Slovenia state telecoms face ire from Liikanen

Date: 10/04/03

By Peter Chapman

SLOVENIA could face a legal warning from the European Commission when it joins the Union unless it does more to promote competition.

Aides to Erkki Liikanen, the enterprise and information society commissioner, said the market for fixed and mobile calls is firmly in the hands of state-run operator Telekom Slovenije, with little chance for new entrants to grab a foothold.

They say the problem lies with the failure of Slovenia's telecoms regulator to take tough action to ensure the incumbent opens up its networks to rivals.

However, they fear that the regulator's hands may be tied by a deliberately unsupportive government that is denying it the political support and funds to do its job properly.

"Political will is critical and from the [regulator's] troubles I can conclude there is a lack of it," Commission telecoms expert Paul Verhoef told Slovenia daily newspaper Delo.

Failure to act will hurt investment and deny customers the levels of service in the top-performing candidate country Estonia, added Verhoef.

Slovenia could face a legal warning from the European Commission when it joins the European Union unless it does more to promote competition.