Since 25 of May, new telecoms rules benefit citizens and businesses across Europe. New EU telecoms rules to ensure a more competitive telecoms sector and better services for customers are due to be implemented in national law by this date.

The European Parliament and Council formally adopted the revised EU rules on telecoms networks and services in late 2009. The institutions agreed that the rules must be implemented into the national laws of the 27 Member States by 25th May 2011. The two Directives are the Better Regulation Directive and the Citizens' Rights Directive which amend five different existing EU Directives (Framework Directive, Access Directive, Authorisation Directive, Universal Service Directive and the e-Privacy Directive). Also, a new Regulation setting up the European Body of Telecoms Regulators (BEREC) was also adopted. BEREC was officially established in Riga in May 2010.

Reinforcing the Single Market for telecoms services is a key objective of the Digital Agenda for Europe. With these new rules, EU citizens and companies will enjoy a more consistent regulation across the EU. National regulators will gain greater independence and will have powers, as a last resort, to oblige telecoms operators with significant market power to separate their communication networks from their service branches to ensure non-discriminatory access for other operators, without necessarily separating ownership or obliging the creation of a separate company. Moreover, the Commission, in cooperation with the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC), has also been granted extra powers of oversight on the competition remedies for the telecoms markets (the so-called "Article 7 procedure"). Other new element in the package includes better access to emergency services with 112, Europe's single emergency number.

In addition, European citizens will have higher levels of consumer protection and more choice because they will be able to switch fixed or mobile phone operator without changing phone number within one working day, a maximum length of 24 months for customer's initial sign-on contracts and an obligation on operators to offer 12 month contracts. Furthermore, operators must provide clearer information on services to which a customer is subscribed.

The new directives will also improve online privacy and safety with a better protection against personal data breaches and "spam" (unsolicited e-mails), mandatory notifications for personal data breaches and better information and consent requirements for storing or accessing information in users' devices, such as 'cookies' not related to the service currently accessed.

The implementation of the new telecoms rules by Member States is closely followed by the Commission and will use its full powers, recently enhanced by the Lisbon Treaty, to ensure full and timely implementation of the EU's updated telecoms rules in national law. To help Member States implement the new telecoms rules, the Commission has produced guidelines on various issues, such as cookies and universal service.