Network Evolution (WNE) | Peer review process and engaging with RSPG |
| BEREC Report on the evolution of private and public 5G networks in the Europe | |
| BEREC External workshop about the usage of satellite technologies in mobile communications | |
| Planning and Future Trends (PFT) | BEREC Strategies beyond 2025 |
| BEREC Report on cloud services and edge computing (carry-over) | |
| BEREC workshop on the perspectives and regulatory/competition challenges of Internet of Things (carry-over) | |
| Digital Radar | |
| Cybersecurity (CS) | Ad-hoc work on cybersecurity related matters |
| Safety and security opportunities and challenges for networks resilience | |
| Sustainability (SUS) | Ad hoc on sustainability |
| BEREC report on empowering end-users through environmental transparency on digital products and services (carry-over) + Workshop | |
| BEREC Workshop on telecom regulators role in the development and implementation of sustainability indicators in the ICT sector | |
| Report on Infrastructure sharing as a lever for ECN/ECS environmental sustainability |
DMA High Level Group
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) stipulates a High Level Group to advise and assist the European Commission in the enforcement of the DMA. Six organisations make up this group and each sends up to six people. BEREC is among them, sending its Mini Board plus one other representative. In an election among BEREC members, our Executive Director Klaus M. Steinmaurer won this position. He is now the sixth BEREC representative in the DMA High Level Group.
The six bodies and networks sending represantitves to the DMA High Level Group are:
- BEREC - Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications;
- EDPS - European Data Protection Supervisor;
- EDPB - European Data Protection Board;
- ECN - European Competition Network;
- CPC - Consumer Protection Cooperation Network;
- ERGA - European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services.