Full liberalisation of the EU postal market could be delayed until 2011 under a politicalcompromise designed to win political support from France, according to a newspaper report. This
would be two years later than the 2009 date proposed by the European Commission.Germany, which holds the EU presidency until the end of June, is ready to propose that themonopoly on domestic letters up to 50g would expire on December 31, 2010, German newspaperHandelsblatt reported, citing EU diplomatic sources. Eastern European member states and Greecewould be allowed to delay market opening until the end of 2012.
The compromise would contain two important additional clauses, Handelsblatt wrote. EUnational postal operators would not be allowed to compete in other EU mail markets until their owndomestic market had been fully liberalised. Furthermore, “pay dumping” would be prohibited infully-liberalised markets and national regulators would be entitled to impose wage levels on postaloperators.
These clauses would meet German concerns, for example, that France’s La Poste might enter theGerman domestic market before the French market was fully opened, Handelsblatt reported. “Theformula that has been found guarantees that market liberalisation does not lead to disadvantagesfor those that voluntarily liberalise earlier,” said MEP Markus Ferber, who is representing theEuropean Parliament in the postal negotiations.
The proposal will be discussed at a planned meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkeland the incoming French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, in Berlin on Wednesday, May 16, according tothe newspaper.
The European Commission’s formal proposal for full postal liberalisation in 2009 has led tocontroversial political debate in recent months, with France, southern and eastern Europeancountries lining up alongside postal unions to try to delay the move.
Most northern European countries favour earlier liberalisation. The UK already fully openedup its postal market two years ago. Germany is now expected to follow suit as of January 1, 2008,and the Netherlands is likely to liberalise at the same time as Germany.
The issue is due for discussion in the European Parliament during the next two months, andGermany is pressing for a final decision to be taken at the EU leaders’ summit in June.
