BEREC signs revised Working Arrangements with Ukrainian national regulatory authority

On 26 March 2024, BEREC and the Ukrainian National Commission for the State Regulation of Electronic Communications, Radio Frequency Spectrum and the Provision of Postal Services (NCEC) signed revised Working Arrangements originally concluded on 9 December 2022. The revised agreement ensures that the Ukrainian national regulatory authority will remain an active participant in the day-to-day work of BEREC’s Board of Regulators, appointing experts to BEREC’s working groups and seconding them to work at the Agency for Support for BEREC (the BEREC Office).

BEREC welcomes NCEC 

Following the signing of the revised Working Arrangements, BEREC Chair, Tonko Obuljen (HAKOM, Croatia), warmly welcomed the NCEC and expressed confidence in continuation of their further collaboration being productive. He emphasized that working together helps promote full connectivity, fair competition and effective investments, empowering end-users across Europe.

His Ukrainian counterpart, NCEC Chairman Oleksandr Zhyvotovskyi, highlighted that since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine started in February 2022, NCEC's primary focus has been on ensuring connectivity and keeping people connected, fostering resilience, stability, and restoration of electronic communications networks. Close cooperation with BEREC will facilitate the organization reaching these goals.

The signing ceremony took place at the annual BEREC Stakeholder Forum – the most significant BEREC public event in the calendar. Together with other distinguished speakers, the NCEC Chair shed light on electronic communication infrastructure security and resilience issues in conditions of full-scale war against Ukraine. 

BEREC’s support to Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion

BEREC and the NCEC (Ukrainian national regulatory authority) had already made their collaboration official in 2022-2023 with the EC decision based on the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU. Through the agreement, the EU and Ukraine committed to aligning Ukraine’s laws with EU electronic communications laws and to fostering cooperation between Ukraine’s national regulator and national regulators across the EU Member States.

Earlier in 2022, telecom operators based in the EU and Ukraine signed a joint statement to secure and stabilise free or affordable roaming and international calls between the EU and Ukraine, thus helping Ukrainians displaced throughout Europe to stay in touch with family and friends back home and to access reliable information. BEREC has closely followed the telecommunications sector’s response to the crisis and welcomed the measures voluntarily provided by EU operators. Under the joint statement, signed by both European Economic Area and Ukrainian operators, BEREC with participation of NCEC is responsible for monitoring its implementation.