E U N e w s l e t t e r

EuropeanCommissionDelegationto BiH EU Newsletter

n Informal Meeting on theWestern Balkans

n GRASSROOTS PARTNERS

Going Further to Protect theEnvironment

n The National Laboratory forAvian Influenza

n Improving the Efficiency of theHigh Judicial and ProsecutorialCouncil

n OVERVIEW

Contracts and Finance

n REGIONAL PERSPECTIVES

TAIEX - a Tailored Approach toWestern Balkan Beneficiaries

n EUROPE AND TECHNOLOGY

Consumer Website on theCosts of Mobile Roaming

II

2006

Once again, the May 9 celebration of Europe Day will be co-hosted by the EuropeanCommission and by the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The event will beheld in the BiH Institutions building and will consist of a gala concert and areception. Ambassador Michael B. Humphreys and Mr. Adnan Terzic, Chairman ofthe Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, will address the audience: over400 guests are expected, including representatives of government from all levels,intellectuals, artists and the International Community.

In honour of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, “YouthSymphony Orchestra South Eastern Europe” will perform a selection of hiscompositions. The ensemble gathers young musicians who play in symphonyorchestras throughout the region and artists from the region who are now playingin London, Paris, Vienna and Düsseldorf.

Europe Day Celebration

In this issue:

New EICC Open for Business

SAA Negotiations - FirstTechnical Round

E U N e w s l e t t e r II

2006

On March 10 and 11, Salzburg hosted an informal meeting on theWestern Balkans. Ministers of Foreign Affairs of EU MemberStates met with their counterparts from potential candidatecountries included in the Stabilisation and Association Process.The High Representative/EU Special Representative for BiH, theSRSG for Kosovo, and the Special Co-ordinator of the Stability Pactfor South Eastern Europe were also present.

The participants reaffirmed their full support for the agenda setout at the 2003 Thessaloniki summit, as well as for theStabilisation and Association Process, which will remain theframework for the European path of Western Balkan countries. Inthis respect, the EU confirms that the future of the WesternBalkans lies in the European Union - a debate on the enlargementstrategy is due in 2006.

The participants agreed that each country's progress towards theEU continues to depend on individual merit in meeting theconditions and requirements set forth in the Copenhagen criteriaand in the Stabilisation and Association Process, including full co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the FormerYugoslavia.

The Western Balkan countries have achieved considerableprogress in the areas of stability, democracy and economicrecovery. In the past year, all have made significant steps alongtheir road towards the EU; they must now increasingly focus onadopting and implementing European standards and in fosteringconditions for sustainable stability and prosperity throughout the

region. The countries of the region committed themselves tocontinue and accelerate reforms that further these objectives. Allagreed on the importance of good neighbourly relations and on theneed to find mutually acceptable solutions to outstanding issueswith neighbouring countries.

Preserving peace, and enhancing stability and security in theWestern Balkans, remains a common European interest. Theparticipants agreed that every effort should be made to achieve anegotiated settlement of the status of Kosovo, which is mutuallyacceptable to the parties concerned.

The participants welcomed the Commission's Communication'The Western Balkans on the road to the EU: consolidating stabilityand raising prosperity', and expressed their intentions to takeforward its implementation. The EU will continue assisting thesecountries through practical measures to make the Europeanperspective more tangible. In this context, the participantsencourage regional co-operation, including a free trade areabuilding on CEFTA, and look forward to the Commission'sproposals on people to people contacts, including visa facilitationin line with the common approach, as well as on adequatefinancial assistance. In order to master the challenges that theregion faces in 2006 and beyond, the EU is determined to fullyimplement the commitments established in the Thessalonikiagenda.

The first round of SAA technical negotiations, related to free trade,was held on March 17, in Sarajevo. The focus was on the free tradeaspects of industrial, agricultural and fisheries products. This firstround was the occasion to present the positions of both sides andgauge their differences.

Mr. Dirk Lange, head of the Department for Western Balkans inthe Directorate-General for Enlargement, stressed BiH'sobligation to fulfil existing free trade agreements withneighbouring counties. Obligations vis-à-vis the World TradeOrganisation were also discussed.

At the press conference, Mr. Igor Davidovic, Chief Negotiatior for

BiH, emphasized that free trade is one of the crucial - if not themost crucial - aspect of the Agreement.

