Stenograma dezbaterilor

Miercuri, 23 martie 2022 - Bruxelles

22. Regulamentul privind roamingul (reformare) (dezbatere)

  Die Präsidentin. – Als nächster Punkt der Tagesordnung folgt die Aussprache über den Bericht von Angelika Winzig im Namen des Ausschusses für Industrie, Forschung und Energie über den Vorschlag für eine Verordnung des Europäischen Parlaments und des Rates über das Roaming in öffentlichen Mobilfunknetzen in der Union (Neufassung) (COM(2021)0085 – C9-0085/2021 – 2021/0045(COD)) (A9—0286/2021).

  Angelika Winzig, rapporteur. – Madam President, dear Commissioner McGuinness, dear colleagues, first, I would like to thank the Slovenian Presidency and Commissioner Breton for the good cooperation during the trilogue negotiations. Special thanks to the shadow rapporteurs and the involved staff for your excellent work.

I am convinced that we found a good agreement for European citizens and businesses. The new Roaming Regulation is not just a simple prolongation, but it represents a significant improvement for all end-users. Consumers will benefit from the same quality of service across the entire Union. This means that operators cannot deliberately slow down the data speed of the customers anymore.

Furthermore, the new regulation foresees increased transparency obligations in terms of value-added service numbers as well as emergency communication. From now on, consumers will be able to better differentiate between ordinary numbers and numbers where additional charges apply. This access to emergency communications when travelling will be easier and more transparent.

The mobile telecommunication market as a whole, and especially the roaming market, are developing fast. With the development of future network technologies as well as the increased use of IoT—devices and M2M services, we are looking towards an exciting future.

In order to keep the regulation up to date, we need to gather as much data as possible, to take the right action to foster innovation and facilitate business development. Therefore, the Roaming Regulation extended reporting obligations, which brings us in the position to keep the finger on the pulse of the market.

It is very clear that the European Parliament needs to stay in charge of the next review of the Roaming Regulation. In this regard, the European Parliament fought to take out the delegated act and prevailed, as Parliament we are pushing the Commission to have a closer look into fair-use policies.

It is a fact that a true ‘roam like at home’ experience is only possible when end-users can benefit from the full subscription abroad. The balance between the ability of operators to offer roaming services sustainably and the possibility for customers to use the tariffs as extensively as possible should be re—evaluated.

We also tackled the topic of the intra—EU calls. It’s not understandable for our citizens when I have to pay surcharges when calling from my Member State to another EU country but I don’t have to pay extra when I’m travelling across the Union. The Roaming Regulation contains a provision that urges the Commission to carry out an evaluation of the current situation.

Last but not least, the most important issue in this regulation, the wholesale caps. Low wholesale caps empower small operators to offer a roaming service sustainably and are key for more competition in the telecommunication market, and I think that’s necessary. At the end, we found a balanced agreement which takes into account both aspects: the consumers and the investment needs of operators. Starting with two euros in 2020, we gradually reduced the wholesale charges on data to one euro in 2027. I know there’s still a lot of work in the future and I’m looking forward to the discussion now.

  Andreas Schwab, Verfasser der Stellungnahme des mitberatenden Ausschusses für Binnenmarkt und Verbraucherschutz. – Frau Präsidentin, Frau Kommissarin, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Ich möchte zunächst einmal die Gelegenheit nutzen, Frau Kollegin Winzig zu einer exzellenten Arbeit als Berichterstatterin für den federführenden Ausschuss zum Thema Roaming zu danken. Es ist wichtig, dass wir das Kernanliegen der Regulierung in diesem Bereich aufrechterhalten, dass wir nämlich den Bürgerinnen und Bürgern, den Nutzerinnen und Nutzern, den Verbrauchern den Binnenmarkt in einer Weise anbieten wollen, dass er ihnen am meisten nutzt.

