Eleven European countries face the threat of legal action over their failure to offer liberalised telecoms services to consumers and businesses.

The EU Commission is in a huff over number portability and directory services among other things, it said in a statement yesterday.

France "still does not have a comprehensive printed directory or a directory enquiry service covering all fixed and mobile subscribers" said the EU.

Poland was named and shamed for not making "number portability available for either fixed or mobile subscribers".

Said Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding: "The EU rules opening up national telecommunication markets must be fully and correctly implemented if European consumers and business users are to get the full benefits of competitive electronic communications services such as high-speed internet connections and affordable mobile communications.

"Our aim is to get the job done and to complete the internal market in this key sector of the economy as soon as possible."

The eleven members of the EU fingered by the commission are the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Finland. ®

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