Representatives of the CRC, led by the Chairman PhD Veselin Bozhkov, participated as part of a delegation of the Republic of Bulgaria, in the Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), held in Guadalajara, Mexico in the period 4 - 22 October 2010. The conference, which is the supreme body of the Union and which is held every four years, was attended by over 2000 representatives of the governments of 191 Member States and sector Members of the Union, international financial institutions, leading telecommunication companies, and intergovernmental organizations.

 

The Conference adopted the reports on the activity of the three sectors of ITU (telecommunications, radiocommunications and standardization) for the past four years and set the general policy and future strategic and financial plans of the Union. During the conference the senior management of the ITU, the members of the Council and the Radio Regulations Board were elected.

 

Bulgaria was elected for Member of the ITU Council – the governing body of the Union – for region C (Eastern Europe and Northern Asia) for sixth consecutive four-year term. This region is represented in the Council by five countries. In the elections the delegates re-elected Bulgaria with 116 votes, which ranked our state in the second highest votes after Russia and before Romania, Poland and the Czech Republic.

 

The period of participation of the CRC representatives was consistent with the need to ensure the lobbying for the Bulgarian candidature. The conducted high level meetings contributed to the broad support and strong election result. In view of the prestige that accompanies our state’s membership in the ITU Council and the opportunities, which it provides for the realization of the national priorities in the area of telecommunications, the active participation of CRC in the activities of the Union was of great importance.

 

During the conference the Chairman of CRC held official meetings with Dr. Hamadoun Toure – Secretary-General of the ITU, Mr. Houlin Zhao – Deputy Secretary-General of ITU and with the directors of the bureaux of the three sectors. The ITU leaders praised the contribution of Bulgaria for the successful activity of the Union. During the conversations Dr. Hamadoun Toure expressed his desire and hope to visit Bulgaria in the early 2011.

 

In the meantime, the conference gave an opportunity for many bilateral conversations and strengthened the cooperation of the CRC with the regulators at global, European and regional level.