The next round of negotiations is scheduled for May 12 - it willcontinue to address this topic, focusing on the agriculture sector -while the next round of political negotiations will be held on June 15.

Progress in the Stabilisation and Association Process will also bedetermined by the outcome of Reforms Process Monitoring (RPM)meetings, which replaced the Consultative Task Force. Thesecond RPM meeting was held a day before and reviewed theprogress of reforms in the sectors in question: trade, industry,agriculture and fishing.

SAA Negotiations - First Technical Round

Informal Meeting on the Western Balkans

E U N e w s l e t t e r II

2006

The new Euro Info Correspondence Centre(EICC) - established within the ForeignTrade Chamber of BiH - was officiallyopened on 21 March. With this Centre, thebusiness community and other interestedparties now have an important informationlink with entrepreneurs in the EU.

EICCs play a key role in the relationshipbetween Small and Medium Enterprises(SMEs), the EU and third countries.Although their status is different from anEIC's (which exist only within the EU),

EICCs carry out the same tasks: theydistribute information to businesses andreply to general, legal, administrative andstatistical questions about the EU. Theyare also of value to SMEs within the Unionwho want to extend their activities intonewly opened markets. They collect anddistribute information on regulations andmarkets outside the Union which could beuseful to European companies. They playan active role in promoting exchangesbetween enterprises and in the search for

commercial, strategic or financialpartners.

Around 40% of the guests at the openingceremony were businessmen orrepresentatives of business supportservices interested in hearing how the newEICC can help them with information on EUregulations, standards and fundingopportunities, or European tenders andprogrammes. The Centre has directaccess to the European database on EUregulations, which provides basicinformation on legal acts in force and otheruseful data. This can contributeconsiderably to the development ofbusinesses and bring local SMEs closer tothe rules of the EU internal market.

Ambassador Humphreys noted that theestablishment of this Centre is asignificant point in BiH's economicrelations with the EU and highlighted thefact that with the Stabilization andAssociation Agreement negotiations, BiHhas also started an ambitious agenda toachieve European standards in itseconomy.

Mr. Osman Topcagic, Director of DEI,welcomed the opening of the Centre andstressed that it is particularly relevant inlight of the on-going SAA negotiations onfree trade, as it is important thatbusinessmen are aware of theopportunities available following theagreement. Producers will face muchgreater competition and only those thatare competitive will survive and gainaccess to a vast market. SMEs must striveto be competitive, including with regard toenvironmental protection.

The Euro Info Centre (EIC) network is managed by the Directorate-General forEnterprise and Industry, which co-finances the network and defines its strategy andoperation.

The EIC network is active in 46 countries and comprises:

n 269 Euro Info Centres in the EU and candidate countries;

n 14 Euro Info Correspondence Centres in third countries;

n 337 relay points which increase the geographical reach of the network;

n 26 associate members.

EICs inform, advise, and assist businesses on Community issues. They also providefeedback to the EC about community matters affecting SMEs.

The first EICC opened in the Czech Republic in 1991 and they quickly developedthroughout Eastern Europe. Many of these subsequently became EICs.

The recent opening of EICCs in Chile and New-York has further extended thegeographical reach of the EIC network.

The EIC network

New EICC Open for Business

E U N e w s l e t t e r II

2006

On March 9, Ambassador Michael Humphreys visited theNational Laboratory for Avian Influenza (commonly known asbird flu), which is located in the Veterinary Faculty in Sarajevo.Dr Abdulah Gagic, acting Dean of the Veterinary Faculty andHead of the Laboratory, briefed him on their work and onpreventive measures which have been taken in BiH.

The EU has supported the veterinary sector by providingdiagnostic equipment worth € 600,000 for five laboratoriesthroughout the country, including this one. Other support for

this sector has included assistance during the preparation ofthe State Veterinary Law - which resulted in the establishmentof the State Veterinary Office - and funding for the animalidentification scheme.

Further assistance worth €1 million is forthcoming, to supportthe introduction of quality control standards which are currentlylacking, and to improve the functioning of State-leveladministration in the areas of animal and public health, hygienestandards and other measures to improve consumer protection.

