§ Mr. David AtkinsonTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the outcome of the EU Telecommunications Council on 27 September 1996. [875]
§ Mr. Ian TaylorI represented the UK at the Telecommunications Council held in Brussels on 27 September.
The Council reached political agreement on a common position on a directive on licensing in telecommunications. Greece announced its intention of voting against the common position. In addition, the Council reached unanimous political agreement on a common position on a decision for EU action on the introduction of satellite personal communications services.
Following an informal lunchtime discussion on a draft directive on postal services, it was agreed that this proposal should be referred back to the Committee of Permanent Representatives for further discussion with a view to reaching political agreement on a common position at the 28 November Telecommunications Council.
17WFollowing a debate on measures to combat the dissemination of paedophile images and information via networks of the Internet type, the Council agreed unanimous conclusions on the creation of a working party to present proposals to combat illegal use of the Internet or similar networks—taking account of UK measures in this area—in time for the 28 November Telecommunications Council.
There was also a Commission presentation on a directive on the application of open network provision to voice telephony in a competitive environment.