The European Mediterranean Regulators Group (EMERG) was established on July 1, 2008 in Malta, as an independent platform of National Regulatory Authorities for Electronic Communications Networks and Services.
The origin of EMERG lays in the ideals and principles of the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation set out in the Barcelona Declaration of November 28, 1995, which establishes the principles of a partnership aimed to turn the Mediterranean region into a common area of peace, stability and prosperity by way of the reinforcement of the political dialogue and of cooperation in security and economic, financial, social and cultural matters.
The EMERG’s activities are currently funded by the European Commission through the “New Approaches to Telecommunications Project” (NATP-4)
CHARTER OF THE EUROPEAN MEDITERRANEAN REGULATORS GROUP (EMERG)
EMERG PORTFOLIO
Celebrating the second EMERG Day (1st July 2022), the Members provided with a very comprehensive publication which is aiming at summarizing the activities done until now and better introducing EMERG and its common values to a broader audience.
https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=1724868&languageId=1
Objectives
According to its Charter, the objectives of EMERG are the following:
- To act as a forum for regular discussions and exchanges of information for its Members on issues relating to electronic communications;
- To promote the approximation to the European regulatory framework and best practices among its Members;
- To monitor the development of the electronic communications in the Mediterranean area;
- To facilitate the cooperation and exchange of ideas and expertise with international organizations, other regulatory networks and sector experts;
- To prepare and contribute to the preparation of a region’s reservoir of documents, reports, benchmarks, presentations, analyses and common positions.
Members
EMERG is open to any National Regulatory Authority (NRA) concerned with the electronic communications sector that is member of or observer in the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) or party to the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership launched within the framework of the Barcelona Declaration of November 28, 1995 and/or to the ENP-South countries of the European Neighbourhood Policy.
Currently, EMERG is integrated by the NRAs of 24 countries: Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, Palestine, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, Switzerland, Tunisia and Turkey.
EMERG Benchmarking Report
Yearly, EMERG publishes its “Report on Market Trends and Benchmarking Regulatory Activities” (the Benchmark Report). The Benchmark Report aims at comparing the regulatory environment and market outcomes of the telecom sector amongst the EMERG Members. The Report is prepared on the basis of a questionnaire on all the key issues at stake for EMERG following the new scenarios and the new challenges in the electronic communication sector.
The latest report
Benchmark report 2021
EMERG International cooperation
EMERG is fully committed to develop an active cooperation policy with other entities, namely other regulators’ groups, policy makers and international institutions dealing with electronic communications matters.
The close cooperation with BEREC, the Board of European Regulators, is a key-driver element for EMERG. It was materialized in 2014 with the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Under this umbrella, every yearly EMERG and BEREC organize a workshop together on a subject that falls into both groups’ interest. The MoU has been renewed in 2017, considering the common interest to reinforce collaboration as fruitful for the EMERG Countries approximation to the EU framework objective and to widen the EMERG audience also beyond the Mediterranean basin.
EMERG also promotes the establishment of contacts with other regional associations and platforms of regulators, such as the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), REGULATEL (Latin American Forum of Telecommunications Regulators) and the EaP (Eastern European Countries Partnership).
Finally, every year EMERG actively participates at the Regulatory Associations Meeting (RA), organized during the Global Symposium of Regulators by the ITU.