One of the French amateur radio representative societies URC has expressed its desire for a 3 licence class structure as described in CEPT recommendations rather the single class available at the present time in France.

A translation of the Union of Radio Clubs (URC) 2020 Editorial reads:

The URC has its objectives among which is that of respecting the CEPT recommendations and by creating 3 license classes in France. We have now made proposals on how we see this being done and this is to be discussed with all the associations and the administration but the consensus is that licenses and exams must be changed in France. So I have a lot of hope that the GIAR consortium can deliver.

I hope that all the AR associations who wish to advance the amateur radio hobby will join, that they will clearly display their membership of the GIAR consortium and that differences in the past will be forgotten.

Once the GIAR consortium is formed, we will set up the following themed groups which we have identified and we will all work together:

• Community facilities (Relays - Beacons - Networks). This group will establish how community facilities can be managed in partnership with the ANFR(the French national regulator). We note that the ANFR manages the frequencies, it only checks whether radio installations transmit correctly within the amateur radio bands. We, as radio amateurs, need more information as we control what goes on inside our bands. We will have to establish rules for the coexistence of community facilities which will then have to be applied in collaboration with the ANFR.

• Training and exams: within the framework of the establishment of 3 license classes, this group will have to work on training, how to integrate this training in individual training, in national education and how can we reform the passage of exams.

• French regulations: since 2012 the decree has had problems and shells, we have been promised reform of the decree for 8 years, let's work on the subject and give radio amateurs the means to develop by correcting and developing the decree.

• Communication and promotion, by contributing to the reform of examinations, the evolution of our rights, let us persevere and enlarge the family of radio amateurs. Let us join forces to promote our activity.

If your radio association wants to join the GIAR consortium, you can contact us, people who are not members of one of the associations wish to reinforce the technical groups, they should also contact us. Together forgetting past controversies, we can make things happen.

URC February 2020 Editorial - https://tinyurl.com/FranceURC-News