Annex C
UNIVERSAL POSTAL SERVICE AND FULL MARKET
OPENING
EXPERIENCE OF
MARKET OPENING
IN EUROPE
|
| Country | Experience
| Full market opening
|
|
| UK | From 2003 licensed operators able to offer
"end-to-end" services to customers mailing over
4,000 items. In 2004 Royal Mail agreed the price for licensed operators offering consolidation services.
| 1 January 2006 |
| Sweden | Competition has emerged in relation to pre-sorted mail (Citymail—3-day service) and small niche operators (many ex-Sweden Post).
| Already fully open—1993
|
| Finland | Licensing regime is main stumbling block to development of competition. E-substitution is main competition to mail services.
| Already fully open—1994
|
| Netherlands | Direct mail market has been open since 1990s. Sandd (5% of market) and Selekt Mail (3%) are main competitiors in addressed bulk mail.
| 2007 |
| Germany | Competition in relation to "high-quality" services
(eg timed delivery) and now consolidation.
| 2007 |
Norway
(EEA country) | Competition in unaddressed mail (Norpost) one day a week.
| 2007 |
| Slovakia | Competition in unaddressed mail.
| 2007 |
| Denmark | Moved to 50 grams in January 2005—a year ahead of EU requirement.
| |
| Spain | Competition has existed in local intra-city mail since late 1960s.
| |
| Estonia | Competition in direct mail.
| Already fully open |
|
The incumbent postal operators in all of these countries
still have well over 90% of the postal market.
In 12 of the 25 Member States the reserved area is now substantially
less than the minimum level required by the Directive (100 grams)—particularly
in relation to direct mail.
The EC estimates that 75% of letter post weighs less than
50 grams. Only about 7% of letter post items fall into the 50-100
gram weight category that is required to open up on 1 January
2006.
The four largest operators (in Germany, France, UK and Netherlands)
control over 59% of the total Community postal services market.
The EC estimates that Germany, the Netherlands and the UK will
between them open 48% of the EU letter market from 2007.
Source: 2004 WiK and Ecorys studies for European Commission
on European postal market.
| 