Richtig ist dabei, dass dadurch natürlich die wirtschaftlichen Aspekte der Anbieter ein Stück weit eingeschränkt werden mussten; und wir sehen – und ich weiß, dass auch Frau Kollegin Winzig sich dessen bewusst ist –, dass das Investieren in den europäischen Telekommunikationsmarkt in den vergangenen zehn Jahren deutlich weniger attraktiv war als beispielsweise in den amerikanischen Markt. Wir sehen das auch bei einigen Unternehmen, die ich jetzt nicht namentlich erwähnen möchte. Aber das muss uns natürlich für die kommenden zehn Jahre Auftrag sein, dass wir die Investitionsbedingungen auch in Europa wieder vereinfachen.

Gleichzeitig, Frau Präsidentin, möchte ich kurz darauf hinweisen, dass mir drei Punkte wichtig sind, auch mir als Mitglied des Ausschusses für Binnenmarkt und Verbraucherschutz: Anrufe innerhalb der EU sind in den Anwendungsbereich aufgenommen worden. Das ist gut. Es macht keinen Sinn, dass Anrufe von zu Hause in ein anderes EU-Land im Anwendungsbereich sind und möglicherweise teurer sind als Anrufe im Ausland. Zum Zweiten hat Frau Kollegin Winzig für die EVP sicherstellen können, dass bei Diensten im In- und Ausland die gleiche Qualität gewährleistet wird. Das ist wichtig, denn mit 5G wird es immer bedeutsamer, dass die Dienste eine entsprechende Qualität haben. Und schließlich ist es wichtig, dass der effektive Zugang zu Notrufen in allen Mitgliedstaaten die gleiche Bedeutung bekommt und überall in gleicher Geschwindigkeit verfügbar ist.

Es sind drei gute Argumente, warum heute alle Bürgerinnen und Bürger der Europäischen Union von diesem Vorschlag profitieren. Und deswegen herzlichen Dank, Frau Kollegin Winzig.

  Mairead McGuinness, Member of the Commission. – Madam President, really, I do want to say a big thank you to honourable Members and the rapporteurs because your work on the negotiations means that every European will continue to benefit for a further 10 years from the freedom to travel across the Union without having to pay additional roaming charges for calls, text messages and mobile data. And this is an excellent result.

For many people it’s not only a feature that they enjoy and they are aware of, it’s a clear symbol of what it means to be part of the single market. We’ve seen that leaving the single market brought back roaming surcharges for many British citizens. With the agreement reached in December EU citizens will not only be free from surcharges but will also be guaranteed better quality, better protection from hidden costs and better access to emergency services.

The work of this House also greatly contributed to making this regulation more sustainable for telecom operators by providing a path for reduction of the caps for prices at wholesale level while still ensuring cost recovery. It’s now crucial that the new rules enter into force before the existing Regulation expires in June.

One final point. Recently, many of you, and indeed many of our Member States, have raised the roaming charges issue in the context of Putin’s aggression against Ukraine as a way to show our support and solidarity with the people of Ukraine in this tragic moment. I could not agree more. In the face of this crisis, for Ukrainian citizens forced to flee their country, being able to communicate with their loved ones back home is of the utmost importance.

I’m very happy to report that various European telecom operators took swift action to reduce roaming costs, to provide hundreds of thousands of free SIM cards or free calls to Ukraine or free Wi-Fi in border areas or shelters. These voluntary measures are the quickest way to address this challenge and have already made a real difference on the ground to many refugees.

The Commission has been calling on European operators to continue these measures for as long as this tragic situation persists, and for more operators to join this action as Ukrainian citizens are increasingly moving across all of Europe. We are also looking into possibilities to go further. Together with the European telecom regulators we are working closely with EU operators and Ukrainian authorities on this issue. I’m sure this is very important for this House and I’m very pleased to bring that information to you, and I look forward to our debate.

  Robert Hajšel, on behalf of the S&D Group. – Madam President, Madam Commissioner, let me thank the rapporteur Angelika Winzig for the fruitful cooperation in reaching the agreement on this revision, also to other shadow rapporteurs from other political groups.

