14.12.2015
As Turkey's influence in international organizations continues to grow, Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, President of the Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK), has been elected as Vice President of the Independent Regulators Group (Independent Regulators Group - IRG). Sayan, the first person from our country to be elected to this position, will fulfill this duty in 2016.
At the Independent Regulators Group (Independent Regulators Group - IRG) General Assembly held in London, the capital of England, on December 10-11, 2015, Sayan was elected as IRG Vice President.
IMPORTANT FOR THE EU PROCESS
Sayan's election to the Vice Presidency—the highest position non-EU member countries can attain in the IRG/BEREC Board, the most important platform in Europe for national regulatory authorities in electronic communications—is of great significance, as he is the first Turk selected for this role.
BTK President Sayan will also serve on the Board of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications - BEREC) as an IRG Board member. This role will enable Sayan's direct participation in decisions on European electronic communications policies.
WHAT IS IRG?
To establish a common understanding in implementing EU legislation, share experiences, and enable comparisons of regulations in the electronic communications sector, European countries' regulatory authorities in electronic communications established the IRG Platform in 1997. Subsequently, the European Regulators Group (ERG), comprising regulatory authorities from EU member states along with the European Commission, was founded in 2002 to conduct joint activities of both groups. BEREC, as the successor to ERG, was established and became operational in 2009.
As an EU candidate country, Turkey has been represented as an observer in BEREC (successor to ERG) since 2005 and as a member in IRG since 2007. BEREC brings together national regulatory authorities from 28 EU member countries, as well as EFTA (European Free Trade Area) countries and EU candidate countries, to ensure coordination among them and provide advice to the European Commission on regulatory matters.
According to IRG/BEREC practices, the BEREC President—selectable only from EU member state administrations—also serves as IRG President. Additionally, an IRG Vice President is selected from among observer members (ineligible for BEREC positions) to represent non-EU member countries, upon the President's proposal.
