26. 6. 89 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 159/37 
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Directive on the establishment of the internal market 
for telecommunications services through the implementation of Open Network Provision 
(ONP) (i) 
(89/C 159/13) 
On 24 January 1989, the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, 
under Article 100a of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, on the 
abovementioned proposal. 
The Section for Transport and Communications, which was responsible for preparing the 
Committee's work on the subject, adopted its Opinion on 12 April 1989. The rapporteur 
was Mr Rouzier. 
At its 265th plenary session (meeting of 26 April 1989) the Economic and Social Committee 
adopted the following Opinion by a large majority (two votes against). 
1. The Committee would point out first of all that 
the proposal comes under the Green Paper on the 
development of the common market for telecommuni­
cations services and equipment, on which it delivered 
its Opinion on 27 April 1988 (2). In this Opinion the 
Committee endorsed the basic aim of the proposal, 
which is to enable the market to provide European 
users with a greater variety of higher-quality and lower-
cost telecommunications services, thereby affording 
Europe the full benefits of a strong telecommunications 
sector both within and beyond its frontiers. 
2. The Committee agrees with the Commission that 
open access to telecommunications infrastructure is 
vital for the implementation of a common market in 
telecommunications services. 
3. The proposal lays down the guiding principles 
and the structural framework for the development of 
open access to the public network, which must be 
offered to suppliers of telecommunications services and 
other users. The ultimate aim of the Commission's 
initiative is a set of fully harmonized access conditions, 
including the mutual recognition of authorization pro­
cedures so that an authorization obtained in one Mem­
ber State entitles a supplier of non-reserved services to 
operate throughout the Community without having to 
submit to any other procedures. 
The Committee approves the Commission proposal 
and underlines the importance of the basic principles 
governing ONP conditions [Article 3(1)]. 
(!) OJNoC39, 16.2. 1989, p. 8. 
(2) OJ No C 175, 4. 7. 1988. The Committee would also stress that it is necessary in 
the public interest to respect the essential requirements 
of a non-economic nature mentioned in Article 3(2), 
and especially the protection of confidentiality and 
privacy. 
The Committee trusts that when ONP conditions are 
laid down they allow for the fact that the telecommuni­
cations administrations have the funds required for the 
qualitative and quantitative extension of networks and 
their further development, thereby ensuring fair compe­
tition. 
4. The Committee would stress that Community 
telecommunications policy forms a coherent whole 
which it is difficult to split up. Thus, the present pro­
posal has been preceded by others and gives notice of 
further proposals to come. The Committee strongly 
regrets that the Commission does not plan to consult the 
Committee on some of its more important proposals. It 
would therefore like to be informed of any decisions 
taken by the Commission and would like the Com­
mission to review progress made in the field of telecom­
munications. While endorsing the need for the rapid 
establishment of an open Community-wide telecom­
munications network, the Committee subscribes to the 
principle that ONP conditions should be defined in 
stages and that all interested parties should be consult­
ed, especially user and industrial organizations, trade 
unions and organizations representing consumer 
interests. These consultations should, if necessary, be 
direct. 
5. With regard to the 'public networks' referred to 
in Article 2(2), the Committee calls on the Commission 
to lay down a definition which takes account of its 
previous Opinions on this subject and also specifies 
the boundaries (where does the network stop and the 
terminal start?). 
Done at Brussels, 26 April 1989. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Alberto MASPRONE