The 7th meeting of the European Communications Office (ECO) Council was held last 14-15 November in Copenhagen, chaired by Geir Sundal of Norway, with Peter Pauli of Switzerland as vice-chair.
The Council approved the 2013 budget as well as the financial plan for 2015-2015. Both documents envisage making no changes to the contributions administrations pay to the Office during this period. A salary increase of 1 percent is considered for 2013, given the 2.6 percent inflation recorded in August 2012 in Denmark. In 2014-2015 a 1.4 percent salary increase is contemplated.
Plans call for hiring a new ECO staff member in 2013 (on a 50 percent collaboration basis and with admission at less cost compared to other staff) as well as reduced collaboration by one current employee (from 75 to 50 percent) for health reasons. During the 2014-2015 period three international experts should be replaced.
The Council also approved the Office's working programme for the next year. Noteworthy in this regard is the major increase in support for the ITU Policy Committee (Com-ITU).
Eventual replacement of the ECO auditors for the last 16 years, Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC), was once again discussed. But because only three administrations, among them Portugal, are openly in favour of putting out a new tender, a decision was made to ask PwC to change the auditor who works with the Office. The company will also be asked for a recommendation on the eventual introduction of international public sector accounting standards (IPSAS) and any associated cost increase.
Regarding the ECO's investment policy, the Council agreed to a new proposal from the director, whereby limits on the amount to invest (currently at 50 percent of net capital) would be revised: instead of a percentage, a minimum amount would henceforward be kept in the bank, with all remaining money available for investments.
Bulgaria raised the question of the ECO Council not having legal powers to amend the Convention, indicating that it cannot move to adopt that amendment before the Convention is formally in force. The director held that the matter should be cleared up bilaterally, based on the position defended by the Convention's depositary, the Danish Foreign Ministry.
The United Kingdom confirmed the deposit of its ECO Convention ratification instrument in late November 2012, whereby the Convention can most likely take force on 1 March 2013.
A last two-year extension was approved for the contract of the spectrum management expert Jean-Philippe Kermoal of France. He provides support for the Spectrum Engineering working group (WG SE) besides chairing the project team on Spectrum Engineering (PT SE19) for Fixed Service, of the SEAMCAT Technical Group (STG), and heading the Spectrum Engineering Advanced Monte Carlo Analysis Tool (SEAMCAT) project, whose contract expires on 31 July 2013.
The director should also finish his second and last term within a year and be replaced in early 2014. The Council chairman indicated that the director will not request a term extension unless convenient regarding his replacement.
The next ECO Council meeting has been scheduled for 29-30 May 2013.
