The implementation of the Transfer Matching System (TMS) on October 1, 2010 was announced by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) as a first step to regulate international player transfers through an increased transparency of these human and financial flows.
The regulator of telecommunications and media in United Kingdom (Ofcom) published on, June 6, 2012 a report to measure media pluralism. In response, the State Secretary Jeremy Hunt writes on June 18 letter to the chairman of Ofcom, Colette Bow, for him make comments, astonishments, suggestions and remind him of the prerogatives of the Secretary of State in the matter. The set is made with the friendliness that fits between friends that are written and signed by their first names, formulas are in conditional tense in being enveloped in a respectful classicism, which is the form taken by the confrontation between the executive and the regulator. Tension is always high, whatever form it takes, when it comes to media.
In Senegal, the Autorité de régulation des télécommunications et des postes (ARTP ; English translation: Telecommunications and Posts Regulatory Authority) has, just like all regulators, inherent powers to impose sanctions. In general, the important thing is not only to exercise this sanctioning power but to exercise it in a way that reinforces the authority of the Regulator. In this perspective, the new Sonatel sanction decision is important.
As a sanctions always carry a heavier weight when people are made aware of it, the Director General of the Artp issued a press release, that has been flagged as particularly important, and held a press conference (in French) on a particularly serious sanction imposed following what the Regulator considers as the non-fulfilment of obligations stemming from formal notices (which, by the way, the telecom operator challenges on the merits).
On 21 November 2014 indeed, the Sonatel was given a formal notice from the Artp to respect consumer rights. As the code of telecommunications provides since its modification in 2014, operators shall "prendre les mesures appropriées de dimensionnement de leurs réseaux de nature à garantir à leurs clients un accès ininterrompu à leur service client commercial ou technique en respectant un taux d’efficacité minimal" (translation: "take appropriate measures to size their networks in a way that provides their consumers with an uninterrupted access to their customer service (sales service and technical support) which would respect a minimum efficiency rate") set by the Regulator itself- as to, namely, ensure that the right of consumers to be informed is satisfied (as regards billing mechanisms) and that their calls to consumer services remain free of charge. As the Regulator estimated that the Sonatel was not complying with such regulations, it conducted a formal investigation and notified a statement of objections to the operator, before sending on 28 January 2015 a second formal notice for the same reasons.
On 14 July 2016, the Regulator imposed a sanction on Sonatel since the it still estimated that the operator's behavior still was not leading to a compliant situation as regards the consumer right to be informed. The sanction, as stated in the Sonatel decision, is 13 billion 959 million FCfa (c. €20m), i.e., 15% of Sonatel's 2015 turnover. The sanction decision also provides that if the operator does not enforce it, an additional penalty of 10m FCfa (c. €15,000) per day will be charged.
The operator, however, challenges this sanction insofar as it estimates that its behavior is not to be blamed. To support its claim, Sonatel avails itself from the fact that upon reception of the first formal notice, it undertook a 'progressive compliance' with the requirements process as regards its network, then let the Regulator know about it, etc. It is henceforth to lodge an appeal.
The issue at stake, therefore, is to know whether the obligations on operators are obligations regarding the means used (that is to say, means obligations), or, conversely, if they are obligations to produce results (performance obligations). If they are means obligations, then the operator is right. However, considering the efficiency and effectivity principes that are closely linked with the teleological nature of Regulation, it is more likely that such obligations are performance obligations.
For instance, in France, the Commission Informatiques et Libertés (French Data Protection Authority- CNIL) considered on 1 March 2016!footnote-42 that the obligations on operators to have accurate and complete data are performance obligations and not mere means obligations.
Thus, there is probably more to follow with this Sonatel decision. The day the press release was issued, the operator stated it intended to lodge a hierarchical appeal before the Minister.
The next day, the Director General of the Artp stated in the press (in French) that under the Senegal law, the appeal could only be lodged before a jurisdiction, or before... the Regulatory Authority itself (request for reconsideration - in French : "recours gracieux").
This situation is thus a great reminder that new illustrations of the interplays between Regulation and Politics can always be found.
The Government of Haiti will refer to Parliament so that a regulation Act of the insurance industry could be adopted. So far, it was quite undeveloped. Such a law is expected to facilitate its development without risk. These prospects have been raised in a symposium held in Haiti on May 11, 2012.
On April 27, 2010, the European Parliament’s Committee for Health voted to introduce an amendment to the European Commission’s ‘Pharmacovigilance and Prescription Medicine Package’, which would introduce a strict regime for online prescription medicine sellers.
A decision handed down by the French Court of Cassation (Cour de cassation) validates a right of first refusal contract whose purpose was to prevent financial speculation on the property being sold. This decision, political in nature, opens new possibilities for using the contract as an instrument for regulating real-estate prices.
