Metamorphosis is an independent, nonpartisan and nonprofit foundation based in Skopje, Macedonia. Its main goals are development of democracy and prosperity by promoting knowledge-based economy and information society.
EU experts investigate whether Macedonian Government fulfils obligations for liberalisation of fixed telephony market and whether it creates conditions for fair competition. Two EU experts arrived in Macedonia on complaints from several candidate-companies for fixed telephony operators that the Government and the Agency for electronic communications protect the interests of the monopoly of Makedonski Telekomunikacii and that deliberately obstruct the competition.
EU sent the experts to provide technical and expert assistance to Macedonia in telecommunications sector. The project is funded by EU through the Agency for reconstruction and is implemented by AAM Management consulting. Key users will be Agency for electronic communications and Ministry of transport and communications.
The experts met Nextel representatives and asked them to point the problems that obstruct them to offer telecommunications services to the citizens. EU representatives were informed that despite the fact that telecommunications market was to be liberalised on January 1st, 2005 the state has not yet provided conditions for work of MakTel’s competitors. It was stressed that the citizens cannot yet feel the advantages of market economy in telecommunications sector and are forced to use MakTel’s monopoly services. Nextel noted that they as well as other competition companies faced obstructions and technical obstacles by MakTel and Agency for electronic communications failed to implement the laws.
EU experts noted that Macedonia as EU candidate-country is obliged to provide competition in fixed telephony. Therefore, EU decided to monitor closely the development of telecommunications sector in the country and to help in adopting appropriate regulation.
MakTel competitors cannot enter the market until concession agreements of fixed and mobile operators are not synchronised with the Law on electronic communications adopted in February, 2005. The Government should have fulfilled this obligation by December 2005. On February 17th, 2006 Ministry of transport and communications should have chosen consulting house to help the synchronisation of the agreements.
