27 October, 2022

ETNO holds General Assembly, approves strategic orientation and governance for 2023

Skopje (North Macedonia), 27 October 2022 – ETNO, the Association representing Europe’s leading providers of digital networks and services, met today in Skopje for its annual General Assembly. Members and observers approved ETNO’s annual strategy for 2023 as well as a series of governance decisions. As per ETNO statutes, the event was hosted on a rotating basis by leading North Macedonian telecom operator Makedonski Telekom.

ETNO Strategy for 2023

By taking stock of the challenging geopolitical and economic situation, ETNO confirms that its main guiding light for 2023 will be the main purpose of the European telecom sector: empowering communities through access to inclusive digital infrastructure and services, while enabling a dramatic reduction of carbon emissions.

In this context, ETNO’s priorities for 2023 will be clustered around 3 main areas:

• Continued focus on key enabling policies, such as: supporting on emergencies and crisis which our sector can help respond to ; advancing a better policy and regulatory environment for the investment in roll-out of 5G and fibre networks, including through a ‘fair contribution’ as well as by playing a key role in the upcoming EU metaverse debate; advancing a proactive EU sustainability agenda for the sector; advancing a better understanding of competitive dynamics and scale in telecoms markets; continue being a key interlocutor on cybersecurity and network resilience.
• Play a key role on innovation policy and trends: promote a better, opportunity-driven environment for the telcos’ data business and innovation; monitor and play a role in longer-term technology developments including the evolution of networks towards 6G as well as quantum networks, with particular regard to encryption.
• A strong focus on the European and international stakeholder dialogue: continue to further promote and strengthen the intra-industry dialogue among telecom players; further expand the dialogue with stakeholders in the ecosystem, including tech companies, vertical industries and SMEs; further strengthen the transatlantic anchoring in dialogue with the US and be proactively engaged in all the relevant international fora, with particular regard to the ITU and the IGF.

Governance Decisions

The General Assembly reconfirmed Steven Tas (Proximus) as ETNO Executive Board Chairman 2023 for an additional one-year mandate. In terms of Executive Board composition:

• The General Assembly reconfirmed A1 Telekom Austria (Ivo Ivanovski), Altice Portugal (Pedro Gonçalves), Telefónica (Carlos Cocina), Telia Company (Olga Sihmane) as members of the Executive Board for an additional 3-years mandate;
• The General Assembly elected United Group to the Board. Janet Zaharieva will be the representative with an additional 3-years mandate.

The General Assembly also approved the 2023 budget, providing for a stable financial situation, while taking into account inflationary pressures.

Lise Fuhr, Director General of ETNO, said: “In 2023, ETNO’s main objective is to support members and policymakers in difficult times, as digitalization can offer much needed socio-economic opportunities. We are grateful to Makedonski Telekom for hosting us in the heart of the Balkans, at a moment in which this region looks at connectivity to boost its societies and economies”.