FONDEKO was the first ecologicalfoundation in BiH, established inSarajevo in 1994 and registered as anNGO in 1999. Its volunteers promoteresponsible behaviour with regard tonature, including the rational use ofresources while at the same timeprotecting the environment. FONDEKOhas experience in eco-education,including the production of educationalradio programmes, and publishes aquarterly magazine "FONDEKO Svijet"(FONDEKO World).

FONDEKO received an EC-funded civilsociety grant in 2004 which resulted inan "Ecology Guide" for young peopleand, since September 2005, isimplementing a one-year project called"Mi idemo dalje" (We are going further)through the grant scheme for "Supportto Civil Society Active in the Field ofEnvironment". FONDEKO is co-funding10% of the € 96,000 budget.

The project aims to provide education onecology and the environment forprimary schools and kindergartens inSarajevo and Tuzla Cantons, as well as

Vitez and Zvornik. In keeping with itsenvironmental concerns, FONDEKOprinted a colouring book "Let's ColourNature" on recycled paper.

The project provides training for teacherson how to provide ecological andsustainable development education, andproduced a dedicated handbook forkindergarten and grades I-III teachers.Experience has demonstrated thatchildren are key to establishing andpromoting environmental good practicein their society, yet the project's initialsurvey indicated an inadequate educationon ecology and sustainable developmentin BiH. Over 60% of respondents thoughtthat the education acquired in schools isinsufficient to create life-long environ-mental awareness.

An example of this is the "eco-sections"extracurricular activities in elementaryschools: in FBiH, only two primary schoolsdo not have such extracurricular groups,but their activities are mostly of the "not inmy own backyard" type, such as cleaningschool yards or planting flowers. This is astart, but the educational message would

be much stronger if students learned that

pollution should be prevented, rather than

cleaned up after the fact.

FONDEKO is working closely with other

projects funded under the CARDS

scheme, to provide solutions and find a

common approach to environmental

education in BiH.

www.fondeko.freehomepage.com

G R A S S R O O T S P A R T N E R S

Going Further to Protect the Environment

The National Laboratory for Avian Influenza

E U N e w s l e t t e r II

2006

The High Judicial and ProsecutorialCouncil of BiH (HJPC) hosted a roundtable for media on March 10, to reviewthe institution's co-operation with theEC. Ambassador Michael B. Humphreysexplained why an independent andefficient judicial system, which deliversquality services to citizens, is a keyrequirement in a democracy, andtherefore also a key requirement foraccession to the EU.

For several years, the EC has providedfinancial and political support forjudicial reform: first to the IndependentJudicial Commission and then to theHJPC, which replaced it. Indeed, theestablishment of this single HJPC wasthe first Feasibility Study priority whichBiH fulfilled. This was an important firststep in establishing an independentjudiciary, but much remains to be doneto improve efficiency.

The European Partnership document forthis year outlines that BiH must ensurefull responsibility for the State Court,the Prosecutor's Office and the HJPC in

terms of finance, administration andstaff, so as to ensure their properfunctioning. It also requires progress indealing with the backlog of cases beforethe courts, as well as financialresources to guarantee that all courtshave the necessary technical equipmentand means to impart justice efficiently.

To help BiH fulfil this last point, the EUhas already invested, or is planning toinvest, around € 5.6 million inInformation Communication Technology(ICT) programmes. The HJPC is incharge of a centrally-managed ICTsystem for planning, purchasing anddistribution, which enables it to delivercost-effective, compatible and efficientICT solutions. EU support has includedthe provision of a wide array of state-of-the-art equipment now in use in allcourts and prosecutors' officesthroughout the country. This has beencomplemented by training based on theEuropean Computer Drivers License(ECDL) curriculum for over 2,000members of their staff.

Additional equipment and training is

forthcoming but, ultimately, overall

success will depend on BiH's ability to

overcome obstacles to an efficient

judiciary system: notably, the highly

fragmented financing of the system.

Budgets are currently adopted at 14

levels (State, entity/district and

cantonal), which creates significant

differences in the financing of courts at

various levels and makes it almost

impossible to implement any national,

long-term, strategy.

Moving the financing of the entire

judicial system to the state level would

ensure equal financing for all judicial

institutions and, therefore, equal access

to justice for all citizens. Such a move

would further the independence of the

judiciary and allow for strategic

planning and modernisation; it would

also improve budget transparency and

accountability. This is a major issue

which cannot be achieved overnight but

which must be done.

