Euro MPs are to debate and vote in Strasbourg this week on a key report on postal servicesliberalisation which recommends the scrapping of the last remaining national monopolies is put back
two years from 2009 to 2011.While the European Commission wants liberalisation in all member states completed by 1January 2009, with the opening of the below 50g “reserve area” to full competition, the transportcommittee says the reserve area should only expire on 31 December 2010. The plenary session debateis tomorrow, Tuesday, and the vote is on Wednesday.
The legislation has to be passed by the Parliament and the EU member states (in the Councilof Ministers) in a co-decision procedure. EU transport ministers postponed a decision on postalliberalisation at their meeting earlier in June.
The Netherlands, anticipating liberalisation, has already passed a law opening the under 50gmarket to full competition at the beginning of next year and Germany is due to follow suit at thesame time. Countries which had already opened their domestic markets, including the UK and Sweden,would also be entitled to block competitors from “non-liberalised” countries, under the parliament’s proposal.
Countries such as Greece, because of its large number of islands, and new member states inEastern Europe would be able to extend their domestic monopolies by a further two years to thestart of 2013.
Under the proposal, states would be given until 1 Jan 2010 to notify the Commission about howthey would fund nationwide universal services, including minimum collections and deliveries ofmail.
