NoC129/48 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 10.5.93
accordancewithappropriateinternationalpractice,andreflectstheneedforpoliticalandsocialstabilityand
(b)thatminoritiesaresecuredastatuswhichalso'goodneighbourlyrelations'.
DoneatBrussels,25March1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN
OpinionontheGreenPaperontheDevelopmentoftheSingleMarketforPostalServices
(93/C129/11)
On16June1992,theCommissiondecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee
ontheGreenPaperontheDevelopmentoftheSingleMarketforPostalServices.
TheSectionforTransportandCommunications ,whichwasresponsibleforpreparingthe
Committee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon10March1993.TheRapporteur
wasMrPompen.
Atits304thPlenarySession(meetingof25March1993),theEconomicandSocialCommittee
adoptedthefollowingOpinionby90votesfor,47votesagainstandwith1abstention.
1.Contents
1.1.TheGreenPaperdescribestheessentialfeatures
oftheCommunity'spostalsectorandhowtheprovision
ofpostalservicesoperates.Themostimportantaspects
—onthebasisof1990/1991data—canbesummarized
asfollows:
a)Thepostalsector:
—accountsfornearly1,3%ofCommunityGross
DomesticProduct(GDP),
—provides1,7millionjobs,
—hasanannualturnoverofsomeECU59000
million,
—isgrowinginvolumeby6%perannumin
thecaseofthenationaladministrations andis
expectedtogrowatanevenhigherrateinthe
privatesector.
b)Inadditiontonationalservices(postaladminis­
trationsand/orconcession-holders )private
enterprisesoperateinthepostalsector.Postal
administrations accountforapproximately 60%
andprivateoperatorsapproximately 40%ofturn­
over.
Intermsofvolume,thepostaladministrations pro­
vide96%andprivateoperatorsonly4%ofservices.c)Nationalpostaladministrations haveamonopoly
oncertainservices,whichdiffersfromoneMember
Statetoanother.Itappliesessentiallytoletters
—andinsomecasestoprintedmatter—uptoa
specifiedweight(500to2000grams).Themon­
opolycarriesanobligationtoprovidemanymore
postalservicesthanthereservedservices;
d)Inadditiontoletters,theprincipalservicecategories
areparcelsandexpressmail.Itisinthesetwoareas,
wherethenationaladministrations alsocompete,
thatprivateoperatorsaremainlyactive;
e)Some80-85%ofallmailisgeneratedbybusinesses
orotherorganizations ,withprivateindividuals
accountingfor15-20%.Theaddresseesaremainly
privateindividuals,with55%of'letters'and70%
of'parcels'beingreceivedbythem;
f)Postalservicesbreakdownasfollows:93%dom­
estic,4%intra-Community ,and3%extra-Com­
munity;
g)60%ofintra-Community mailfailstomeetthe
ConferenceofEuropeanPostalandTelecommuni­
cationsAdministrations 'recommended goalof

10.5.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC129/49
itmustnotbegreaterthanisrequiredtosecurea
universalpostalserviceonacommerciallysoundbasis
inaMemberState.
2.2.Futureoptionsdeliverywithinthreeworkingdays.Thequalityof
domesticpostalservicesvariesconsiderably
throughouttheCommunity .Whilstthereisagener­
allyheldviewthatmailshouldbedeliverednolater
thanthefirstworkingdayafterposting,itactually
takes1Vito2daysonaverage;
h)In1988,twooftheCommunity'snationalpostal
administrations madeaprofitandtenaloss,rang­
ingfrom+3,4%to—48,3%ofturnover;
i)TheGreenPaperisexclusivelyconcernedwithmail
servicesandtakesnoaccountofthefinancialser­
vicesprovidedbypostoffices.TheGreenPaperoutlinesanumberoffutureoptions
fromwhichachoicecanbemade.