Improving theEfficiency of theHigh Judicial andProsecutorialCouncil

As a part of the EU-funded public information campaignentitled "Independent and Efficient Judiciary for BiH", HJPCproduced a series of ten-minute documentary features onall aspects of judicial reform in the country, to bring citizenscloser to the process, its beginnings, achievements andgoals.

Stakeholders gave interviews on issues such as: the currentsituation in the judiciary; European standards; financing the

judiciary from a single budget; the appointment process;the Office of Disciplinary Counsel and its modus operandi;minor offense courts reform; computerization of courts andprosecutors' offices; code of ethics; training of judges andprosecutors and cooperation with local and internationalpartners.

All twelve features will be broadcasted by BHT1 - the firstone aired on April 24, 2006.

Documentary Series onJudicial Reform in BiH

The Role of C&FContracts and Finance is not a public-oriented service, even though it does havecontacts with the numerous contractors for services, supplies or works and grantrecipients. It has an advisory role to the Operations section on contracting issues, withOperations developing the public contacts with stakeholders.

The Operations - C&F TandemOne of the guiding principles in the current Financial Regulation and ImplementingRules is the segregation of duties, with the Operations section in charge ofimplementation and C&F in charge of financial and contractual matters.

C&F organizes the tender procedure leading up to a contract until it is awarded.During this process, Operations is involved in the technical preparation andassessment, while C&F verifies that procedures are correctly followed.

Roles in the procurement cycle:

Following the approval of the Evaluation Committee's report, the process of contractpreparation begins. There is no specific deadline for this process, which variesaccording to different factors, including the speed of response of the contractor; itmust be completed while the bid is still valid. Endorsement from Operations and C&Fare required before the contract can be presented to the Head of Delegation forsignature and then forwarded to the Contractor.

In recent years, changes to EC and internal Delegation procedures, as well as tolegislation, have had a highly positive impact on the speed at which this complexprocess is carried out.

Dealing with difficultiesIt is rare that allocated funding remains unspent, as there is a deadline of three yearfrom the Commission Decision to contract the funds: in cases of changes to plannedactions or of tender failure, funds can be reassigned to new actions.

If complications are encountered once a contract has been signed, an amicablesettlement is always the preferred option, followed by arbitration. In certain cases asuspension of payments may be declared, pending clarifications by the contractor, areview of expenditure and an agreement on the way forward. In severe cases, whereit is determined that the contractor is not performing to satisfaction, a contract canbe terminated.

Future RoleOnce the BiH administration is certified, it will be entrusted with the role ofContracting Authority for External Aid and pre-accession funds. This is foreseen totake place in 2007 and will necessitate a system of checks and balances, in which theDelegation team will retain a role of ex ante control.

S E C T I O N O V E R V I E W

Background - External Aid FundingDynamics Money for External Aid is determined by aCommission Decision, which allocatesfunding for programmes, andsubsequently by a Financing Agreementsigned with the beneficiary country, whichdetails how the funds will be distributed.

There are two types of management forEC-funded external aid. In a centralisedsystem, the Contracting Authority is theEuropean Commission, while in adecentralised system the recipientcountry is the Contracting Authority, withthe EC fulfilling a supervisory role,endorsing their decisions.

As a contracting authority, the ECoriginally implemented a concentratedsystem, by which contracts wereadministered in the headquarters inBrussels. With the advent of thedeconcentrated system, contracts areadministered locally in the EC Delegation,making the process easier, and allowingfor direct dialogue in the field. It has alsoallowed for faster operation and a focuson implementation.

Funding Dynamics in BiH The regulations allow for a delay of oneyear between the Commission Decisionand the signing of the FinancingAgreement. There is prior consensusbetween the EC and BiH on the allocationof funds, with projects now prepared inclose co-operation with State Institutions.

The EC Delegation to BiH was one of thefirst to be deconcentrated, in 1998, and itis currently one of the largest in theworld. The size of a Delegation, and itsContract and Finance section, isdetermined by the size of the Aidprogramme destined to the host country -the 2005 Financing Agreement with BiHtotalled 49.4 Million Euro to help BiHmeet its commitments under theEuropean Partnership. The Contracts andFinance (C&F) section is therefore a keypillar in the EC Delegation to BiH,employing over one fifth of the total staff.

