As Ireland takes over the Presidency, ecta highlights the need for balanced outcomes on the Digital Networks Act and the revision of the Cybersecurity Act
Brussels, 1 July 2026 - ecta, the european competitive telecommunications association, warmly welcomes Ireland as it assumes the Presidency of the Council of the European Union and looks forward to working constructively with the Irish Presidency over the coming six months.
Ireland takes over the Presidency at a decisive moment for Europe's digital future. The Council will play an important role in shaping two major legislative files with direct consequences for connectivity, investment, competition, resilience and security: the Digital Networks Act and the revision of the Cybersecurity Act.
Europe's digital infrastructure can only strengthen Europe's competitiveness and resilience if regulation supports investment, preserves competition, ensures legal certainty and promotes security through proportionate and evidence-based measures.
"Ireland's Presidency comes at an important time for Europe's telecoms sector. ecta warmly welcomes the Irish Presidency and stands ready to engage in a constructive spirit. The Digital Networks Act and the Cybersecurity Act should help Europe build secure, resilient and future-proof digital infrastructure, while preserving the competition and investment capacity that are essential to Europe's digital success," said Luc Hindryckx, Director General at ecta.
Digital Networks Act: modernisation must preserve competition and investment by all operators
ecta supports the objective of modernising the EU framework for electronic communications and creating a more coherent and effective framework for connectivity. The Digital Networks Act can help support resilient, high-quality and future-proof digital infrastructure across Europe.
At the same time, the DNA must preserve the foundations that have enabled competition, investment and consumer choice in European telecoms markets. The right approach is to simplify where possible, harmonise where justified, and maintain effective safeguards where market realities differ across Member States.
In particular, ecta calls on the Irish Presidency and Member States to ensure that competition remains a core objective of the future framework. Competition is not merely an instrument for achieving other policy goals. It is an absolute prerequisite for the EU's global competitiveness, as well as a central condition for efficient investment, innovation, service quality, affordability and user choice.
ecta also stresses the need to preserve an effective remedies toolbox for national regulatory authorities, together with the Recommendation on relevant markets. Market failures remain present in several telecoms markets and require both current and forward-looking effective remedies. The Significant Market Power regime must therefore continue to play a central role, and NRAs must retain the ability to impose appropriate access obligations, including price control where justified.
The DNA should also provide stronger legal certainty. Key policy choices should not be postponed to extensive implementing or delegated acts. Where guidance or common approaches are needed, BEREC should play a central role, and consultations should be based on draft texts that allow stakeholders to assess the real implications of proposed measures.
Fibre, spectrum and business markets need tailored safeguards
ecta welcomes the objective of accelerating the transition from copper to fibre. However, fibre migration must be managed in a way that safeguards competition, avoids disruption for end-users and reflects national market circumstances.
Spectrum policy should also preserve a level playing field and foster the internal market. A more coherent spectrum framework can improve predictability, but it must remain technology-neutral, investment-friendly and flexible enough to reflect national market conditions. Spectrum fees should support efficient use while preserving operators' ability to invest in deployment, quality and innovation.
Business and government users have distinct connectivity and security needs. B2B markets remain highly concentrated across Member States and require tailored safeguards for competition, access, resilience, security and service quality.
Rules designed for consumers should not automatically be extended to business customers where market conditions, services and contractual arrangements are different.
Cybersecurity Act: resilience requires proportionality and evidence
ecta supports the ambition to reinforce cybersecurity across the European Union and recognises the importance of a coordinated response to evolving risks in ICT supply chains. The revision of the Cybersecurity Act can contribute to strengthening the resilience and security of Europe’s digital infrastructure.
However, the new framework must be carefully calibrated. The measures under discussion could have significant consequences for network deployment, investment decisions and supplier ecosystems in the telecommunications sector. Cybersecurity policy must therefore provide legal clarity, remain proportionate to the risks identified and give infrastructure operators the predictability they need to plan and invest.
In light of the significant economic impact on hundreds of fixed operators, many of which support European SMEs in their own competitiveness efforts, ecta calls for a comprehensive assessment of the consequences of the proposed measures before final decisions are taken. Without such an assessment, disproportionate obligations could threaten the economic viability of several operators, force businesses out of the market and ultimately weaken competition, network resilience and Europe's global competitiveness.
Any intervention affecting networks should be grounded in evidence, reflect the specific risk profile of different equipment categories and avoid disproportionate effects on operators, investment and end-users. Supply-chain security should be pursued primarily through risk-based technical and organisational measures aligned with concrete threat scenarios and operational realities. Broad supplier exclusion mechanisms risk reducing vendor diversity, creating new dependencies and generating unintended consequences for competition, investment, resilience and Europe's competitiveness.
A constructive agenda for Europe's digital infrastructure
The Digital Networks Act and the revised Cybersecurity Act will shape the investment environment for Europe's telecoms sector for years to come. Both files will affect the ability of operators to deploy networks, serve citizens and businesses, maintain resilience and compete effectively.
ecta believes the Irish Presidency can play an important role in steering discussions towards outcomes that are balanced, workable and supportive of Europe's digital ambitions. Strengthening Europe's digital infrastructure requires a framework that supports operators of all sizes, protects competition, enables investment, promotes supplier diversity and delivers security through proportionate and technically grounded measures.
ecta looks forward to working with the Irish Presidency, Member States, the European Parliament and the European Commission throughout the legislative process to ensure that the final framework strengthens Europe's digital infrastructure, supports sustainable competition and delivers long-term benefits for citizens, businesses and public administrations. Competition must remain at the heart of Europe's digital policy, as it is not only essential for user choice, affordability and innovation, but also an absolute prerequisite for the EU's global competitiveness.
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Download ecta‘s high level position on the DNA here
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ecta members are united in their belief that an inclusive electronic communications sector, embracing a multitude of participants, both large and small, and nurturing a diverse array of products and services, is essential to empower the entire European economy and unleash its innovative potential in the digital realm. In other words, diversity in telecoms is essential to guarantee Europe’s Competitiveness. This is the key message that ecta and its members continuously promote.
| For further information on the contents of this press release and ecta’s positions, please contact:
Luc Hindryckx, Director General, +32 472 35 06 54 |
| ecta, the european competitive telecommunications association (www.ectaportal.com), represents those alternative operators who, relying on the pro-competitive EU legal framework that has created a free market for electronic communications, have helped overcome national monopolies to give EU citizens, businesses and public administrations quality and choice at affordable prices. ecta represents at large those operators who are driving the development of an accessible Gigabit society, who represent significant investments in fixed, mobile and fixed wireless access networks that qualify as Very High Capacity Networks and who demonstrate unique innovation capabilities. |
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