For me it is still a paradox that in this most modern and dynamic market, the telecoms market, we still have 27 different national markets in the European Union where, in reality, we should have just one market able to form the basis for our global leadership.

We can discuss different price caps and we can discuss different ways of regulating how things are today, but the important thing is that, if we are opening the door for one European market in the European Union, with this local breakout it will be possible for all of us to connect to the Internet when we are abroad in the European Union without, so to speak, phoning back home and paying these very expensive costs. We will be able to do this as we do with wi-fi.

So when the Danish Presidency or other presidencies come here to Brussels or Strasbourg they will not have to get connected. We are the home country. They will be able to use the best possible offer in the country where we are and that will be the case not just for the presidencies, it will be the case for all citizens in Europe.

I think this achievement will also mean that we will be able to use all the opportunities that we are opening up today on the Internet for all mobile data traffic and that this will lay the ground for a more competitive Europe, but also a more connected Europe.

”It also underlines the importance of European cooperation for each and every country. Internal reforms over the last ten years have been substantial, impressive and have changed Croatia and enhanced the prospects for the future for Croatian citizens”, underlined Gunnar Hökmark MEP, Chairman of the Delegation to the EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee, welcoming the Croatian Observers to the European Parliament and Strasbourg.

For further information:
Gunnar Hökmark MEP, Tel: +33-3-88175822
Per Heister, EPP Group Press and Communications Service, Tel: +32-496-645530

Notes to Editors:
The EPP Group is by far the largest political group in the European Parliament with 271 Members and 3 Croatian Observer Members.

‘Balkans – Moving Towards European Integration’ was the title of a conference organised by the EPP Group in the European Parliament today. The EPP Group showed its commitment towards the region of South East Europe and proved that it is a strong supporter of the European integration process in the Balkans.

The keynote speakers at the conference were Sali Berisha, Prime Minister of Albania, Nikola Poposki, Foreign Minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Skënder Hyseni, former Foreign Minister of Kosovo, István Pásztor, Leader of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians in Serbia, and Andrej Plenković in his new capacity as a Croatian observer in the European Parliament. The speakers on the European Parliament side included Joseph Daul MEP, Chairman of the EPP Group, Gunnar Hökmark MEP, Chairman of the Delegation to the EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee, Elmar Brok MEP, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the EP, and Eduard Kukan MEP, Chairman of the EP Delegation for Relations with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo.

In his opening speech, Chairman Joseph Daul MEP said: ”After the Second World War, our founding fathers found reconciliation in building a common European home. After the collapse of Communism, Central Europe found reconciliation through reunification. After the end of the Balkan wars, reconciliation may be found through jointly entering the EU. The EPP Group has always been a supporter of enlargement because we believe that real stability comes through democracy and prosperity, and that the EU is the best guarantor of this.”

Prime Minister Berisha presented the reforms his country has made in recent years in the field of combating corruption and highlighted the economic development. Nikola Poposki, Macedonian Foreign Minister, talked about the benefits of regional cooperation and underlined that his country has done a lot and is now awaiting answers from the EU. According to him, the EU integration process is irreversible and shared by all countries of the region.

”This year is a year of opportunities for countries of the Western Balkans. The integration agenda is clear, yet much will depend on the political leaders how they cope with it. I would be very happy to see all countries of the region firmly grasp these opportunities and move a step closer to the Union”, said Eduard Kukan MEP, former Foreign Minister of Slovakia and the Chair of the Parliament’s delegation to the region.

”It is a major breakthrough that the parties of the Eastern Partner States agree that the current development in Ukraine is very serious. Prosecution of opposition figures raises doubts on the level of democracy in Ukraine, also among Eastern Europeans. In the Resolution, we demand that proper treatment is given to Yulia and other imprisoned politicans”, said Gunnar Hökmark MEP, Vice-Chairman of the EPP Group responsible for the Eastern Neighbourhood Policy.

The Resolution, initiated by the EPP family members, Members of the European, Ukrainian and Moldovan Parliaments, urges the Ukrainian authorities to ascertain a fair, transparent and impartial appeal process for Yulia Tymoshenko, Yuriy Lutsenko, and other opposition politicians and demands that they are guaranteed proper medical care according to international standards.

I think it is important to look at and discuss the details in the negotiations but also to see the bigger perspective. A European Union reaching from Iceland to Cyprus will not only be a better Union but also a stronger Union. Stronger in the Nordic area, stronger in the Arctic area, but also stronger in the sense that is proving, as Iceland has demonstrated, that you can deal with economic crisis as a modern market economy and you can deal with all the future challenges.

And I think it is important that we secure an agreement with Iceland that can get the full support of the Icelandic people.

We have seen the contrary: that uncontrolled public spending and big deficits are undermining social security and hindering growth, and creating the austerity of increasing interest rates. That is the reality, and those who believe that increased public spending is the solution to our problems should just look around and take a look at our problems.

On the other hand what we need to do is to create a new way of stimulating the economy. I think it is important for the Commission to understand that the way to social cohesion and social security does not run parallel to the policy for economic growth. Economic growth and new jobs are the key issue in order to achieve social development in Europe that we can all be satisfied with. That is why I would like to urge the Commission to proceed with the reforms for the internal market, for competitiveness in the Member States and for making the European Union the biggest market in the world.

”EU:s current target that all Europeans should have access to 30 Mbps broadband is already outdated. Other global actors are moving ahead with much higher speeds and capacity. If Europe wants to become a global leader in mobile and telecoms we need to set world leading targets and we need to deliver on these ambitions”, underlined Hökmark.

