Central Finance and Contracting Unit (CFCU) of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology have designated the winner of the tender for the implementation of the Phare project for technical assistance financed by the European Union within the envelope PHARE 2005 – ”Facilities for special actions”. This project provides technical assistance in view of improving the institutional capability of ANRCTI as regards the imposition of ex ante regulations. This project is to be implemented throughout a 12-month period, from November 2007 until November 2008.

The contract, amounting to EUR1,998,245, aims at providing the Romanian regulator  with technical assistance and „on-the-job” training during the processes of defining and analysing the relevant markets in the electronic communications sector, of establishing the adequate regulatory measures and of consultation – at the national and European levels – regarding the analysed relevant markets, which must be carried out according to Romania’s commitments as a Member State of the European Union, under the European regulatory framework for communications networks and services.

The winner of the international tender organised for this project, WIK-Consult GmbH,  in association with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher Trustees Limited, will pursue to review the definitions of the relevant markets in the Romanian electronic communications sector, to assess the level of competition in the relevant markets defined and to identify the providers with significant market power, to make recommendations on amending or withdrawing the regulatory measures in place, as well as on imposing new obligations on the providers with significant market power and to provide assistance during the procedures of national consultation and of notifying the European Commission and the national regulatory authorities in the other Member States of the European Union.

During the first working session held at the ANRCTI headquarters, the representatives of WIK-Consult, of the CFCU and of ANRCTI - the project beneficiary – discussed on the project schedule and on the implementation methodology and set the priorities for the first phase of the project. By the end of the year, ANRCTI will have published the Operations Plan for Reviewing the Relevant Markets in the Romanian Electronic Communications Sector, which provides the schedule activities for defining, analysing and regulating these markets, as established in the project planning, together with the consultant team of WIK and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.