2.IdeasputforwardintheGreenPaper
2.1.TheGreenPaperputsforwardanumberof
ideaswhichcouldhelptodeterminetheoperatingstruc­
tureoftheECpostalsector.Thefollowingarethemain
elements:2.2.1.Liberalization
2.2.1.1.TheGreenPaperstatesthattheprincipleof
thefreedomtoprovideserviceslaiddownintheTreaty
shouldalsoapplytothepostalsector.Thisprinciple
meansthat,basically,theremustbecompetition
betweensuppliersofpostalservicesandthatconsumer
choicemustexist.Postalservicesareianessentialcom­
ponentoftheinternalmarket.
2.2.1.2.AccordingtoaCommissionstatementtothe
EuropeanParliamenton15June1992,Article100aof
theTreatyprovidesthelegalbasisforCommunity
action.Inaddition,theCommissionthinksthat,insofar
asthecompetitionrulesapply,Article90isalsorel­
evant,sinceitcoverstheapplicationoftheserulesto
undertakingsentrustedwiththeoperationofservices
ofgeneraleconomicinterestorwiththefulfilmentof
particulartasks.
2.2.1.3.TheGreenPaperrecommendsafurther
degreeofliberalization ;itdoesnotadvocatecomplete
liberalizationatpresent.Theultimateobjectiveisto
ensurecompetitionandfreedomofchoiceoncondition
thatauniversalpostalserviceisguaranteed .2.1.1.Universalpostalserviceinfra­
structure
AbasicpremiseoftheGreenPaperistheneedto
furnishtheCommunitywithauniversalpostalservice
infrastructure .Thisservicemustbe:
—Community-wide ,
—universallyaccessible,
—reasonablypriced,
—ofahighquality.
TheGreenPaperdoesnotdescribethenatureandscale
ofsuchauniversalservice,butcallsforadefinition.
2.1.2.Reservedservices
2.1.2.1.Inordertosecureauniversalpostalservice
fortheCommunity,MemberStateswouldbeallowed
toreservealimitednumberofservicesoutofthetotal
packagecoveredbytheuniversalservice.
2.1.2.2.Theconcession-holder 'sexclusiverightto
providealimitednumberofpostalservicesentailsa
corresponding obligationtoprovidealltheservices
coveredbytheuniversalscheme.
2.1.2.3.Theconcessioncanbeameansofspreading
thefixedoperatingcostsofauniversalpostalsystem
overasufficientnumberofpostalitemstoensurea
reasonableunitpriceforallusers.
2.1.2.4.Theextentofthemonopolymustbecom­
mensuratewiththecorresponding economicneed,i.e.2.2.2.Harmonization
2.2.2.1.TheGreenPapercallsforCommunity-level
harmonization withregardto:
—thedefinitionoftheuniversalpostalservices
package,
—theformulationofrulesguaranteeinguseraccessto
thispackage,
—thedefinitionofqualitystandardsforgaugingthe
provisionofuniversalservices,
—thedefinitionoftherelationshipbetweentariffsfor
thedifferentuniversalservicesandtheiraverage
cost.Cross-subsidies betweenthedifferentservices
shouldbeavoided,sincetheycancreatemarket
distortionswhichareatvariancewiththeprinciple
ofcompetition,
—thedefinitionoftheserviceswhichcanbeclassed
asreservedbyaMemberState,

NoC129/50 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 10.5.93
3.1.1.2.Inordertoimprovetheaveragestandardof.
service,andthuspreventapotentialincreaseinecon­
omicandsocialdisparitiesbetweenregions,theCom­
mitteeconsidersthatmovestowardsliberalizingpostal
servicesshouldbephasedingradually.—theseparationatnationallevelofthelegislativeand
executivefunctionswithregardtouniversalpostal
services,
—aharmonization andcohesionpolicyforthepostal
system,insofarasthisisnecessaryfortheestablish­
mentoftheuniversalpostalservice.
2.2.3.Maintenance ofthestatusquo
TheGreenPaperrejectsthisoption.Maintenanceof
theexistingorganization,qualityandlegislationwould
failtomeettherequirementsoftheinternalmarket.
Togetherwithotherinfrastructurenetworks,theexist­
enceofanefficientpostalinfrastructure isaprecon­
ditionforthesuccessfuloperationoftheinternal
market.3.1.1.3.Inthecaseofdomesticservices,someMem­
berStatesachievea90%successrateinmeetingthe
deliverytarget(firstworkingdayafterposting)whereas
inotherstherateisonly16%.Onaverage,'normal'
deliverytimeisexceededbymorethan50%.