‘Roaming like at home’ became a reality in 2017 and it changed our travelling patterns forever. After more than two years of pandemic, with the war in Ukraine, Europe is now facing even more serious challenges. As S&D negotiator for roaming, I am glad we managed not only to extend the rules for another 10 years, but also to remove existing barriers and discriminatory practices. We managed to further lower wholesale prices, introduced guarantee of quality of service, improve transparency and secure free access to emergency services. All of this hasn’t been the case until now.

Europeans benefiting from free movement cannot be punished with lower quality or higher charges, no matter where they come from or how long they stay in another Member State.

Facing the war in Ukraine, I am happy that I insisted on inclusion of the free roaming provisions also in the international agreements to be concluded in the future. In this context, I think that the lower charges for mobile-phone use in Europe should be very helpful to all the refugees coming from Ukraine.

  Izaskun Bilbao Barandica, en nombre del Grupo Renew. – Señora presidenta, señora comisaria, este acuerdo para prolongar diez años la gratuidad del roaming permite a cualquier persona entender qué significa avanzar en el mercado único digital. Gracias a un proceso de integración consolidamos un derecho que notamos, además, en nuestros bolsillos, porque no habrá sobrecostes por hacer llamadas de voz o usar servicios de datos mientras viajamos por la Unión Europea.

Aprovecho aquí para proponer que nos empeñemos —como ha dicho la comisaria— en resolver el problema que causa el roaming a los millones de desplazados que llegan a la Unión desde Ucrania: conectar con sus familiares y amigos que defienden allí, sobre el terreno, los valores de nuestra Unión contra la dictadura de Putin es una necesidad básica, y hacerlo desde aquí tiene para ellos un gravoso sobrecoste.

Avanzar en el mercado único digital es, además, un estímulo que abre oportunidades para que la innovación propicie la aparición de nuevos servicios que fortalezcan nuestra competitividad en la economía de los datos, en la economía digital.

Finalmente, este paso adelante es, además, una esperanza. Este acuerdo demuestra que, si hay voluntad de diálogo y empeño, hay mecanismos para intervenir en los precios cuando el mercado por sí mismo no funciona adecuadamente. La Unión debe desplegar con urgencia esta misma capacidad regulatoria en otros sectores, como la energía, cuyo mercado necesita una mayor integración. La soberanía y la resiliencia de Europa dependen de ello.

  Jordi Solé, en nombre del Grupo Verts/ALE. – Señora presidenta, señora comisaria, hace cinco años, el fin de las fronteras para las tarifas móviles supuso un antes y un después para los usuarios. La aplicación estos años de la normativa ha sido un éxito, demostrando no solo la oportunidad, sino también la viabilidad de la misma. Hoy, con la extensión del Reglamento sobre el roaming para los próximos diez años, damos un paso más reforzando el principio de «roam like at home» y las garantías de calidad de prestación del servicio.

Gracias al papel del Parlamento durante las negociaciones, hemos conseguido que se rebajen paulatinamente los precios máximos que las operadoras se cobran entre ellas por el uso de la red, facilitando así una mayor diversificación del mercado. También es destacable que se incluyan más números de servicios de emergencia, que deberán prestarse sin coste adicional para el usuario de roaming.

Finalmente, en definitiva, creo que el texto atribuye unas obligaciones asumibles para las operadoras, a la vez que refuerza los derechos de los usuarios para acceder a los servicios móviles con la misma calidad y al mismo precio que en su país de origen.

Por último, quiero agradecer a la ponente y al resto de ponentes alternativos el trabajo realizado.

