"The growth of the broadband technology is still strong, and the EU’s leading countries have become world’s leaders" in this area. "However it is unacceptable that the gap between the top and bottom of the list in Europe is growing wider": Viviane Reding, commissioner for telecommunication, comments a survey published today by the EU Executive, highlighting strengths and weaknesses, and pointing at "lack of competition" and the "deficiencies of the legislation" as the "main obstacles to the growth of the broadband". The EU Commission intends to "fill such gaps through its proposed reforms of the EU legislation" in the area of telecommunication, which it is going to put forward on November 13th. Reding adds: "Europe must take action now and pull its socks up": fast data transmission is considered a key factor in economic development and in the growth of communication and knowledge. According to the Brussels’ experts, "the gap between the EU’s top of the list (Denmark 37.2%) and EU’s bottom of the list in the area of broadband penetration (Bulgaria 5.7%) is getting slightly wider and now exceeds 30 percent points". Therefore "more must be done to promote investments so that such growth may be well balanced".
