sou · H4B354 · 2016-09-01 00:00:00 — Beroende på vilken myndighet som regeringen utser som ska samla in uppgifterna, Trafikanalys eller , blir de administrativa uppgifterna för och Trafikanalys olika stora. Reglerat pris för tillgång till postnummersystemet Ett reglerat pris för tillgång till postnummersystemet kommer troligtvis innebära att användarna kommer att behöva betala mindre för åtkomsten till detta system. Det gör att det blir billigare att kontrollera och hålla adress- och referensregister uppdaterade och korrekta vilket bör öka effektiviteten hos företagarna. Det möjliggör också för fler priskänsliga små företag att etablera verksamhet som är beroende av uppdaterade uppgifter om postnummersystemet, till exempel inom e-handelssegmentet. Utredningen uppskattar att Postnords ökade nettokostnad till följd av förslaget uppgår till högst . Utred- ningen bedömer att den samhällsekonomiska nyttan i kommer att överstiga Postnords extra kostnad för att tillhandahålla informationen näst intill kostnadsfritt. The digitalisation of society has led to changes in communication patterns. Throughout the 2000s, the postal markets – both in and the rest of Europe – have been characterised by a decrease in letter volumes. To ensure the future of a quality postal service throughout the country that is cost-effective and meets household and business needs as far as possible, the Inquiry has conducted a review of the Swedish postal legislation. The Inquiry’s objective is to devise rules based on the review that ensure the continued existence of a quality postal service. The Inquiry considers that the scope of this service should be clarified with regard to the exemptions from five-day delivery and where post can be delivered. The proposals enable the Authority to regulate this in provisions when necessary. A clearer regulation on where the postal service’s last outpost should be will make it easier to define the role of the postal service with regard to state measures to guarantee service in sparsely populated areas. Moreover, the Inquiry proposes that postal service providers should submit to the Government or a government-appointed agency information about their finances and activities required for following up and monitoring the postal market. Currently, the Authority is not able to request documentation from, for example, parcel distributors that do not have a licence to conduct postal operations. This documentation is essential for the Authority to be able to continuously examine and analyse the need for changes to the state’s obligations. Finally, the Inquiry proposes that the postcode system shall be available at a cost-oriented price on the provider’s website. Making the postcode system available at a regulated price could help make it simpler for small business owners to start a business in the eCommerce sector. The Inquiry’s remit in the final report mainly comprised the following elements: Surveying the postal market and assessing the likely future developments at national level, and summarising ongoing developments in the EU. Conducting a socioeconomic analysis of the postal market and the effects of digitalisation on it. On the basis of this analysis, any shortcomings in the existing legislation hindering the development of the market are to be investigated. Analysing and assessing whether the existing postal legislation meets current and future needs in a digital society. The Inquiry is to analyse in particular the needs and demand in various parts of the country, the postal service’s role when it comes to central government measures to ensure service to sparsely populated areas and the impact of joint distribution. Drawing up necessary legislative proposals, analysing the need for amendments to the Directive and proposing such amendments. Survey and socioeconomic analysis of the postal market The Inquiry’s survey of the postal market is divided into a letters market and a parcels market. However, postal operators are moving increasingly towards handling letters and parcels in the same flows to exploit the synergies as far as possible. As eCommerce grows, the boundaries between letters and parcels are becoming blurred. Goods weighing less than and of low value are often sent as letters instead of parcels. The socioeconomic analysis shows that competition in the letters market has grown considerably as a result of digitalisation. Initially, digitalisation had an impact on the market in that the possibility of sorting letters by created new business opportunities. However, over the past decade, competition from other communication means has had a more far-reaching impact than competition from other companies. To prevent profit erosion, companies in the letters market have been successful in