”The recently adopted spectrum program is one important remedy to address this challenge and will play a crucial part in Europe’s efforts to deploy superfast broadband. More frequencies and more capacity means higher speeds and more growth”, said Hökmark.

”Increased competition and deregulation is the best way to stimulate investments and roll out of fixed high speed broadband.  If the EU is to secure its global leadership we must start to deploy new fibre networks, instead of only relying on updating existing copper networks, concluded Hökmark.

”The decision sets world leading targets in order to meet the exponential growth in the demand for mobile data. We will allocate at least 1.200 MHz for wireless services by 2015, enabling the EU to take the global lead on broadband speeds, coverage, capacity and the future development regarding Internet and broadband”, said Gunnar Hökmark.

”We are taking an important step in creating a pan-European telecommunications market by obliging all EU Member States to open the 800 MHz band for wireless broadband by 2013″, he continued.

”The European Parliament has also succeeded in imposing an inventory with a very large scope of the existing use of spectrum from 400 MHz to 6 GHz. This inventory creates a flexible and coordinated European spectrum policy where the inefficient use of spectrum is addressed and where the exponential growth of wireless data traffic can be met by future re-allocations”, said Mr Hökmark.

”It is now up to the Commission and Member States to deliver on this decision, particularly in relation to the 800 MHz band and the inventory. All data on the existing use of the spectrum must be commonly shared if we are to decide on how to best manage future re-allocations of spectrum in order to meet the growth in mobile data traffic”, concluded Gunnar Hökmark.

For further information:

Gunnar HÖKMARK MEP, Tel: +33-3-88175822

Per Heister, EPP Group Press and Communications Service, Tel: +32-496-645530

Notes to Editors:

The EPP Group is by far the largest political group in the European Parliament with 271 Members.

Europe’s global leadership in telecoms was for long undisputed.  The GSM standard and deregulation in some European markets and many other factors paved the way for a vibrant European telecom industry where new innovations and technologies created growth and prosperity in Europe. Unfortunately, this development has lost momentum in recent years and Europe is now being out-competed by global actors such as China and India. Investments are driven to bigger markets outside Europe where the costs of developing the next generation technology quickly can be recuperated. The thought of China Mobiles costumer’s base outnumbering Europe’s total population with 200 million people is a perfect illustration of this.

Not only has the balance of power changed. At the same time mobile internet solutions and wireless technologies are rapidly transforming our societies and economies. The demand for mobile data traffic has recently exploded, growing by over 100 percent every year, and new services within telecommunications, healthcare, energy and logistics sectors are improving the lives of billions of people. We can only try to imagine the societal and economic opportunities that future technologies such as cloud computing and the Internet of Things will bring in the wireless revolution.

My ambition for the multi annual spectrum program has been to make Europe home of this wireless revolution. I want Europe to lead the process of change, creating the best opportunities for a competitive European knowledge economy characterized by vitality, change and innovation.

I want Europe to be number one. Not number two and not number three, or number four

I am therefore particularly glad that we have managed to raise the ambitions in the spectrum program, giving Europe the necessary tools to regain our global leadership.

• Thanks to this agreement, Member States will have to make the 800 MHz frequency band available for the use of wireless broadband services by 1 January 2013. Despite opposition from Member States we successfully managed to defend this deadline in order to ensure that all EU Member States now must make this band available for wireless broadband. We thereby take an important step in creating a pan European telecommunications market where new services can create opportunities and growth for 500 million EU consumers.
• The agreement sets world leading targets in order to meet the exponential growth in the demand of mobile date.  We allocate at least 1.200 MHz for wireless services by 2015, enabling the EU to be the world leader of the future development regarding Internet and broadband.
• The agreement also stipulates that the Commission should assess, no later than 1 January 2015, if there is a need to harmonize additional spectrum bands. This will enable us to further meet and manage the exponential growth in wireless data traffic.
• Moreover, the European Parliament has succeed in imposing an inventory with a very large scope of the existing use of spectrum from 400 MHz to 6 GHz. This inventory creates a flexible and coordinated European spectrum policy where inefficient use of spectrum is addressed and where the exponential growth of wireless data traffic can be met by future re-allocations.
• Finally, we take a first step in opening up for increased WiFI usage in Europe to the benefit of network hotspots in schools, hospitals,  airports etc.

This is just a couple of examples of what the first radio spectrum program entails. It is now up to the Commission and Member States to deliver on this agreement, particularly in relation to the 800 MHz band and the inventory. All data on the existing use of the spectrum must commonly shared if we are to decide on how to best manage future re-allocations of spectrum in order to meet the growth in mobile data traffic.

And it is our common responsibility to continue to develop policies where national sovereignty and outdates business models does not hinder the development of a digital single internal market where products and services can circulate freely on a 500 million consumer market, creating economic growth for all Europeans. The differences of 27 different national markets must not stand in the way of European leadership.

I would like to extent my warmest thanks to my colleagues Madame Trautmann, Mr Rhode, Mr Chichester and Mr Lambert, for your helpful collaboration throughout this process. I also would like to thank Commissioner Kroes and staff, as well as the Polish Presidency for their contributions in securing an agreement on this first multi annual radiospectrum program.

All in all Mr President, the spectrum programme will lay the foundations for a development whereby the Union can take the global lead in issues relating to broadband speeds, mobility, coverage and capacity. We now create a framework where new services and innovations can create prosperity and economic growth in Europe.

This is good news for the European economy and I am glad for the Parliament’s support and that our ambitious approach has been endorsed by the Member States.