On the current draft of the DNA, Klaus Landefeld, Vice Chair of the Board of eco – Association of the Internet Industry, says:
“Unfortunately, the present draft does not achieve the previously formulated goals. Instead of tangible improvements to competitiveness and investment conditions in Europe, it contains only more new rules and obligations. While the Commission promises to promote investment, it provides hardly any new incentives. In particular, the urgently needed investments in fibre optic, mobile communications and digital networks cannot be mobilised without clear economic incentives.
“We are particularly critical of the extension of regulation to cloud providers and content delivery networks. We see a danger here that non-telecoms companies could be disproportionately subjected to sector-specific approval, reporting and dispute resolution regimes. The planned interventions in the IP interconnection markets could also prove counterproductive. Voluntary arbitration mechanisms act as a gateway to de facto regulation of commercial agreements. A market that actually functions is thus being weakened unnecessarily. Even with copper-to-fiber migration, new requirements and reporting obligations undermine the claim of market-driven expansion.
“The Commission is not getting any closer to the targeted reduction of bureaucracy with this draft. Instead of simplifying processes and existing regulations, it formulates new reporting requirements, new data requests and complex governance structures. This will not make Europe more competitive as a digital location.”
