This puts an end to one of the last remaining monopolies in some countries.
The countries of the European Union (EU) reached a political agreement today to fully liberalize postal services in Europe from 2011, with an exceptional two-year adaptation period for eleven states.
The agreement was reached during a working lunch held by representatives of the Member States before the formal start of the Council of Ministers of Transport, Telecommunications and Energy being held in Luxembourg, the Portuguese Presidency of the EU reported.
The opening of the postal services market will end the last monopolies in this sector, such as the one held by Correos in Spain over interprovincial and transnational shipments of less than 50 grams.
Finally, liberalization will take effect from December 2010, a year later than the date proposed by the European Commission (EC), and eleven countries - Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovakia - will have until December 2012 to adapt, sources from the Presidency reported.
The Twenty-Seven accepted the Portuguese proposal and decided not to include in the directive any reference to "express services", one of the points on which the States had differences.
Several countries believed that these types of services should contribute to the universal service fund, intended to ensure that all Europeans have access to postal services regardless of where they live, while others opposed this, considering it to be a completely different business.
The agreement will be ratified this afternoon at the Council of Ministers, where Luxembourg is expected to be the only country to vote against it, diplomatic sources reported.
Thus, the text could reach the European Parliament at the end of November for the European Parliament to give its final approval.
Currently, the situation of postal services in Europe is very diverse, with countries like Sweden and the United Kingdom being completely liberalized and others with strong monopolies.
In the case of Spain, Correos only maintains a monopoly on letters weighing less than 50 grams and packages weighing less than 10 kilos in outgoing interprovincial and transnational shipments.
Other services, such as local mail, one of the most interesting from an economic standpoint, are completely liberalized.
Any questions about this news?
Talk to Coexia, the AI of the foreign trade
International business service providers
Demos Global Group
Demos Global Group is a consultancy specializing in strategic and operational advice for business expansion.read more...
VSI Consulting
VSI Consulting is a leading international trade and digital marketing consultancy.read more...
Gedeth Network
Gedeth Network is an international business consulting firm specializing in business development.read more...
UR Global
UR Global is a consulting firm specializing in the internationalization of companies with a physical presence.read more...
Red Carpet
Red Carpet is a recognized consultancy firm specializing in internationalization to Nordic countries.read more...