3.1.1.4.Theaveragedeliverytimeforintra-Com­
munitycross-frontiermailisfourdays,but60%ofthis
mailtakesevenlonger.
3.1.1.5.TheGreenPaperprovidesnoinformation
onotherfactorsofgreatimportanceforservicequality
suchasreliabilityofdelivery,compensation ,complaints
proceduresandaccessibility .Ifthepositionisthesame
asfordeliverytimes,servicescouldbesaidtobeunsatis­
factoryinawidenumberofareas.2.2.4.Searchforabalancebetweenlib­
eralization andtheestablishment
ofauniversalECpostalservice
TheGreenPaperindicatesapreferenceforthecreation
ofabalancebetween,ontheonehand,increasedcom­
petitioninthepostalsectorand,ontheother,the
establishment ofauniversalCommunityservice.
Guaranteeing thisuniversalservicewillnecessitatea
numberofharmonization measures.3.1.1.6.TheCommitteeagreesthatfrequentlyinad­
equatelevelsofserviceandmajornationalquality
differencesareincompatiblewithaninternalmarketof
thesortproposedfortheCommunity .Anefficient
internalmarketmustbeabletoputitstrustina
properlyfunctioningpostalserviceinwhichqualityis
guaranteedanddeliverytimesarehighlyreliable.3.Generalcomments
3.1.1.7.Notwithstanding point3.1.2,theCommittee
thinksthatpostalservicesfallwithintheframework
ofthefreemarketinservicesdefinedintheTreaty.
Competitiononthisbasiscanhelptoimprovequality,
extendtherangeofservicesandincreaseuserchoice.
3.1.2.ACommunity-based universal
postalservice3.1.Policyprinciples
3.1.1.Qualityasanoverridingobjective
Theoverridingobjectiveistosatisfyusers,i.e.topro­
videthebestqualityserviceatthebestprice.The
Committeeconsidersitimportantthataccountbetaken
ofthefollowingfactors:
—thedifferinglevelsofeconomicandstructuraldevel­
opmentintheEC'sregions,
—theexistenceofruralandsparcelypopulatedareas,
—thepresenceofusers(businessorotherwise)inall
urbanandruralareas,
—theexistenceofpublicandprivateservices,
reflectingthedifferenteconomicthinkingofthe
MemberStates,
—theneedforconsultations betweenoperators,
administrations andusers'representatives .
3.1.1.1.AccordingtotheGreenPaper,postalservice
qualityisfrequentlysubstandard .Italsovariesagreat
dealfromMemberStatetoMemberState.3.1.2.1.TheCommitteeendorsestheideaputfor­
wardintheGreenPaperthatallCommunitycitizens
andbusinessesshouldbeguaranteedaccesstocertain
basicpostalservices.Thesebasicservicesareprovided
throughapublicpostalnetworkofferingaregular,
reliableserviceataffordableprices.Allusersinthe
samecircumstances shouldreceivethesametreatment.
3.1.2.2.TheCommitteeagreesthatthenational
postaladministrations intheMemberStatesshouldbe
obligedtoprovidetheseuniversalbasicservices.To
enablethemtomeetthisobligation,thevolumeof
mailhandledbythenationaladministrations mustbe
sufficient('economyofscale')toensurethecontinuance
oftheuniversalpostalservicethroughouttheMember

10.5.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC129/51
State'snationalterritory.Thismaymakeitnecessary
tograntthenationalpostaladministrations special
and/orexclusiverights(seePoint3.3).TheCommittee
alsoseessuchcontinuanceofthenationalpostaladmin­
istrationsasafactorofgreatsocialimportanceinview
ofthelargeworkforcetheyemploy.Union(UPU)haslaiddowna2-kgweightlimiton
universalletter,printed-matter andparcelservicesasa
fundamentalprinciple.TheEuropeanParliamentalso
favoursthisapproach.TheCommissionisaskedto
investigatewhethersuchalimitcouldalsobeapplied
withintheCommunity .