adapting their activities and costs. This, in turn, has had a restraining effect on prices, which has also slowed the decline in volumes, by international standards. In recent years, companies have become established in the first production stage of postal operations by developing new sorting and postage optimisation programmes. Postal operators have also developed new partnerships that have created joint operations advantages in the delivery stage. The Swedish parcels market has never been regulated and the level of competition in different parts of the market has been more or less high. The onset of eCommerce has given actors that previously operated in the B2B market4 greater business opportunities in the quickly growing B2C market5. The for most services are low and coverage throughout the country is relatively good, which suggests that competition in the market is relatively effective. No major new start-ups have been established in recent decades; instead, the growing competition is due to existing companies expanding their areas of operations. The Inquiry has also tried to identify the problems and shortcomings experienced by the actors in the postal market. Given the nature of the problems and the results of the socioeconomic analysis, the Inquiry has chosen to go ahead with proposed amendments to certain parts of the Act (2010:1045). 4Business to business. 5Business to consumer. Clarifying the scope of the service Chapter 3, Section 1 of the Act describes the scope of the postal service. Under this section, the Government or government-appointed agency also gives authorisation to prescribe which services should be included in the postal service and which delivery times must apply. Under Chapter 3, Section 1, point 1 of the Act, at least one collection and one delivery of post must be made every working day and at least five days a week, apart from under circumstances or geographical conditions that the permit authority considers to constitute grounds for exemption. In its survey of the distance of users from postal services, the Inquiry has observed that the accessibility of postal services is good, not least considering the fact that is a sparsely populated country. There are clear differences between the most sparsely and the most densely populated municipalities in . The average distance from postal services is about three times higher in typical sparsely populated municipalities compared with major cities. For a typical sparsely populated municipality, this means on average close to six kilometres to the nearest post office, compared with just under two in major cities. For almost 98 per cent of post recipients in Sweden6, the nearest personal or communal letter box (known together as post facility) is less than 500 metres away. For over 4 600 post recipients, the nearest is more than five kilometres away – this corresponds to 0.06 per cent of all post recipients. The Inquiry has found that according to needs analyses, postal service needs are different for private individuals, companies and actors that carry out essential functions in society. These needs are not always compatible with the cost savings that may be necessary to address trends in volumes in letter delivery services. To still be able to meet as far as possible users’ needs, the regulatory framework must be as flexible as possible so that the postal service 6 In the Inquiry, ‘post recipient’ refers to one or several individuals or companies. For example, a family household counts as one post recipient, whereas several individuals sharing an apartment at the same address are counted as separate post recipients even though they have the same delivery address. can be adapted to the different needs that exist in different parts of the country and in different user groups. Delivery five days a week As the postal market in is under a great deal of pressure to change, Postnord has been forced to review and rationalise its production activities. These changes may, in the future, have an ever greater impact on the conditions for postal services in sparsely populated and rural areas. There is therefore reason to clarify how the provisions on exemptions from five-day delivery are to be interpreted and applied. Several European countries have established regulations on the objective situations in which exemptions may be made, which differs from the situation in , where the regulations are not as clear. The Inquiry therefore proposes that the authorisation to issue regulations in Chapter 3, Section 1, second paragraph of the Act should be expanded to also cover exemptions under point 1. Moreover, the Inquiry proposes the introduction of a new first paragraph in Section 8 of the Ordinance giving the Authority the right to issue regulations