New technologies, such as fax or electronic mail, are putting enormous pressures on the traditional postal services. These developments have given rise to worries about the future of these services accompanied by concerns over employment and economic and social cohesion. The economic importance of these services is considerable. Hence the importance of modernizing and developing services of general interest, since they contribute so much to European competitiveness, social solidarity and quality of life. The Community's aim is to support the competitiveness of the European economy in an increasingly competitive world and to give consumers more choice, better quality and lower prices, at the same time as helping, through its policies, to strengthen economic and social cohesion between the Member States and reduce certain inequalities.
Postal services have a key role to play here.
The Community is committed to promoting their functions of general interest, as solemnly confirmed in the new Article 7d, introduced by the Amsterdam Treaty, while improving their efficiency. Market forces produce a better allocation of resources and greater effectiveness in the supply of services, the principal beneficiary being the consumer, who gets better quality at a lower price. The public authority must then ensure that the general interest is taken into account. The traditional structures of some services of general economic interest, which are organized on the basis of national monopolies, constitute a challenge for European economic integration. This includes postal monopolies, even as these are justified, which may obstruct the smooth functioning of the market, in particular by sealing off a particular market sector.