3.2.4.TheCommittee callsforconsumers,
employees,businessusers,privateoperatorsandthe
nationalpostaladministrations toberepresentedon
theStudyGroupwhichistoexaminetheeconomic
aspectsoftheuniversalpostalserviceandthesizeof
thereservedsector.3.1.3.LegalbasisforCommunity regu­
latoryaction
3.1.3.1.Article100ashouldbetakenasthebasis
forCommunityregulatoryaction.ThisArticlecovers
theestablishmentoftheinternalmarket,includingthe
freedomtoprovideservices,asdescribedinArticle8a.
3.1.3.2.Article90andtheCourtdecisionsbased
thereoncovertheextenttowhichspecialorexclusive
rightsmustbegrantedtothenationalpostaladminis­
trationssoastoenablethemtoprovidetheuniversal
postalservice.3.3.Reservedpostalservices
3.3.1.General
3.2.-Natureandscopeoftheuniversalpostalservice
3.2.1.TheGreenPaperdoesnotgiveacomplete
descriptionoftheuniversalpostalservice,tobepro­
videdthroughouttheCommunity .Someaspectsare
mentioned .Thus,'basicdeliveriesofstandardmessages
andgoods'mustbeincluded.
3.2.2.TheCommitteecanacceptthisgeneral
description .Itcoversinessencethegeneral,basicrecur­
ringneedsofcitizensandbusinesseswithregardto
postalservices.Inaddition,itgivesagoodideaofthose
needs.3.3.1.1.Asindicatedinpoint3.1.2,theCommittee
stressestheimportanceofauniversalpostalserviceas
thebasicingredientofaCommunitypostalinfrastruc­
ture.
3.3.1.2.Suchaserviceisguaranteedbythepublic­
lawobligationrequiringthenationalpostaladminis­
trationtoprovidethisserviceinaccordancewiththe
generalconditionsapplicablethereto.
3.3.1.3.Thisobligationoftenmeansthatthe
nationalpostaladministration acquirescertainspecial
andexclusiverights.
3.3.1.4.Italsonecessitatesdiscussionsonthecoordi­
nationofMemberStategovernments'policymaking .
3.3.2.Possiblewaysofguaranteeing the
universalpostalservice
3.3.2.1.Public-service contracts
Itseemsconceivablethatthesespecialandexclusive
rightsshouldbespeltoutintheformofgovernment
subsidiesinrespectofthenon-profitable partsofthe
universalservice.Theycouldalsotaketheformof
public-servicecontractsbetweentheMemberStateand
postaladministration concerned (SeeRegulation (EEC)
No1893/91ontheobligationtoprovidepublicservices
inthefieldoftransportbyrail,roadandinlandwater­
ways).TheCommitteecallsontheCommissionto
weighuptheadvantagesanddisadvantages ofsuch
arrangements .
3.3.2.2.Monopoly
Sofar,intheCommunityandelsewhere,theobligation
toprovidecertainuniversalpostalservicesundergener­3.2.3.Amoredetaileddescriptionmusttakeaccount
ofotheraspects.Theseshouldincludepostingand
deliveryarrangements ,servicefrequency,reliabilityand
speedofdelivery,liabilityandweight-limits .Inthelight
oftheseaspects,theCommitteethinksthattheextent
oftheservicesprovidedshouldbecarefullyconsidered
inrelationtotheassociatedcosts.Thiscouldleadto
someoftheseaspectsbeingdefineddifferently,
dependingoncircumstances .Thus,deliveryarrange­
mentsandfrequencyinremoteorthinly-populated
areasmaydifferfromthoseincommercialandurban
centres.
3.2.3.1.Theessentialrequirementsare:permanent
accessforalltothebasicpostalnetwork;thereliability
ofdeliveryserviceswithintheframeworktobedefined;
andthesametreatmentofallusersinthesamecircum­
stances.
