Deadline: Thursday, 10 April 2025 (EoB)
The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) is committed to serving as a body for thoughtful and proactive debate that provides advice and relevant information to the European Parliament, the Council, and the European Commission in the field of electronic communications and digital services. Furthermore, BEREC aims to play an important role in further improving the consistent and harmonised application of regulatory rules, to enhance its working methods and to engage cooperatively and effectively with stakeholders.
In January 2025, BEREC adopted its Outline BEREC Work Programme 2026. The objectives of the Outline BEREC Work Programme 2026 continue to be based on the mandatory tasks falling to BEREC stemming from the EECC. Implementing the relevant regulatory framework in a consistent way is to the forefront of BEREC’s work.
The four objectives of the EECC (Article 3 (2)) remain the foundation of the assignments set out in BEREC’s annual work programmes and continue to be the guiding force of the proposed Work Programme. These four objectives are:
- Promoting connectivity and access to very high-capacity networks (VHCN),
- Promoting competition and efficient investment,
- Contributing to the development of the internal market, and
- Promoting the interests of the citizens of the Union.
While the Outline Work Programme 2026 seeks to address current regulatory challenges, it has also been developed to prepare for the new challenges ahead arising from political, economic, and technological developments. It also addresses the fact that BEREC Strategy for the years 2021-2025 will expire this year and the new BEREC Strategy 2026-2030 will be adopted by the end of this year. In view of the rapidly evolving changes taking place in the sector, BEREC recently published an Action Plan for 2030 as a continuation of its contribution to the efficient regulatory environment in Europe, fit for 2030. It builds on five strategic orientations:
- Fostering national and international connectivity to reach the objectives of Europe’s Digital Decade by 2030,
- Facilitating an open and sustainable Internet ecosystem and monitoring the evolution of the digital landscape,
- Providing for the security and resilience of the networks and services,
- Contributing to the achievement of environmental sustainability goals, and
- Strengthening BEREC’s agility, independence, inclusiveness, and efficiency as a centre of expertise.
Within these five strategic orientations, a total of 14 BEREC long term strategic actions have been identified. The review of the BEREC’s strategies will consider the BEREC Action Plan as building block to shape the regulatory activities in the coming years.
The currently valid BEREC Strategy 2021-2025 sets out three high-level strategic priorities, which are:
- Strategic priority 1: Promoting full connectivity
- Strategic priority 2: Supporting sustainable and open digital markets
- Strategic priority 3: Empowering end-users
BEREC is also mindful that there is a potential confluence of policy and legislative initiatives. Work Programme also seeks to be consistent with the vision, targets, and roadmaps for Europe’s digital transformation by 2030, set out in the Digital Compass and the Policy Programme ‘Path to the Digital Decade’, the EU Global Gateway strategy (2021) and the European Green Deal (2020). Work Programme 2026 aims to be aligned with the new priorities for the EU of the new European Commission for electronic communications, digital services and infrastructures, as well as for the international cooperation. Among the potential upcoming policy and legislative initiatives are: The evaluation of BEREC’s and the BEREC Office by the Commission, European Commission’s upcoming review the functioning of the EECC, and others.
Considering recent and expected sectoral developments, strategic priorities might need to adopt to the new mid-term strategy focusing on promoting full connectivity, supporting competitive and open digital markets and ecosystems, empowering end-users and contributing to sustainable, secure and resilient networks and services.
Therefore, the incoming BEREC Chair, Mr Marko Mišmaš (AKOS, Slovenia), now launches a Call for Inputs (CFI) by inviting all stakeholders and interested parties to submit proposals for projects to be incorporated in the BEREC Work Programme 2026.
Format of contributions
To assist in the collation and assessment of the proposals received, please follow the following format:
- The title of the proposal;
- Which of current BEREC’s high-level strategic priorities (or strategic orientations from BEREC Action Plan for 2030, if applicable) the project best addresses;
- A short description of the project, which will allow BEREC to adequately consider its merits and any particular issues/developments the project is to address;
- The preferred/suggested format of BEREC’s output, e.g. a report, workshop, guidelines, etc.;
- The name of the proposer, the organisation he/she represents and relevant contact details.
What happens next?
In line with the adopted practice and in accordance with Article 21 of the BEREC Regulation, after considering the proposals received through this CFI, BEREC will publish a draft BEREC Work Programme 2026, which will be subject to a public consultation that will run for a four-week period in October and November 2025.
The final BEREC Work Programme 2026 will be adopted at the last BEREC Board of Regulators meeting of the year, in December 2025. BEREC will publish and transmit the annual work programme to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission as soon as it is adopted.
Deadline for contributions
Please send all contributions to this Call for Inputs by e-mail to
BEREC-WP2026@DISTRO.BEREC.EUROPA.EU
before Thursday 10 April 2025 (EoB).
Source – BEREC