Mobile telephone charges for calls to Eastern Partnership countries
17.1.2013
Question for written answer E-000473-13
to the Commission
Rule 117
Konrad Szymański (ECR)
The current price per minute for a mobile telephone call made from Poland to Ukraine or Belarus using Polish mobile telephone networks is as much as PLN 2 and more, which is not justified by the real costs involved. Another problem is the inflated administrative charges or interconnection rates charged between operators for calls made between Polish and Ukrainian or Belarusian networks.
Ukraine and Belarus are neighbours of the EU and a great deal is said about the need to integrate these countries with Europe. The present situation however, when a 10-minute telephone call costs PLN 20-30, is completely inconsistent with declarations of friendly neighbourliness and Polish-Ukrainian cooperation.
The telecommunications market is a regulated market, and charges for international connections are not only the result of competition, but also of numerous regulations (or lack thereof) at national and EU level.
I therefore ask the following:
- 1.Is the Commission taking any action to reduce the cost of telephone calls between EU Member States and Eastern Partnership countries?
- 2.Has the Commission tried to establish the reasons for the high rates charged between operators?
- 3.Will the Commission raise the issue of the high costs of international calls at the Ukraine-EU Summit in February 2013 and the Eastern Partnership Summit at the end of 2013?
- 4.Does it plan to eventually include the Eastern Partnership countries, with their consent, in the requirements of EU legislation on maximum permissible call charges?
OJ C 347 E, 28/11/2013