3.2.3.2.TheCommitteeconsidersthequestionof
weightlimitstobemoregeneral.TheUniversalPostal

NoC129/52 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 10.5.93
TheCommitteeisthereforeoftheviewthataddressed
directmailalsofallswithinthereservedarea;thesame
istrueofintra-Community andinternationalletter
mail.Newservicesshouldnotautomatically be
excludedfromthereservedarea.allyapplicableconditions,hasbeenlinkedtoacon­
cessiongivinganexclusiveright(monopoly)toprovide
(someof)theseservicesthroughouttheMemberStates
concerned.Thisexclusiverightmustgivethecon­
cession-holder ,onthebasisofvolumeandreasonable
priceswhichneverthelesscovercosts,thewaysand
meansofestablishing,andmaintaining ,afavourable
financialbalancebetweenprofitableandloss-making
regions.Expressdeliveriesshouldfallwithinthenon-reserved
area.
TheGreenPaperhasmanywelcomefeatures.Thus,
thepriorityattachedtoquality,theguaranteeingof
theuniversalserviceasacornerstoneofthepostal
infrastructure andtheidentification ofArticle100a
asthelegalbasisforCommunitylegislationcreatea
foundationwhichshouldenablethepostaladminis­
trationstoconsolidatetheirroleascrucialelementsof
economicandsociallife.
3.3.2.2.1.3.Theweightandpricecriteriawhich
determinethemonopolymustberealistic.Aminimum
weightlimitof1kgshouldalwaysapplyinorderto
avoidanyabruptlossofincomewhichwouldthreaten
thefundingoftheuniversalservice.Thetarifflimit
shouldbeatleasttwicethepriceequivalentofthe
weightlimittoallowsuchsimpleservicesasregistered
mailandacknowledgment ofreceipttobeincludedin
thereservedsector.3.3.2.2.1.Naturalmonopoly
3.3.2.2.1.1.WithintheCommitteethequestionhas
beenaskedastowhethertheobligationtoprovidea
universalpostalserviceshouldalwaysentailanexclus­
ivelegalrighttoprovidecertainservices.National
postaladministrations haveaverylonghistory,in
thecourseofwhichtheyhavedevelopedtheirown
infrastructureofbuildings,transportnetworks,means
oftransport,sortingtechniquesandproductandpro­
ductionknow-how,etc.Somehavedevelopedintobusi­
nessesprovidingavarietyofpostalservices.Asaresult,
theyhaveacquiredasortofnaturalmonopolyinthe
sensethat,thankstoefficientorganizationandacom­
mercialpricingpolicythatatleastcoverstheiroverall
businesscosts,theyareabletowithstandcompetition
fromthirdparties.Certaincountries(NewZealand,
Sweden)haveabolishedorintendtoabolishthelegal
monopoly,whilstretainingtheobligationtoprovidea
universalservice.Othersareconsideringthepossibility
ofabolishingthelegalmonopolyorseethisasalonger­
termobjective.Thisapproachisalsoendorsedina
studypublishedbytheScientificInstituteforCommuni­
cationsServices,BadHonnef,Germany,inSeptember
1992(U.Stumpf/F.Pieper).
3.3.2.2.1.2.Long-term,continuousandon-the-spot
monitoringofthesituationwillcertainlybeneeded
beforeconclusionscanbedrawnfrompoint3.3.2.2.1.1
aboutotherpossiblesolutions.TheCommitteeiscur­
rentlyoftheviewthatreservedservicesmustbeona
scalethatenablesnationalpostaladministrations to
provideauniversalserviceofhighquality,atgenerally
affordablepricesandunderpreciselydefinedconditions
ofaccess.Thepostalnetworkinfrastructure also
involvesinvestmentandoperatingcosts.Financialbal­
anceisthereforerequiredforthewholerangeofser­
vices.Inordertoimproveeconomicandsocialcohesion,a
high-qualityuniversalservicemustbeprovidedinall
Communityregions.Tothisend,technical,organiza­
tionalandfinancialassistanceshouldbemadeavailable
topublicmarketparticipantswhoprovideauniversal
servicethatisstillsubstandard .
TheCommitteethinksthatthesocialimplicationsof
theDraftDirectivesshouldbeexaminedinadvance.It
wouldbeunacceptableifthegrowthprospectsfor
postaltraffic,whichtheGreenPaperputsat5to6%
perannum,weretobeaccompaniedbystaffreductions
andadeteriorationingeneralemploymentconditions .
