Leading digital Europe: BEREC adopts Strategy 2026-2030 yannick.stephan Tue, 09/12/2025 - 13:34 Press Releases The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) has adopted a new five-year strategy based on core pillars considering market and technological developments, policy and legislative changes and institutional and international cooperation. In the coming years, BEREC will build its work on strategic priorities that continue to support a regulatory approach fostering connectivity, competition, open digital ecosystems, and end-user empowerment, while guiding the development of sustainable, secure and resilient digital networks. The BEREC Strategy 2026-2030 updates, reviews and consolidates the previous three strategies (Strategy 2021 – 2025, the Medium-Term Strategy for relations with other institutions and the Medium-Term Strategy for International Cooperation) along with the Action Plan 2030. Collectively, these documents define BEREC’s objectives considering recent and anticipated market, technological and regulatory developments. To remain responsive to future developments, BEREC may revise the strategy ahead of 2030 if substantial regulatory changes occur, particularly in relation to its mandate and the upcoming review of the legal framework. With the adoption of the BEREC Strategy 2026–2030, BEREC marks the start of a new strategic cycle to be implemented under a renewed mandate. Indeed, at this juncture, BEREC Chair Mr. Robert Mourik (COMREG) concludes his term and hands over the chairmanship to Mr. Marko Mišmaš (AKOS) for 2026. BEREC Work Programme 2026 Next year, BEREC will continue focusing on supporting the expansion of gigabit broadband connectivity, supporting the rollout of 5G across all EU regions, and reinforcing end user empowerment in electronic communications. Moreover, BEREC will provide input and analysis on the forthcoming proposal of a Digital Networks Act (DNA). The Board of Regulators adopted the Work Programme 2026, which translates the strategic objectives into specific actions and deliverables for the coming year. The Work Programme 2026 builds on the mandatory tasks set out in the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC) and anticipates work related to the forthcoming DNA. BEREC remains committed to fostering thoughtful and proactive debate, and to providing advice to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission on electronic communications and digital services. In the work programme BEREC also aims to enhance the consistent and harmonised application of regulation to develop the internal market further, exchange among NRAs, improve BEREC’s working methods and strengthen interaction with stakeholders. Assessing the switching experience for end users The switching process plays a crucial role in ensuring effective competition in electronic communications markets. Its efficiency, simplicity and transparency are essential for building end users’ trust. At the last plenary meeting, BEREC approved the draft BEREC Report on switching and termination of contracts for public consultation. The draft report examines the switching process in detail, outlining its implementation and the actions required to complete it. It also considers the main disincentives and challenges identified regarding the switching and contract termination. In addition, the document addresses the specific end-user rights that apply throughout the switching process. The stakeholders are invited to provide their feedback on the draft document by 20 January 2026. Update of BEREC’s Broadband mapping Guidelines To support the national regulatory authorities on the consistent application of geographical surveys of broadband network deployments acc. to Art. 22 EECC, BEREC has worked on the updates of the BEREC Guidelines on Geographical surveys of broadband network deployment. The draft document has been launched for public consultation and BEREC expects the stakeholders’ contributions by 9 February 2026. The update follows conclusions from BEREC’s implementation report published last year, which concluded that the Guidelines should be adjusted. The revised Guidelines aim to provide clearer guidance, foster greater harmonisation of approaches further, and improve the comparability of survey results across Member States. Think before you click for it In October, BEREC launched a digital fraud awareness campaign to inform European users about online risks and help them navigate the digital ecosystem safely. The campaign is running on our official social media platforms: LinkedIn, X and YouTube, complemented by information on our website and a podcast offering practical guidance on combating digital fraud. Through this initiative, BEREC encourages users to report incidents to national authorities and promotes cooperation between telecom operators, banks, online platforms and regulators to tackle digital fraud across Europe. Upcoming BEREC events In the first quarter of 2026, BEREC plans to hold a public workshop on the migration to fibre-optic networks and copper switch-off. The workshop will bring together stakeholders to discuss key challenges, including maintaining competitive dynamics in the market after the switch-off, addressing the needs of vulnerable or hesitant end-users, and review relevant proposals related to migration and switch-off provisions which may be set out in the EC’s draft Digital Networks Act (DNA). Further information on the date and format will be provided in due course. BEREC will hold its annual Stakeholder Forum on 31 March 2026. The next edition of this signature event will feature the traditional informal Meet&Greet sessions with the Working Group Co-Chairs. At the Conference, the keynote speakers and panellists will discuss the evolution of the regulatory framework in light of the DNA proposal, EU initiatives supporting European technological development, and how to provide incentives to innovate and invest in connectivity to meet consumers’ preferences in a competitive market. Public documents available online A full list of BEREC’s public documents adopted at the 65th ordinary meetings (4-5 December 2025) can be found on the BEREC website. The presentation and video recording of the BEREC public debriefing will be uploaded shortly. BEREC’s 66th ordinary meetings will take place online on 12-13 March 2026. The next public debriefing will be held on 19 March 2026 and will take place online. Note to Editor BEREC promotes openness and transparency in its communications and is available for any further questions that you might have. If there are any other topics related to electronic communications that you would like to explore, we would be happy to assist you in any way we can. Contact us: communications@berec.europa.eu. Off

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BEREC’s Input on the review of the European Commission’s Digital Decade Policy Programme objectives yannick.stephan Mon, 22/12/2025 - 18:14 Latest News As technology continues to advance rapidly, the EU electronic communications sector is at a timely moment to assess its current status and future direction. In its input to the European Commission (EC) call for evidence on the Digital Decade Programme (DDPP), BEREC welcomed the opportunity to contribute to the review of the objectives of the DDPP and subsequently of the indicators to measure progress towards the targets. European regulators emphasize that the updated targets and indicators shall ensure the promotion of competition, connectivity, the internal market and the protection of end-user rights in line with the policy objectives set out in the EECC. The updated DDPP targets should be, at the same time, both ambitious and realistic. They should be achievable within the envisaged timeframe. Clear and measurable targets, leaving no room for interpretation, will facilitate effective monitoring of implementation. They will also ensure that progress at national level can be assessed fairly and that performance across countries can be objectively compared. In the conclusion of its high level input, BEREC highlights that the independent national regulatory authorities with their technical expertise can contribute to high-quality outcomes in the definition of indicators and in the measurement and monitoring progress towards the achievements of set targets and that the DDPP review represents a good occasion to formalize the NRAs’ involvement in such process. EC call for evidence The EC call for evidence launched on 25 November 2025 examines whether the Digital Decade objectives and targets for 2030 remain aligned with the rapidly evolving tech landscape since their adoption in 2022. The contributions to the call will help inform the EC’s upcoming review, planned for 2026, of the policy programme guiding Europe's digital transformation. The review will explore ways to further align policy with funding opportunities in the context of the next Multiannual Financial Framework. It will also evaluate how to improve engagement through structured channels for regions, cities and local actors, which are critical for delivering the benefits of digitalisation to citizens and small and medium-sized enterprises. Off

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EDPS Newsletter is out! miriam Mon, 12/22/2025 - 10:23 Mon, 12/22/2025 - 12:00 With Christmas and a new year just around the corner, there is still time for one more catch-up on all things European data protection. In this issue, we have: horizon-scanning releases looking at emerging tech, a look at recent international meetings between data protection authorities, and privacy-focused events to kick off your 2026. Read on! Listen it right away! 0

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