COCOM discusses Market Recommendation

At the last meeting of the EC’s Communications Committee (“COCOM”) the first and main point on the agenda was the Draft Commission Recommendation on Relevant Markets.

The COCOM is an advisory committee providing the Commission with the Member States’ opinion on draft measures intended for adoption by the EC. The COCOM is composed of representatives of EU Member States. Germany, for instance, is represented in the COCOM by the Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency).

The COCOM members had an exchange of views on the Commission paper and they delivered an opinion by consensus on the revised version of the text. The Recommendation is expected to be adopted within October by the College of Commissioners (the date of the meeting has not yet been fixed). Representatives of the EC announced that all comments proposed by the Member States have been taken into account, none of them concerning the content anyway.

It has been confirmed that the list of relevant markets susceptible to ex ante regulation will be reduced, from 7 to 4. Furthermore, some aspects of the review have been clarified: the Commission assured that there will be no limitation on the review. The final text is likely to be the same as provided two weeks ago to Member States in preparation for this meeting, except for minor changes.

The EC confirmed that the Recommendation will enter into force on the date of its adoption by the College of Commissioners, without waiting for its publication in the Official Journal.