  Evžen Tošenovský, za skupinu ECR. – Paní předsedající, paní komisařko, v prvé řadě bych chtěl velmi ocenit spolupráci s celým parlamentním týmem v čele s paní zpravodajkou Winzigovou a současně jí poblahopřát k dojednanému nařízení, protože to nebylo nic jednoduchého. V telekomunikačních roamingových službách se bohužel v minulosti ukázalo, že administrativní zásah je nutný. Trh dlouhodobě nebyl schopen nalézt rozumné parametry. Vidíme, že zafungovalo odbourání roamingu napříč Unií založené na principu roam like at home, a jsem proto rád, že ze stávajícího systému budou moci profitovat naši občané i v příštích deseti letech. Dojednali jsme další zlepšení informovanosti spotřebitelů při překročení hranic, vyřešení problému čísel pro tísňová volání i služeb s přidanou hodnotou. Vzhledem k tomu, že jsem byl stínovým zpravodajem pro předchozí legislativu k roamingu, byla pro mě závěrečná noční debata o velkoobchodních cenových stropech určitým déjà vu. Je zajímavé, že vždy schvalujeme roaming někdy hluboce po půlnoci. Můj přístup byl vždy spíš konzervativnější. Cenové stropy by měly sloužit jako pojistka, jako opravdový strop, pod který se schovají všichni operátoři. Nalezený kompromis definující stropy pro velkoobchodní ceny za datové přenosy je ve výsledku velmi rozumným řešením. Ještě jednou děkuji paní kolegyni Winzigové a všem kolegům stínovým zpravodajům.

  Lina Gálvez Muñoz (S&D). – Señora presidenta, señora comisaria, en primer lugar, me gustaría dar la enhorabuena al equipo negociador que, tras complejas conversaciones, ha llegado a un compromiso equilibrado que garantiza la continuidad del roaming por otros diez años más, evitando que se interrumpiera ese logro para los consumidores. La política de itinerancia como en casa o roaming, es un logro europeo que debemos seguir defendiendo para que los consumidores puedan seguir usando sus teléfonos móviles cuando viajan por la Unión Europea sin sorpresas ni cargos adicionales.

El acuerdo al que se llegó en un diálogo tripartito que tuve el honor de presidir garantiza el derecho a la misma calidad y velocidad de conexión móvil cuando se viaja a otros Estados miembros, igual que en casa, y reduce progresivamente las tarifas de itinerancia al por mayor, el acceso gratuito a los servicios de emergencia, también para personas con necesidades especiales, y prevé que la Comisión evalúe si es necesario seguir reduciendo los recargos para las llamadas internacionales dentro de la Unión. Por todo eso, creo que debemos votar a favor del acuerdo que garantiza la continuidad de la política de itinerancia como en casa, y mantener así el gran éxito visible para la ciudadanía europea dentro del mercado único digital.

  Dita Charanzová (Renew). – Madam President, consumers today may take it for granted, but I remember the huge bills consumers faced for using their phone while roaming. It was outrageous. For me, it is clear: extending the ban on roaming charges is the right step. The end of roaming is a concrete example of the European Union solving a practical problem.

We did the same with limiting the costs of long-distance calls – so-called intra-EU calls. During the last mandate, I fought hard for our citizens to get a deal on lower prices on long-distance calls. However, the price limits that protect the most vulnerable among us will expire in May 2024. So the Commission should now extend the price limits on intra-EU calls, or even go further and abolish long-distance surcharges altogether. The message today is clear: ‘no’ to roaming charges and ‘no’ to long distance.

  Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (S&D). – Madam President, five years went quickly. I am very happy now because I was the rapporteur last mandate. I know the mandate before, we didn't succeed. Last mandate we did and it was thanks to the good work of Parliament mainly that we managed to push down prices. And now I may congratulate the negotiators on the good results, with the right data prices, fair-use policy, even improved quality of service. But today we do have people among us who long for their dear ones in Ukraine. And thanksto the generosity of the telecom operators, as the Commissioner told us, there have been free SIM cards and services and WiFi offered. But I also see, and there has been readiness for the regional roaming agreement, which was due to be signed by the end of the year. I have not seen any news that it took place. Is that the case? We need to help and I want to have concrete measures. We are helping many companies. Can we also not only plead with them to do it for free?

VORSITZ: RAINER WIELAND
Vizepräsident

  Mairead McGuinness, Member of the Commission. – Mr President, just to say this is a very pleasant debate because it’s good work and it’s progress, all building on what has already been the case.

Ms Charanzová, I think you were right to remind us of how it used to be, because we tend to just take this for granted that we can ‘roam like at home’. So again, to thank the Parliament for this good cooperation and ensuring that the continued benefits apply for all EU citizens and businesses, particularly in the single market and how it functions.

