The European Parliament has backed a range of telecoms measures aimed at giving consumers better rights and boosting competition, but some aspects were watered down.
The package would set up a new European telecoms agency and allow regulators to force dominant companies to split their network infrastructure and services into separate businesses.
But on both these key issues, MEPs changed the original proposals from the European Commission.
While they voted in favour of a new EU telecoms agency, their version fell short of the European Commission's idea for a tough Europe-wide body to take on the many powerful, formerly state-owned telecoms firms around the EU.
The new body would be financed from the EU budget and by existing national regulators but the split in the costs has still to be decided.
The lawmakers also watered down another related proposal, saying the new body should not oversee network and information security questions.
The MEPs also rejected a call that the Commission should be allowed to veto measures introduced by a national regulator to improve competition. Under the parliamentary version, the commission would have to discuss the matter with the new EU regulatory authority which would have the final say.
The EU parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of a proposal to allow regulators to force telecoms companies to run their network and retail services as separate businesses to help competitors get easier access to their networks. But they said this should be an exceptional measure used only when the regulatory authorities agree that it is the only way to boost competition in a given country. Major operators such as France Telecom have opposed any forced split of their operations.