Contracts and Finance

To launch theprocess,

Operationsdraft a

Definition ofthe Action with

inputs fromC&F on the

type ofprocurement

required.

Operationsdraft the Termsof Reference or

technicalspecifications,

bill ofquantities, etc.

C&F starts theprocurement

cycle bypreparing the

technicaldocuments andlaunching the

Call.

C&F ensuresthe secretariat

for theEvaluationCommittee,

where expertsscore according

to pre-established

evaluation gridsand criteria.

On approval ofthe evaluationreport, C&Flaunches theContracting

Process.

E U N e w s l e t t e r II

2006

E U N e w s l e t t e r II

2006

Marc Vanbrabant, Head of SectionIgnacio Aguirre Aramburu, Head ofContracts Sector (outgoing)Dagmar Schobesberger, Head ofContracts Sector (incoming)Steffen Hudolin, Head of Finance andPayments Sector

Zinaida Zaimovic -Balta, Senior SecretaryAmra Celebic, Secretary

Jelena Gajevic, Senior Financial Officer &Deputy USMAlma Ivanisevic, Senior Financial OfficerJasmina Sabic, Financial OfficerAzra Lazic, Financial OfficerDijana Kuzman, Financial Officer

Elmir Babovic, Data Base OfficerAdmir Bajraktarevic, Data Base Officer

Lejla Sultanovic, Contracts OfficerMarko Zita, Contracts Officer

Halina Sowinska, Senior ProcurementOfficerSabahudin Bisevac, Senior ProcurementOfficerAndreja Jurcevic, Procurement OfficerSanja Cvijanovic, Procurement OfficerNerma O'Hara, Procurement OfficerAida Pasalic, ArchivistAida Mulaomerovic, SecretaryMirza Redzic, Clerk

Working DynamicsThe team comprises twenty-one people, with an internal separation of functions for thestages of contracting and payment:

n The Contract section verifies the administrative compliance of documentation andmakes sure that the process has been done according to the rules. It also dealswith contract amendments.

n The Finance section handles payments and is involved in independent checking. Itverifies that invoicing is done in accordance with the terms of the contract,establishes the eligibility of payments and is involved in the closure of balances atthe end of contracts or in issuing recovery orders.

Contract officers are not allocated individual files, whereas financial officers deal with assignedfiles, to ensure continuity of financial oversight throughout the life of a contract.

With a workload of some 500 active files per year worth an average 200 million Euro (€ 70-80 million corresponding to the yearly financing agreement, plus the value of on-goingcontracts from prior years), the C&F section is entrusted with a massive task whichpervades all other Delegation activities. Throughout its work, the C&F team adheresstrictly to the guiding principles of transparency, equality and accountability. Transparencyin terms of ensuring that all applicable rules and regulations are strictly followed; equalityin terms of guaranteeing that potential contractors have equal access to the sameopportunities; accountability in terms of clearly defined roles and separation of functions.

T H E T E A M

Overview of contract load in BiHQuantity Value (€)

Active contracts in 2005 472 249,916,798Of which: Grants 208 116,224,509

Services 140 71,889,556Works 14 32,581,335Supplies 110 29,221,398

E U N e w s l e t t e r II

2006

Delegation of the European Commission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dubrova~ka 6, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tel: +387 33 254 700European Union home page: www.europa.eu.int

The EU’s actions in BiH web page: www.europa.eu.int./comm/external_relations/see/bosnie_herze/index.htmEuropean Commission Delegation to BiH: www.delbih.cec.eu.int

If you wish to be added to the mailing list for this publication, please send an e-mail with your name and address to: zora.stanic@cec.eu.int or send a fax to: +387 33 666 037

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TAIEX is the Technical Assistance and Information Exchangeinstrument of the Directorate-General for Enlargement'sInstitution Building unit. It provides short-term technicalassistance and advice in the field of approximation, applicationand enforcement of the Acquis Communautaire into the nationallegislation of beneficiary countries. TAIEX organises individual ormultilateral (involving more than one administration) seminarsand workshops, while study visits allow officials to understandhow Member States deal with practical issues related to theimplementation of the Acquis.

In 2005 TAIEX offered demand-driven assistance to over 5,000officials from Western Balkan countries and organised more than200 events. In 2006 - which marks the 10th anniversary of TAIEXas an instrument - the usual forms of assistance will remainavailable, with special attention to events in the beneficiarycountries, so to reach a wider audience.

