In December 2019, the European Commission presented the European Green Deal with the ambition of making Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, boosting the economy, improving people's health and quality of life, caring for nature, and leaving no one behind.

Digitalisation will be at the core of this ambitious program and fibre is key to align the digital and sustainability agendas. As the most sustainable telecommunication infrastructure technology, full-fibre is a prerequisite to achieving the European Green Deal and making the European Union’s economy more sustainable.

The need to work collectively towards a more sustainable society has become a strategic objective of policy makers and the vast majority of private organisations alike. With this context in mind, the sustainability Working Group of the FTTH Council Europe has been created with two key objectives:

  • Promote full fibre as the most sustainable access network technology and enabler of multiple applications which can contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of our activities. Remote working and learning being the most obvious examples.
  • Support all stakeholders of the Fibre to the Home value chain in their efforts to make their respective activities more carbon neutral.

Insights from the Committee

 

 

FTTH Council Europe reaffirms its policy priorities on the Digital Networks Act and Cybersecurity Act ahead of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Brussels, 15th June 2026. As Ireland prepares to assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the FTTH Council Europe reaffirms its positions on two central regulatory files for the sector: the Digital Networks Act and the Cybersecurity Act. Both proposals will have a direct impact on Europe's ability to reach the targets set by the Digital Decade Policy Programme. We therefore believe that the Irish Presidency should give the highest priority to both pieces of legislation.

The FTTH Council Europe welcomes the Digital Networks Act as put forward by the European Commission. Investment and effective competition must remain at the core of any access policy. The Council warmly welcomes the copper switch-off proposal as a driver for investment and competitiveness, and invites co-legislators to support the Commission's approach.

The FTTH Council Europe supports stronger security and resilience in Europe's telecom networks and is ready to cooperate with European institutions to achieve this objective. However, the Council calls for a full assessment of the scale, costs and operational impact of the proposed intervention before final decisions are taken. Any measures affecting fixed networks must be evidence-based, proportionate and sensitive to the different risk levels associated with different equipment categories.

The coming months will be decisive. The FTTH Council Europe looks forward to engaging with the Irish Presidency and all relevant institutional stakeholders to ensure that Europe's regulatory framework supports investment, strengthens security and resilience, and accelerates the transition to full-fibre infrastructure.

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