Paris served as venue last 13-14 January for a meeting of the ITU Policy Committee (Com-ITU), a CEPT body responsible co-ordinating European participation in International Telecommunication Union (ITU) activities, specifically at the level of the Council, Plenipotentiary Conferences (PPs), World Conferences and Sector Assemblies.
At this meeting, Com-ITU focused on preparations for the next Plenipotentiary Conference, scheduled for 4-22 October 2010 in Mexico. The committee reviewed reports from the project teams in charge of preparing for PP-10, taking particular note of issues that may be subject matter for a European common proposal. In this regard, besides climate changes and Telecom fairs, the committee backed the idea of developing a proposal on the importance of considering the estimated financial impact of proposals presented at Union conferences. Portugal has defended this mechanism, already implemented in the Universal Postal Union, so it was given the responsibility of preparing a text proposal which will be discussed at the next meeting of the project team on financial matters (to be held in March 2010 in Madrid).
Com-ITU also went over preparations for the World Telecommunications Development Conference (WTDC) scheduled for May 2010. It was noted that the project team in charge of preparing for this conference should prepare European proposals on the subjects of e-accessibility, climate changes and private sector participation.
Note also the completion of Europe’s co-ordinated response to the ITU consultation of its member States on questions involving the Union’s management and functioning, namely revision of the contribution system and stabilisation of the Union’s basic texts.
Com-ITU’s next meeting has been scheduled for 4-6 May 2010.
