On 19 May 2004, The Netherlands will officially bring into effect the legislation transposing the new EU regulatory framework for electronic communications.

Whilst the transposition is occurring long after the deadline of 25 July 2003 which was stipulated by the EU directives, The Netherlands is now not only bringing the primary legislation into effect (Modification Act of 22 April 2004, published in the official journal of 13 May 2004) but also various elements of secondary regulation, which were published in the official journals of 17 and 18 May 2004, including regulations on:

• universal service and end-user interests
• assignment of numbering resources
• the minimum set of leased lines
• interoperability
• conditional access and digital television
• the financing of the regulatory authority OPTA

The full text (in Dutch) of the Modification Act can be accessed by clicking here.

For a discussion of the adopted legislation, please check a previous news item on the T-REGS website, or contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it