Brussels President-Minister Rudi Vervoort has promised to find a solution to the problem of the non-transposed EU internet directive, which he will present to the Brussels Parliament “soon.”
Belgium has paying a 5,000-euro penalty every day since the beginning of July because it has not transposed an EU directive on broadband internet. This is due to an ongoing conflict over responsibilities. VRT revealed the fines now total 375,000 euros on Saturday. The Brussels President-Minister told Belga he will present a solution to the Brussels Parliament “soon.”
The EU directive is from 2014. It was written to encourage countries to ensure their residents have access to broadband internet. It should have been transposed into national law on the 1st of January 2016.
But one of the paragraphs in the directive is causing an issue, as Brussels authorities say it is a matter for federal authorities.
“The Brussels government thinks the non-transposed directive is the federal authorities’ responsibility. We have legal advice that confirms this,” Vervoort said on Saturday.
“However, so this doesn’t drag on any longer, the Brussels Parliament is rewriting a bill from the 26th of July 2013. This bill deals with access to and the exchange of information via underground cables, conduits and pipelines. This modification will help make sure article 5 paragraph 4 of the EU directive can be transposed,” Vervoort said. He added this would also meet the obligations set out in a decree by the Court of Justice.
The Brussels Times
