The European Union’s telecoms ministers meet in Luxembourg on Thursday, to hammer out details on several major telecoms initiatives.

One of the main topics on the agenda will be the Telecoms Reform Package unveiled by Viviane Reding, EU Telecoms Commissioner, late last year.

The scheme, which met with a warm welcome, is far reaching, proposing both new regulation and the removal of old regulation where competition is already considered effective. But it is not without contention, and the most controversial issue remains the proposed creation of a European Telecom Market Authority, which many have described as a “super regulator”.

While it should be pointed out that ETMA is not an entirely new institution but rather an evolution of an existing one, it looks for all intents and purposes that the industry body would have the power to overrule the 27 national regulators.

The Council will also consider extending the mandate of the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA), which was established in 2004 for an initial period of five years, with the remit of assessing new security threats, the responses needed, and the challenges ahead.

The i2010 initiative is also up for mid-term review, with the intention of assessing the EU’s performance in ICT research and innovation, the migration towards high speed networks, and other significant gaps in the single market for ICT.

Other topics on the Council’s agenda include an action plan for switching to Internet Protocol IPv6, the “digital dividend”, and examining the potential for pan-European mobile satellite services, such as mobile TV, fast internet access and emergency communications.