k, Ger- restrictions, and succeeded in having the restriction on provision of many, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, The Netherlands, information services lifted in 1991. It is likely to be only a matter of Belgium, and Luxembourg. Ten different languages are spoken and time before all the restrictions have been removed. In the meantime the population is well over 300 million (Frazer, 1991). the RBOCs have been very active in moving overseas in these areas, The key dates in the evolution of the European Economic Com- since the restrictions only apply to operations carried out in the munity are as follows: 1957. The Treaty of Rome was signed on 25 March 1957 by six countries (France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands 11.3.2 and Luxembourg), which established the EEC (as well as the Japan European Atomic Energy Community). Soon after that the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) was formed by Den- The regulatory body for telecommunications within Japan is the mark, Norway, Austria, Portugal, Sweden, United Kingdom Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT). Since the 1950s and Switzerland, and a treaty was signed between the EEC and all domestic services in Japan was been provided by Nippon Tele- EFTA. The EEC treaty came into effect on 1 January 1958 and graph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) and all international ser- the EFTA treaty on 3 May 1960. vices by Kokusai Denshin Denwa Co. Ltd. (KDD). NTT is one of 1968. All custom duties between Member States was removed on the largest telecommunications companies in the world. 1 July 1968. (The Custom Union.) Deregulation and liberalisation in telecommunications was 1972. The Treaty of Accession was signed on 22 January 1972 by started in 1985. Two laws were introduced, which became effective which the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark joined the on 1 April 1985: the Telecommunications Business Law and the EEC, bringing its membership up to nine. The treaty came into Nippon Denshin Denwa Kabushiki Kaish Law. These laws ended effect on 1 January 19