13. POSTAL SERVICES
(24081)
15190/02
COM(02)632
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Commission Report on the application of the Postal Directive (97/67/EC Directive).
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| Legal base: | —
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| Document originated: | 25 November 2002
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| Deposited in Parliament: | 11 December 2002
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| Department: | Trade and Industry
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| Basis of consideration: | EM of 30 December 2002
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| Previous Committee Report: | None
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| To be discussed in Council: | Not known
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| Committee's assessment: | Politically important
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| Committee's decision: | Cleared
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Background
13.1 The Commission is required by the Postal Directive,
97/67/EC, to report to the European Parliament and the Council
on the application of the Directive. The Directive was intended
to improve the quality of European postal services and implement
the postal services internal market, and was based on a gradual
and controlled market opening to competition and assured provision
of a minimum universal postal service across the EU. The Commission's
report should have been made three years after the date of entry
into force of the Directive and no later than 31 December 2000.
However, because of the prolonged timetable for the transposition
(adoption into national legislation) of the Directive, the Commission
has only recently made its report.
The document
13.2 The Commission's report assesses the application
of the Postal Directive in the Member States (and touches on its
transposition in other European Economic Area countries and in
the Accession Countries). Although Directive 2002/39/EC[41]
amends the Postal Directive (and makes the reporting requirement
a regular event every two years and requires a study in 2006 of
the impact on universal service), it has not yet come into effect
and so the document does not consider its application.
13.3 The document has six sections:
- an introduction, including a review of the situation before
adoption of the Postal Directive;
- a description of the aims and requirements of the Directive;
- the situation on transposition of the Directive;
- the application and regulatory impact of the Directive;
- developments in the postal sector; and
- a conclusion, including recommendations.
13.4 The Commission indicates that the Postal Directive
has been implemented to its satisfaction in most Member States
and it believes the Directive has had a significant and positive
impact. It notes particularly that a majority of postal operators
have changed from public to corporate bodies, leading to market
consolidation and greater emphasis on profitability, cost efficiency,
customer focus and innovation. It says the quality of European
postal services has improved and notes that employment in the
postal sector has grown by 4.3% from 1995 to 2000.
13.5 The Commission says it is difficult to identify
specific effects of the Postal Directive on the development of
the market. But it claims the Directive has been important in
establishing a basic, harmonised, universal postal service and
ensuring that this will be safeguarded as the market develops.
It says European standards and quality of service targets have
promoted improved quality of service. It notes that rapid technological
change has led to product innovation, with many new services such
as hybrid mail services and internet and e-commerce services being
provided.
13.6 In the conclusion the Commission says that, as the
Postal Directive has a safeguard for a universal service and as
the new Directive 2002/39/EC extends this safeguard, it has no
recommendations for a further update of the Community regulatory
framework at the moment.
The Government's view
13.7 The Minister of State for E-commerce and Competitiveness,
Department of Trade and Industry (Mr Stephen Timms) tells us:
"This is the first Commission report on the postal market.
It demonstrates that the UK, among the majority of other Members,
has met the requirements of the Postal Directive in the view of
the Commission. It can therefore be concluded that the UK has
implemented the Postal Directive to the satisfaction of the Commission.
There are therefore no implications, actions or points to address
for the UK arising from this report.
"The Department notes the report and its contents. It is
satisfied with its own implementation of the Postal Directive
in UK legislation and with the progress being made in taking forward
the policies the Postal Directive sets out in other Member States
who are not yet fully compliant. We support the Commission in
their efforts to bring about full compliance, which is key to
a competitive European market.
"The Department is taking forward the New Directive through
the Postal Services (EC Directive) Regulations 2002 which were
made on 11 December 2002 and are laying in the House (S.I.,2002,
No. 3050). These Regulations shall come into force on 1 January
2003."
Conclusion
13.8 This document usefully surveys the present position
of European postal services. We note that for the future there
will be such reports every two years and that there will be a
study of the impact of the internal market for postal services
in 2006. We clear the document.
41 OJ
L 176, 5.7.02 p. 21; see (22907): HC 152-ix (2001-02), paragraph
24 (5 December 2001). Back
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