The European Union’s Performance in the International Telecommunication Union

Abstract

This article describes the performance of the EU in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). It depicts a shifting environment where the relevance of the ITU in a globalised and converged telecommunications environment is being challenged itself. The EU has appeared to ‘cede’ an active role within this organisation over the period under analysis (1994–2010) to the intergovernmental, 48-member, European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT). This article argues that the perception of decline in the EU’s performance in the ITU is a recognition of the effectiveness of CEPT in producing Common European Positions, and the role that the EU can have in contributing on this scale. At the same time as this ‘operational’ decline is occurring in EU activity at the ITU level, EU engagement in discussions on telecommunications policy and strategy at the global level is increasing, but not targeted towards the ITU.

Key Words:

• Telecommunication
• International Telecommunication Union
• European Union
• performance
• international institutions

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to Sebastian Oberthür and one anonymous reviewer for having provided comments on an earlier draft.