New EU Twinning project to help Ukraine improve electronic communications regulatory framework

A new EU-funded Twinning project to improve quality of service and market access in telecommunications in Ukraine was launched on November 29, involving a Consortium of Lithuanian and Latvian regulatory authorities in cooperation with the National Commission for the State Regulation of Communications and Informatization (NCCIR). The upgraded system should ultimately enable customers to choose from wider variety of innovative e-communications services at lower prices and of higher quality.

“Our main goal and purpose in this project is to share the best practice in regulation of quality of electronic communications service, and also in maintaining and strengthening the independence of the national regulator,” said project leader Feliksas Dobrovolskis, Director of the Communications Regulatory Authority of the Republic of Lithuania.

Under the project, the EU experts and their Ukrainian counterparts will jointly draft proposals for amendments to Ukrainian legislation relating to quality of services and market access to align it with the EU telecommunications acquis. 

The project partners will share their experience and prepare a set of recommendations on how to improve quality of service monitoring system which should foster communication service (e.g. fixed and mobile telephony, internet access services) providers in Ukraine to compete more efficiently on quality of services and to empower customers better defend their interest of having quality services. Ultimately this will ensure higher quality of communication services for all end-users. 

The project will also prepare a set of recommendations to foster market competition in Ukraine through ensuring equal access conditions to all market players and applying best EU practices in market analysis at the NCCIR. More competition means wider choice, better quality and lower prices for consumers.

Johannes Baur, Head of the Economic Cooperation Section at the EU Delegation to Ukraine said: “Only proper implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement will produce the expected benefits and achieve closer alignment with the EU internal market. This EU project will help to prepare a sound regulatory framework in the telecommunication sector and help the Ukrainian telecom regulator to build better mechanisms to oversee the market and to ensure fair competition.”

“We are lucky to have our long-standing partners, our friends from Lithuanian and Latvian national regulatory authorities as our partners in this project. We truly believe that the Twinning project we are implementing will help us to broaden competencies in monitoring of electronic communications services and ensuring market entrance, thus strengthening the NCCIR’s regulatory capacity and independence,” said Oleksandr Skliarov, Beneficiary Project Leader and member of the NCCIR.

About the project

The Twinning Project “Strengthening the Regulatory Capacity of the National Commission for the State Regulation of Communications and Informatization in the Areas of Market Access and Quality of Service Monitoring System” is financed by the European Union under its European Neighbourhood Instrument. It will be implemented over a period of 21 months by the Communications Regulatory Authority of the Republic of Lithuania, Public Utilities Commission of the Republic of Latvia and the Central Project Management Agency (Lithuania) in partnership with the National Commission for the State Regulation of Communications and Informatization (Ukraine). The project’s budget is of €1.3 million and it runs from September 2019 – June 2021.

Twinning is a European Union tool for institutional cooperation between the authorities of EU Member States and those of partner countries. Twinning projects are based on direct exchange of knowledge and expertise.

The European Union also supports efforts to strengthen the independence of National Regulatory Authorities for electronic communications in the framework of its EU4Digital Initiative.

Press release