on when exemptions may be made from five-day delivery. Regulations should allow services in individual cases to be adapted to the overall needs of the users so that these can be met in a cost-effective way. Further, the Inquiry considers that clearer regulations concerning the situations in which the appointed provider may refrain from delivering post five days a week will increase legal certainty and facilitate supervision. In the Inquiry’s view, the practice that has applied so far should form the basis of the new regulations. Regulating current delivery practice The provider’s rationalisations, for example in the form of changed delivery routes for postal workers, may affect the conditions for postal services. With regard to where post is to be delivered, there is therefore reason to clarify in the regulations how the provisions should be interpreted and applied. The Inquiry proposes the introduction in Chapter 3, Section 1, second paragraph of the Act of a new authorisation for the Government or government-appointed agency to decide to issue regulations on the terms of delivery. Moreover, the Inquiry proposes the introduction of a new first paragraph in Section 8 of the Ordinance giving the Authority the right to issue such regulations. The Inquiry considers that the regulations concerning delivery need to be modernised in light of the pressure for change that exists in the Swedish postal market and that will probably increase in the future. Considering the fact that general advice is not binding, the Inquiry considers that, when it is deemed necessary, the Government or the supervisory agency should be able to issue regulations on how deliveries should be made within the postal service. Providers of postal services to submit data At present, the Authority is not able to conduct any comprehensive analysis of the Swedish parcels market. Transport Analysis, the agency in responsible for statistics in the postal area, collects some statistics from parcel distributors. This data is not linked to the Act’s definition of postal services or postal operations. This means that it tends to be incomplete and not sufficient to enable useful analyses in the postal area. Authority should be able to determine the future scope of services, how competition is functioning and in which areas a provider of postal services needs to be appointed. Postal regulations should enable increased opportunities to collect data. The Inquiry considers that the most suitable solution would be to allow Transport Analysis to collect data and disclose relevant data at the request of the Authority. If the regulatory framework that Transport Analysis follows does not enable satisfactory data collection for the and Authority, and if Commission’s coming regulation cannot be coordinated with this data collection, the Inquiry considers that the Authority should be able to collect data from parcel distributors. The Inquiry therefore proposes the introduction of a new second paragraph to Chapter 3, Section 5 of the Postal Services Act containing the requirement that a postal service provider must, upon request, disclose to the Government or government- appointed agency such data about its finances and activities that is necessary for follow-up and monitoring under the first paragraph. Regulated access to the postcode system In , Postnord has been appointed by the Authority to provide and manage the postcode system. According to the legislative history to the current Act, it is important that postal operators have access to the postal infrastructure, including postcodes, in a way that promotes efficiency. The Inquiry considers that it is equally important that companies in the area of eCommerce and digital services, for example, have easy access to the postcode system at a cost-oriented price. The aim is to facilitate competition and the of new businesses. The price should only cover the costs that arise in connection with the final delivery to the user. This may, for example, be the price of a CD, paper printouts and any postage. This should normally be free of charge if the information can be downloaded from the Postnord website. The Inquiry proposes the introduction in Chapter 4, Section 1 of the Act of a second paragraph stating that the postcode system should remain available at a cost-oriented price on the provider’s website. This proposal is in line with the Government’s objectives for administrative policy. Government agencies should actively increase opportunities for the use of public information to facilitate the development of an information market, strengthen people’s autonomy and ability to exercise their citizens’ rights, and support the development of the new digital society. Consequences of the proposals Clarifying