EU green lights telecoms reform

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union states gave the green light on Wednesday to a sweeping reform of the telecoms sector after accepting a last-minute deal to resolve a spat over Internet access, the Czech EU presidency said.

Ambassadors from EU member states met to endorse a draft deal reached in negotiations on the reform with the European Parliament, which has joint say.

"The Czech presidency has brought the member states to an agreement with parliament and now it's up to parliament to confirm the agreement in plenary next week," a spokesman for the presidency said.

The battle over handling copyright abuse emerged as a final sticking point between EU states and parliament on the reform that aims to increase competition in the sector and bring down tariffs for customers.

(Reporting by Huw Jones; editing by Dale Hudson)