Belgium has been ordered to pay a fine of €5,000 a day for failing to implement a European directive on the rollout of high-speed internet.

The European Commission began legal action against Belgium two years ago, because the 2014 EU directive had not been transposed into Belgian law.

The Commission had initially claimed a €54,000 daily fine, but then opted to reduce the amount demanded.

The directive sets out a series of rules for the deployment of high-speed broadband, which aim to bring costs down for consumers.

It had to be transposed into national law by 1 January 2016 at the latest.