An opening conference marked the official launch of the EU-funded project ‘Enhancing the administrative capacities of telecom and media authorities for efficient regulation of new digital and multiple play services’ held the 5th of November at the EU InfoCentre of the Delegation of the European Union in Skopje, Macedonia.

Participants were welcomed by H.E. Mr. Aivo Orav – Head of Delegation of the European Union in Macedonia, Mr. Ivo Ivanovski – Minister of Information Society and Administration, Mr. Robert Ordanovski – Director of Agency for Electronic Communication, Mr. Zoran Trajcevski, PhD – President of Broadcasting Council, and Mr. Sándor Spakievics – Team Leader of the project.

The Overall objective of the project is to introduce efficient regulation of new digital and multiple play services in order to create a competitive environment for business development and consumer protection. The two regulatory authorities, which regulate the broadcasting and the electronic-communications market, the Broadcasting Council (SRD) and the Agency for Electronic Communications (AEK) need additional capacity building in order to improve the implementation of the relevant broadcasting and electronic-communications legislation. The project aims at enhancing the capacities of the independent regulators for telecommunications and broadcasting to function according to the EU regulatory framework under the new market conditions that are developing. These can be summarised as further digitalisation and convergence of broadcasting and telecommunications.

H.E. Mr. Aivo Orav – Head of Delegation of the European Union in Macedonia, said at the conference: “The independence of regulators from politics, their financial viability and their impartial treatment of market operators are principles that should guide the progress of the operation of regulators. Improving the concreteness of the market and the strengthening of consumer protection means that the environment in which operators work in which consumers use services, a sense of fairness and the best prices.”

The Project is funded by the European Union and implemented from September 2013 until February 2015, by ECG in Consortium with Human Dynamics, Regulaid, and SBR Juconomy Consulting.