Digital infrastructure: Council approves conclusions

At the initiative of the Hungarian presidency, today the Council approved conclusions on the Commission’s White Paper titled ‘How to master EU’s digital infrastructure needs’. Extensive transformations, driven by rapid technological progress, have been shaping the electronic communications sector,

The cross-sectoral nature of the digital transition also signifies that its impact extends well beyond the digital realm, touching upon environmental and societal aspects, as well.

Today’s comprehensive set of conclusions provide a clear political guidance on what Europe needs in terms of digital infrastructure in the coming years to improve its competitiveness and address the current and future challenges.

Zoltán Kovács, Hungarian minister of state for international communication and relations

In light of the Commission’s White Paper and the recent Draghi and Letta reports, the Council conclusions aim to take stock of the progress made at European level, with particular attention to digital infrastructures, while identifying the numerous challenges that still lie ahead. The conclusions also aim to convey a comprehensive set of messages on fostering innovation, ensuring security and resilience, promoting fair competition, and driving investments in digital infrastructures to advance the EU's competitiveness and digital transformation goals.

The text of the conclusions touches upon important questions, such as the possible convergence of cloud and telecoms in the digital ecosystem – where the significance of an impact assessment is stressed - or market consolidation, where the need for effective competition in the relevant market is highlighted.

Regulatory matters are also covered in the set of conclusions. Maintaining the possibility of ex-ante control on certain access markets, as well as taking into account member states’ specificities, competition, and consumer welfare in the context of the migration from copper to fibre, are emphasised in the text.