The EU Commission will hold a high-level postal conference in Brussels next week to ensure thatformal liberalisation in 2011 will lead to true competition and not the creation of new market
barriers. All key market players will be represented at the event.The invitation-only conference comes amid the dispute between Germany’s Deutsche Post and theNetherlands over the German minimum postal wage and the delayed full liberalisation of the Dutchmail sector. In addition, the European Court of Justice is expected to announce a verdict soon onVAT exemption for public postal operators.
The June 24 conference, entitled “The EU Internal Market for Postal Services – creating ittogether”, will be hosted by Internal Market and Services Commissioner Charlie McCreevy. The EUCommission said that the conference will mark the start of the final and decisive phase of EUpostal market reform and is its immediate follow-up on the adoption of the new Postal Directive2008/6/EC earlier this year.
After gradual market opening in recent years, remaining legal monopolies on postal marketsare set to be abolished by 31 December 2010, the Commission said. The vision of sustainable andopen postal markets with high-quality postal services that contribute effectively to growth,employment and competitiveness can now become a reality.
“This is a unique moment,” Commissioner McCreevy said. “The Third Postal Directive adopted inFebruary has paved the way for the accomplishment of the internal market for postal services. Butmarkets will not automatically open. I am committed to using all means at my disposal to make acompetitive and sustainable postal market a reality, with its benefits for businesses andconsumers.”
McCreevy will tell postal executives and other involved parties at the conference thatcreating a sustainable postal internal market is a “joint responsibility” and that it takes morethan the abolishing of the legal monopolies to meet this target.
Key speakers at the Conference will also include Commissioner for Competition Neelie Kroes,the rapporteur of the Directive in the European Parliament Markus Ferber (MEP), the PortugueseMinister for Public Works, Transport and Communications Mário Lino and the Greek Minister ofTransport and Communications Kostas Hatzidakis. All relevant players in the postal sector reachingfrom Member States to operators will be represented at high level.
