Member States may inform the Commission of any general difficulties encountered, de jure or de facto, by Community undertakings with respect to placing on the market in third countries, which have been brought to their attention.

Whenever the Commission is informed of such difficulties, it may, if necessary, submit proposals to the Council for an appropriate mandate for negotiation of comparable rights for Community undertakings in these third countries. The Council shall decide by qualified majority.

Measures taken pursuant to paragraph 2 shall be without prejudice to the obligations of the Community and of the Member States under relevant international agreements.

Standards under Directive 73/23/EEC or 89/336/EEC whose references have been published in the Official Journal of the European Communities may be used as the basis for a presumption of conformity with the essential requirements referred to in Article 3(1)(a) and Article 3(1)(b). Common technical regulations under Directive 98/13/EC whose references have been published in the Official Journal of the European Communities may be used as the basis for a presumption of conformity with the other relevant essential requirements referred to in Article 3. The Commission shall publish a list of references to those standards in the Official Journal of the European Communities immediately after this Directive enters into force.

Member States shall not impede the placing on the market and putting into service of apparatus which is in accordance with the provisions in Directive 98/13/EC or rules in force in their territory and was placed on the market for the first time before this Directive entered into force or at the latest two years after this Directive entered into force.

Apart from the essential requirements referred to in Article 3(1), the Member States may request to continue, for a period of up to 30 months following the date referred to in the first sentence of Article 19(1), and in conformity with the provisions of the Treaty, to require telecommunications terminal equipment not to be capable of causing unacceptable deterioration of a voice telephony service accessible within the framework of the universal service as defined in Directive 98/10/EC.

The Member State shall inform the Commission of the reasons for requesting a continuation of such a requirement, the date by which the service concerned will no longer need the requirement, and the measures envisaged in order to meet this deadline. The Commission shall consider the request taking into account the particular situation in the Member State and the need to ensure a coherent regulatory environment at Community level, and shall inform the Member State whether it deems that the particular situation in that Member State justifies a continuation and, if so, until which date such continuation is justified.

Member States shall not later than 7 April 2000 adopt and publish the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive. They shall forthwith inform the Commission thereof. They shall apply these provisions as from 8 April 2000.

When Member States adopt these measures, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or shall be accompanied by such reference on the occasion of their official publication. The methods of making such a reference shall be laid down by Member States.

Member States shall inform the Commission of the main provisions of domestic law which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive.

Directive 98/13/EC is hereby repealed as from 8 April 2000.

This Directive is not a specific directive within the meaning of Article 2(2) of Directive 89/336/EEC. The provisions of Directive 89/336/EEC shall not apply to apparatus falling within the scope of this Directive, with the exception of the protection requirements in Article 4 and Annex III and the conformity assessment procedure in Article 10(1) and (2) of, and Annex I to, Directive 89/336/EEC, as from 8 April 2000.

The provisions of Directive 73/23/EEC shall not apply to apparatus falling within the scope of this Directive, with the exceptions of the objectives with respect to safety requirements in Article 2 and Annex I and the conformity assessment procedure in Annex III, Section B, and Annex IV to Directive 73/23/EEC, as from 8 April 2000.