3. Organization of spectrum management at European level

3.1 European Union and European Commission (EU and EC)

The European Union has the legal power to take decisions on frequencies through directives prepared by the Commission and submitted to the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament for approval. This route has been used a few times in the past, but has proved relatively unsuitable both because :

• decisions on frequencies require detailed technical analysis, for which the Commission does not have the necessary expertise;

• in-depth negotiation with the Member States and approval by the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament entail a timeframe that is incompatible with the speed of reaction required by technological developments;...