The European Commission has written to sixteen Member States which have failed to fully implement new EU telecoms rules into national law, 6 months after the deadline to do so (25 May 2011).
Partial implementation of the EU Telecoms rules limit consumers' rights in these 16 Member States. The new rules give EU customers new rights regarding fixed telephony, mobile services and Internet access. For instance, the right to switch telecoms operators in one day without changing their phone number and the right to clarity about data traffic management practices employed by Internet Service Providers. There is now also better protection of privacy and personal data online. The Commission's requests today take the form of "reasoned opinions." Member States which do not fully implement the new laws risk referral to the ECJ and potential financial penalties. The 16 Member States are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Spain.
Malta fully transposed the new framework in July 2011.