the scope of the service Clarifying the scope of the service will mainly have consequences for the Authority, which may need to set aside resources to draw up clearer regulations concerning exemptions to five-day delivery and where deliveries are to be made. These proposals will lead to greater clarity for users and a reduced risk of arbitrariness. A clearer boundary for the last outpost of the postal service will enable better coordination with other public services in sparsely populated areas, e.g. through procurement. Depending on how the Authority in the future uses its authorisation to issue regulations as the Inquiry proposes, these may lead to greater socioeconomic efficiency. Each year, the Authority requests various data from postal operators for analysis of the letters market and as a basis for setting fees. The Inquiry’s proposal on collecting statistics will enable more thorough analysis of the Swedish postal market. This, in turn, will provide the supervisory authority with better opportunities to ensure that the postal service is adapted to users’ needs. The parcel distributors questioned by the Inquiry do not see any immediate problems with disclosing relevant data and already report a certain amount of data to Transport Analysis. It is therefore not clear whether their administrative burden will increase as a result of the proposal. Depending on which agency the Government appoints to collect data – Transport Analysis or the Authority – the administrative tasks for the two agencies would differ in scope. Regulated price for access to the postcode system A regulated price for access to the postcode system will probably mean that users will need to pay less for access to this system. This will make it cheaper to check address and reference databases and keep them up-to-date and correct, which should increase business efficiency. It would also enable more price-sensitive small companies to establish activities that rely on up-to-date information about the postcode system, for example in the eCommerce sector. The Inquiry estimates that Postnord’s increased net costs as a result of the proposal will amount to a maximum of million. The Inquiry considers that the socioeconomic benefit in will exceed Postnord’s extra costs for providing this information almost free of charge. lag om ändring i postlagen (2010:1045) Härigenom föreskrivs att 3 kap. 1 och 5 §§ och 4 kap. 1 § postlagen (2010:1045) ska ha följande lydelse. Den samhällsomfattande posttjänsten ska uppfylla kraven att 1.det varje arbetsdag och minst , utom under omständigheter eller geografiska förhållanden som tillstånds- myndigheten bedömer utgör skäl för undantag, ska göras minst en insamling och minst en utdelning av postförsändelser, 2.expeditions- och inlämningsställena ska ligga så tätt att användarnas behov beaktas, 3.de bestämmelser om befordringstider efterlevs, som meddelats av regeringen eller den myndighet som regeringen bestämmer, 4.det ska vara möjligt att försäkra postförsändelser och att få kvitto från mottagaren på att en postförsändelse har tagits emot, 5.enstaka postförsändelser ska befordras till enhetliga priser, 6.villkoren för tjänsten ska vara allmänt tillgängliga. skrifter om vilka tjänster som skrifter om vilka tjänster som ska ingå i den samhälls- ska ingå i den samhälls- omfattande posttjänsten och om krav på befordringstider. krav på befordringstider, villkor för utdelning och om skäl för undantag enligt punkten 1. Undantag från första stycket 1 ska meddelas Europeiska kommissionen och de nationella tillsynsmyndigheterna inom Europeiska unionen. Regeringen eller den myndighet som regeringen bestämmer ska fortlöpande följa utvecklingen på postområdet, samt bevaka att posttjänsterna svarar mot samhällets behov och att en väl fungerande samhällsomfattande posttjänst av god kvalitet finns tillgänglig för alla användare. Den som tillhandahåller en posttjänst ska på begäran över- lämna sådana uppgifter om sin ekonomi och verksamhet som är nödvändiga för uppföljning och bevakning enligt första stycket till regeringen eller den myndighet som regeringen bestämmer. Det ska finnas ett postnummersystem i landet. Regeringen eller den myndighet som regeringen bestämmer ska utse en tillståndshavare som tillhandahåller posttjänster att också tillhandahålla och förvalta postnummersystemet. Postnummersystemet ska hållas tillgängligt på tillhandahållarens webbplats till ett kostnad- sorienterat pris. 1.2Förslag till förordning om ändring i postförordningen (2010:1049) Regeringen föreskriver i fråga om postförordningen (2010:1049) att 8 § ska ha följande lydelse. 