Agriculture is, so far, the most active field of on-going co-operation. Since January 2005, over 50 events have beenorganised, such as seminars on veterinary and phytosanitarylegislation, on rural development, on veterinary medical productsand many others. A series of 21 assessment missions in thephytosanitary, veterinary and agriculture sectors was launched inMay 2005, to assess legislation and administrative capacity inthese three sectors and establish a structured plan for futuretechnical assistance.

Transport, Energy and the Environment sector assistance grewsteadily throughout 2005. Over 50 events were organized, dealingwith diverse subjects such as maritime and aviation safety andsecurity management issues, as well as integrated energy datamanagement. Assistance was also offered on a number of actionsregarding the Energy Community Treaty for South-EasternEurope (signed in Athens on October 25, 2005) and on supportingthe high level Working Group established by the EC to reachagreement on fully integrating the region into the European CivilAviation Area, as well as the initiative on extending the SingleEuropean Sky to South-Eastern Europe.

On Internal market legislation such as customs, publicprocurement, state aid and chemicals, the main target groupcame from central administrations. One theme discussedparticularly intensively in 2005 was social policy. Furthermore,the parliamentary administrations in some Western Balkancountries were trained in the field of EU integration processes,while the others will receive this assistance in the course of 2006.

Freedom, Liberty & Security is a regional priority area for theEuropean Union. In 2005, TAIEX organised a series of generalintroductions to many different aspects of EU legislation andmeasures in each of the countries of the Western Balkans.Sessions were held on organised crime and related issues,including fraud, corruption, money-laundering, drug traffickingand human trafficking.

R E G I O N A L P E R S P E C T I V E S

TAIEX - a Tailored Approach to Western Balkan Beneficiaries

E U R O P E A N D T E C H N O L O G Y

In October 2005, the EC launched a new website which shows theroaming tariffs of operators in all EU Member States, to giveconsumers the knowledge with which to make an informedchoice, to enhance competition in the industry and to encouragefairer and clearer pricing. The website intends to give EUconsumers a concrete idea of the tariffs they are likely to face, aswell as guidance and tips on how to manage their internationalroaming bills. “Only a well-informed consumer is a well-armedconsumer,” said Information Society and Media CommissionerViviane Reding.

International roaming is the ability of mobile phone subscribers touse their phones whilst abroad. For this, a mobile networkoperator needs to conclude international roaming agreementswith operators in other countries. The prices vary greatly in theEU, starting from 58 eurocent per minute (from Cyprus to Finlandwith a Finnish subscription) to €5.01 per minute (from Malta toPoland with a Polish subscription).

Six months after the launch, Commissioner Reding is not satisfiedwith the progress made by the industry, as cosumers continue topay unreasonably high prices for roaming. She noted that tariffsfor roaming customers remain complicated, even thoughtransparency on some operators' websites improved since thenew site was launched.

The 25 National Telecom Regulators co-operate closely with theEC on the matter of roaming prices and have recently announcedadditional action on tariff transparency for international roaming,under the auspices of the European Regulators Group (ERG),which is tasked with ensuring consistency of regulation acrossEurope. The Commission expects the combined effect of theseEuropean and national measures to encourage operators to offerbetter and fairer prices to their customers.

For further information, please see:

http://europa.eu.int/information_society/roaming

Europe - a World Leader in ICTAdvanced information and communications technologies (ICT) arevital for Europe's economy. They increase productivity and createnew consumer services and jobs. Mobile communications are anessential part of this, and the EC has played a vital role in turningEurope into a world leader in the field. More than one billion people in over 130 countries use mobilephones based on the GSM standard, propelling several Europeancompanies to the top of this highly dynamic market. The technical

standard itself was developed in the framework of EU research,which was complemented by a European regulation, thus ensuringa Europe-wide market for GSM telephony. Suppliers could, anddid, develop products for a 'home market' of hundreds of millionsof people.The resulting competition drove further development, drivinghardware prices down. EU-wide deregulation of mobiletelecommunications stimulated competition and drove costs downfurther. The same approach was followed for 'third generation'mobile communications with the "UMTS Decision".

Consumer Website on the Costs of Mobile Roaming