The European Union's performance in the International Telecommunication Union

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 telecommunication 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 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 in EU activity at the ITU level, EU engagement on discussions on telecommunication policy and strategy at the global level is increasing, but not targeted towards the ITU.