The paper suggests that the neo-realistic theory of Regulation encompasses both regulatory legal rules as well as an authoritarian supervisory monitoring of their application by market participants. Further, supervision should not merely encompass microeconomic supervision but rather integrate that financial market’s interconnectedness (finance, banking and insurance) entails a reform of its current architecture, in order to preserve from market failures the system as a whole. Regulation is transversal and should not be understood as sector-specific but rather as a governance mechanism for whole systems.
FRENCH
Quand régulation rime avec supervision: l'exemple de la nouvelle architecture de supervision européenne
L'article suggère que la théorie néo-réaliste de la régulation inclut à la fois les règles légales régulatoires ainsi que la supervision autoritaire de leur application par les acteurs du marché. De plus, la supervision ne doit pas comprendre uniquement la supervision microéconomique, mais doit plutôt intégrer que l'interconnectivité propre aux marchés financiers (finance, banque et assurance) suppose une réforme de son architecture actuelle afin de prémunir le système dans son ensemble des défaillances de marché. La régulation est transversale et ne devrait pas être comprise comme spécifique à un secteur, mais comme un mécanisme de gouvernance pour le système dans son ensemble.
GERMAN
Wenn Regulierung mit Überwachung reimt: das Beispiel der neuen europäischen Überwachungsarchitecktur.
Dieser Artikel deutet an, dass die neo-realistische Theorie der Regulierung beide die juristischen Regeln der Regulierung sowie die autoritärische Überwachung ihrer Anwendung integriert. Ausserdem soll unter dem Begriff Überwachung nicht nur die mikroökonomische Überwachung verstanden werden, aber auch die Verbindungen zwischen Finanzmärkte (Finanz, Bank, Versicherung), was eigentlich die Reform der heutigen Architektur bedeuten soll, um dem System von Märtkeversagen zu schützen. Die Regulierung ist transversal, und soll nicht nur mit Hinweis auf dem Sektor verstanden werden, sondern als ein Mechanismus für die Führung des Systems im breiten Sinne.
SPANISH
Cuando la Regulación rima con la supervisión: el ejemplo de la arquitectura de la nueva estructura de supervisión.
Este informe sugiera que la teoría neo-realística de la Regulación abarca tanto las reglas legales regulatorias como la supervisión autoritaria monitoreada de su aplicación por los participantes en el marcado. Además, la supervisión no debería solamente abarcar la supervisión microeconómica, sino que también debería integrar la naturaleza interconectada del mercado (financiera, bancaria y de seguros) lo cual requeriría de reformas de su arquitectura actual para poder preservarse de los fallos de mercado del sistema en general. La regulación es transversal y no debería conocerse como sector-específico sino como un mecanismo de gobierno para sistemas enteros.
ITALIAN
Articolo: Quando regolazione fa rima con supervisione: l’esempio della nuova organizzazione europea di supervisione.
L’articolo suggerisce che la teoria neorealista della regolazione racchiude sia norme legali di regolazione che una supervisione della loro applicazione da parte degli operatori del mercato. Inoltre, la supervisione non dovrebbe semplicemente includere una supervisione microeconomica quanto piuttosto introdurre un’interconnessione (finanza, banca e assicurazioni) del mercato finanziario, cosa che implica una riforma dell’organizzazione attuale, al fine di proteggere il sistema nel suo complesso da un mancato funzionamento del mercato. La regolazione é trasversale e non dovrebbe essere intesa come un meccanismo di settore ma piuttosto come un meccanismo globale di governance.
Internet permits to access to expanded knowledge but also make easier the broadcasting of fake news and hate speeches. Unfortunately, public powers cannot know who broadcast these fake news and hate speeches and are so not able to fight efficiently against this. A solution would be to expect from digital firms that they find a way to contain these fake news and hate speeches that they structurally contribute to diffuse.
Digital firms already do that and especially Facebook which plans to sensibilize its American users to 2020 presidential elections. However, digital firms explain that if they fight against fake news and hate speeches, it is only because of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). But, even if it is a calculus to get a better reputation and avoid boycott actions, this remains a willingness of the firm which is therefore neither forced to succeed, nor even to act.
The solution proposed by Compliance Law is to make of this effort a legal obligation by internalizing in crucial operators (digital firms) the "monumental goal" to fight against fake news and hate speeches so that digital companies are required to act and that they are supervised by public authorities in this task. The forthcoming law about digital services will impose to digital firms Ex Ante obligations while the law of 22 of December 2018 related to the fight against information manipulation already forces platforms operators a legal obligation to "cooperate" in the fight against fake news.
On May 28, 2010, the {Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques et des postes} (ARCEP — French postal and telecommunications regulatory authority) published a report it ordered from WIK Consult, which details the tangible and intangible benefits accruing to {La Poste} (The French postal service) as a result of its universal service obligation, which are to be included in calculating compensation provided to the universal service provider for its universal service obligations, in application of the European Union’s Third Postal Directive liberalizing the postal market in the European Union. This report is critical in tone, but {La Poste} takes issue with its methodology and conclusions.