I want to thank those of you who commented on the issue of roaming for Ukrainian refugees. I want to give you the assurance that my colleague Thierry Breton and his services are committed to supporting Ukraine and its people, and are actively engaging with all relevant counterparts, with support by BEREC, to ensure fast and coordinated action, and I think all of us fully support that. So thank you.

  Angelika Winzig, rapporteur. – Mr President, I want to close this debate in a special way. The terrible Russian war against Ukraine is having a devastating impact on the Ukrainian population. Over three million people have already made their way to the EU. These refugees try to stay in touch with their relatives and friends who have remained in Ukraine. This is often resulting in immense roaming costs.

Many European operators have already announced that they will suspend roaming costs for their customers inside and outside of Ukraine. I welcome those efforts but unfortunately this has no significant impact on Ukrainian refugees as they are using Ukrainian SIM cards and are not customers of the European operators. I want to take this opportunity to call on European operators to go a step further and truly make a difference for Ukrainian refugees by temporarily suspending the wholesale caps they are charging their Ukrainian partners. This way the latter can offer their customers free roaming in the European Union.

In addition I am urging European operators to provide Ukrainian refugees unbureaucratic access to European SIM cards, possibly with special tariffs, so that they can stay in touch with their family back in Ukraine.

  Der Präsident. – Die Aussprache ist geschlossen.

Die Abstimmung findet am Donnerstag, 24. März 2022, statt.

Schriftliche Erklärungen (Artikel 171)

  Csaba Molnár (S&D), írásban. – Az európai uniós polgárok életét jelentősen megkönnyítette, hogy az Európai Unión belüli utazásaik során a mobil kommunikáció mindenki számára korlátlanul elérhetővé és megfizethetővé vált. A mobil kommunikáció EU-n belüli 2017es forradalmi megkönnyítésé ugyanilyen mértékben tette komfortosabbá és biztonságosabbá a személyek szabad mozgását az Európai Unió tagországai között közvetlenül erősítve a négy alapszabadság egyikét, indirekt módon jelentősen kihatva a többi három alapelvre is. A Demokratikus Koalíció víziója az Egyesült Európai Államok megvalósíthatóságának érdekében a technikailag és gazdaságilag is határok nélkül hozzáférhető mobilkommunikáció kiemelkedő jelentőségű, hiszen azt szeretnék elérni, hogy a magyar polgárok jogait és ügyeit európai uniós szinten kezeljék és védjék. Az EU 2007-ben csökkente először a roaming díjakat, amiket aztán fogyasztók felé 2017-ben megszüntetett. 5 évvel a jogszabály elfogadása után ezt azt intézkedést hosszabbítjuk meg és tovább csökkentjük a mobilszolgáltatók terheit, hogy roaming szabályozás fenntartható maradjon.

  Edina Tóth (NI), írásban. – Az Európai Parlament csütörtökön megszavazta az Unión belüli nyilvános mobilhírközlő hálózatok közötti barangolásról szóló, az ún. roaming rendelet átdolgozását. Üdvözlöm a javaslat 2032-ig történő meghosszabbítását, amelynek célja, hogy az magasabb szintű fogyasztóvédelmet vezessen be a szolgáltatások átláthatósága és minősége tekintetében. Az új barangolási szabályoknak köszönhetően a polgárok a barangolásról szóló jelenlegi rendelet 2022. június 30-i lejártát követően is úgy telefonálhatnak, SMS-ezhetnek és internetezhetnek a többi uniós országon belüli utazásaik során, hogy nem kell magas összegű számláktól tartaniuk. Úgy gondolom, hogy a digitális egységes piac egyik legnagyobb sikertörténete a mai napon elfogadott rendelet átdolgozása, hiszen a belföldi díjszabás szerinti barangolásra vonatkozó javaslat megkönnyítette és olcsóbbá tette a kommunikációt minden Európán belüli utazás esetében. Fontosnak tartom, hogy állampolgáraink ugyanolyan minőségű és sebességű mobilinternet-kapcsolathoz juthatnak hozzá külföldön, mint Magyarországon.