European Union ministers thwarted plans by the European Commission to become the ultimate supervisor of telecommunications regulations in the 15-nation bloc in a move that may upset the industry. The ministers reached an agreement on an ambitious telecoms package to harmonise regulations across the bloc for this key European industrial sector. However, the deal was reached only after they had killed a controversial Commission proposal to have the last say in telecoms regulation. The decision leaves regulatory power in the hands of national telecoms authorities. After a marathon ten hours of talks in Luxembourg, ministers also agreed on how to define significant market power in the sector, a prerequisite for imposing obligations on operators.
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