BRATISLAVA, January 9, (WEBNOVINY) — The European Commission could file a lawsuit against Slovakia over the unbalanced budget of the Telecommunications Office. The market regulator’s annual revenues in 2012 – 2014 have been budgeted at EUR 16 million while expenditures should only reach EUR 4.9 million. In accordance with the law on electronic communications by which Slovakia transposed into its legislation relevant EU directives on electronic communication networks and services, the volume of administrative fees of the Telecommunications Office cannot exceed the necessary costs of regulation.
Ingrid Ludvikova of the Representation of the European Commission in Slovakia told SITA news agency that Brussels is aware of these problems. “The European Commission has information about complaints regarding the situation in Slovakia and closely monitors the situation,” he said. The Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development, into whose budgetary chapter the Telecommunications Office belongs see no problem in this regard. Ministry’s spokesman Martin Krajcovic says that provisions of the law on electronic communications regarding the management of the Telecommunications Office have been consulted and subsequently endorsed by the European Commission to be in compliance with directives of the European Union. “We underscore the fact that the European Commission does not take only expenditures and revenues as such into account when considering the operation or budget of the telecommunications regulator but also regards their individual components,” explained Krajcovic.
The Telecommunications Office reported revenues of almost EUR 20 million last year whereof administrative charges accounted for almost EUR 18 million. Since December 19 of last year, office’s revenues have reached the volume of EUR 109 million whereof one-off fees of mobile operators Orange Slovensko and Slovak Telekom for extension of their licenses to operate mobile telephony networks for ten years accounted for EUR 89 million. Revenues after deduction of these payments thus totaled almost EUR 21 million. Telecommunications Office’s spokesman Roman Vavro says, however, that the regulator counts on a balanced budget this year. “Revenues in repeated payments will reach the volume of expenditures, in accordance with the law on electronic communications,” said Vavro.
SITA