1 § andra stycket (2010:1045) meddela föreskrifter om villkor för utdel- ning och om skäl för undantag enligt punkten 1. Europeiska unionen ett sådant undantag som avses i 3 kap. 1 § undantag som avses i 3 kap. 1 § tredje stycket postlagen. (2010:1045). Utredningen ska i slutbetänkandet enligt direktiven kartlägga post- marknaden och göra en bedömning av den troliga framtids- utvecklingen på nationell nivå såväl som i olika delar av . Kartläggningen ska också innehålla en sammanfattning av den pågående utvecklingen inom EU. Utredningen ska även göra en samhällsekonomisk analys av postmarknaden och digitaliseringens effekter på den. I samband med detta ska konkurrenssituationen analyseras på olika delmarknader inom postområdet liksom hur möjligheterna för marknadstillträde och effektiv konkurrens påverkas av förslagen. Utifrån den samhällsekonomiska analysen ska eventuella brister i nuvarande lagstiftning utredas. Utredningen ska analysera hur postlagstiftningen påverkar andra marknaders funktionssätt och om den nuvarande postlagstiftningen motsvarar rådande och framtida behov samt föreslå förändringar i den nuvarande postlagstiftningen som är möjliga inom ramen för tredje postdirektivet med utgångspunkt från bland annat en samhälls- ekonomisk analys. Behovet och efterfrågan av posttjänster i olika delar av landet, postväsendets roll när det gäller statliga insatser för att trygga glesbygdsservice samt effekterna av samdistribution ska bedömas. Utifrån utredningens slutsatser ska utredningen även analysera behovet av och föreslå förändringar av postdirektivet. Postnord har utfört den samhällsomfattande posttjänsten utan särskild ersättning. Möjligheterna att tillhandahålla tjänsterna som de är specificerade i dagens lagstiftning urholkas i takt med att brevvolymerna minskar. Det beror på att postverksamhet i många avseenden kännetecknas av stordriftsfördelar. Utredningens mål är att utforma regler som säkerställer att det finns en samhälls- omfattande posttjänst över hela landet som motsvarar rådande och framtida behov i ett digitaliserat samhälle. För att det ska vara möjligt måste både användarnas behov och de kostnadsmässiga förutsättningarna att tillhandahålla tjänsten beaktas. Utifrån de problem i regelverket som aktörerna på marknaden har uppmärksammat utredningen på och som har kommit fram i den samhällsekonomiska analysen, kommer utredningen att föreslå förändringar som är kostnadseffektiva och som motsvarar dagens och framtidens behov. Betänkandet har disponerats på följande sätt. I kapitel 3 redogörs för postregleringens bakgrund och gällande rätt. Kapitel 4 inne- håller en kartläggning av både de svenska och de europeiska brev- och paketmarknaderna liksom en bedömning av den framtida marknadsutvecklingen och effekterna av samdistribution. I kapitel 5 analyseras konkurrenssituationen på brev- och därefter paketmarknaden. Avslutningsvis dras slutsatser om digitalisering- ens betydelse för priserna och servicen samt tillträdeshinder på marknaderna. Därefter följer kapitel 6–8 som tar upp det som av marknadens aktörer uppfattas som problem med regelverket. De redovisade problemen åtföljs av kommentarer från utredningen. Kapitel 9 redovisar de faktiska avstånd som postmottagare i har till postlådor och ombud. I kapitel 10 sätts dessa avstånd i relation till de behov av posttjänster som finns i olika delar av landet och hos olika grupper av postmottagare. Slutligen redovisar utredningen i kapitel 11 och 12 förslag till lagändringar och möjliga konsekvenser av dessa förslag. Utredningens kommittédirektiv beslutades . Sekretariatet påbörjade sitt arbete och har därefter haft löpande kontakter med utredaren, huvudmannen, experterna, berörda företag, organisationer och upphandlade överlämnade utredningen del- betänkandet Som ett brev på posten – postbefordran och pristak i ett digitaliserat samhälle, SOU 2016:27. I tilläggsdirektiv 2015:124 fick utredningen förlängd utredningstid till . 2.5Möten, konsultuppdrag och kommunikation Utredningen har haft sju expertgruppsmöten . Utredningen har träffat företrädare för Postnord, , , , , Facket för Service och Kommunikation (), DB Schenker, (), Morgontidig Distribution (MTD), Västsvensk Tidningsdistribution (VTD), DHL, Grafiska Företagen, 21 Grams, Tidningsutgivarna, (tidigare statssekreterare med ansvar för postfrågor), (särskild utredare i utredningen ”Service i glesbygd”), riksdagsledamöter från , (tidigare produktionschef ), (tidigare VD för ), Fastighetsägarna, , , , , , NTM Distribu- tion AB och Utredningen om nätdroger m.m. besökte utredningen sorterings- terminal i tillsammans med företrädare för Postnords ledning. Utredningen fick under en rundvandring på terminalen information om hur postsorteringen fungerar på den nya anlägg- ningen. besökte utredningen för att studera den samdistribution som och bedriver på ön. Under besöket träffade utredningen även Region . Utredningen har även besökt terminal i .