Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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164. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when the European Electronic Communications Code legislation will be implemented into Irish law; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33359/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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My Department has been working to implement Directive (EU) 2018/1972 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 establishing the European Electronic Communications Code. The Code represents a revision of the entire EU regulatory framework and will repeal the Framework Directive, the Authorisation Directive, the Access Directive and the Universal Services Directive. Elements of the Code came into effect on 18 December 2020.

The transposition process has included extensive and ongoing engagement with relevant key stakeholders, including industry, the Regulator and the European Commission. In keeping with that stakeholder engagement, my Department has shared the text for the end user rights element with industry which is available to view on gov.ie. The Department has decided that the transposition of the enforcement provisions of the Code should be given effect to through primary legislation. However, it remains the Department’s intention that much of the transposition will still be effected by way of statutory instrument.

The Department is currently preparing Heads of Bill for a General Scheme for the proposed primary legislation with the aim of finalising the transposition process as early as possible.