TheCommissionshouldthereforebringtheJointCom­
mitteeforPostalServicesintooperationwithoutdelay.
3.3.2.2.2.Legalmonopoly
3.3.2.2.2.1.Alegalmonopolyiswidelyconsidered
tobenecessaryinthepresentsituation.
3.3.2.2.2.2.Theproportionality principleshould
applyhere,i.e.themonopolyshouldbelimitedtoaset
ofreservedserviceswhichissufficienttoguaranteea
qualitativelyandfinanciallyreliableuniversalpostal
service.Inthisconnectionthereservedsectormust,withaview
toguaranteeing auniversalserviceonthebasisof
clearandreliablecriteriaallowingofeasycontrol,be
regulatedinsuchawaythatpostalservicesegments
cannotbeswitchedforshortperiodstothecompetition­
orientedsector.
Thereservedservicescanbedefinedasamonopoly
whichgivesnationalpostaladministrations theexclus­
iverighttocollect,forwardanddeliverpostalarticles
inwritten,printedorotherformtonaturalandlegal
personsinreturnforpayment.3.3.2.2.2.3.Applicationofthisprinciplemakesit
periodicallypossibletocheckwhetherandtowhat
extentalegalmonopolyisnecessary.

10.5.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC129/53
theCourt'sinterpretationthereof.(Isthereservedser­
vicesapproachnecessaryand,ifso,isitsapplication
commensurate withtheobjectiveinquestion?)3.3.2.2.2.4.TheGreenPapergivessomeindication
ofthespecificlimitsofamonopoly.Itsuggeststhatan
outerframeworkbefixedandthattheMemberStates
beallowedtoworkoutthedetailsoftheirnational
monopolywithinthisframework.
4.2.Aspectsoffinancialaccountabilityfromthestand­
pointofcompetition
3.3.2.2.2.5.TheCommitteeagreesthatthedefinitive
definitionofthereservedservicescannotbeprovided
untiltheCommissionstudyannouncedinChapter9,
paragraph2.9oftheGreenPaperhasbeencompleted.
Moredetailedinformationwillthenbeavailableonthe
economicsofuniversalserviceprovision,thenecessary
sizeofthereservedarea,themeasuresrequiredto
protectthemonopolyandtheeconomicimplications
ofliberalization measures.
4.Specificcomments4.2.1.Itisextremelyimportantformonopoly-hold­
erstoimplementtransparent'accounting'procedures.
TheCommitteebasesthisassertiononthefollowing
assumptions :
—themonopoly-holder keepsonesetofaccountsin
respectoftheoperationoftheuniversalpostal
servicetowhichheiscontracted,
—asecondoperatingaccountmustbekeptforservices
providedoutsidethescopeofthisuniversalservice,
—theuniversalschemeshouldallowgeographical
cross-subsidization perservice(mail,printedmat­
ter,parcels).Thisconstitutesafundamentalground
forthegrantingofthemonopolyandshouldnot,
therefore,betreatedseparatelyintheaccounts,
—whereappropriate,itmustbepossible,byreference
totheaccounts,toestablishhowfarothercross­
subsidiesleadtounfaircompetition .
4.2.2.TheCommitteeendorsestheviewexpressed
intheGreenPaperthatthepostaladministrations
responsibleforimplementing theuniversalservice
shouldatleastcoveroperatingcosts.Inthiscontext,
governmentsubsidies(includingsubsidiestocoverdefi­
cits)wouldbeinappropriateexceptforthepaymentof
'outside'servicesofthetypedescribedunderpoint4.4.2
below.4.1.Universalpostalservicesasaminimumand
reservedservicesasamaximuminfrastructure
4.1.1.TheGreenPapercallsforaCommunitydefi­
nitionofuniversalpostalservicesandfortheMember
Statestobeobligedtoprovidethem.Atthesametime,
itallowsforamorecomprehensive definitionofservices
atnationallevel(Chapter9,point2.10).TheCommittee
canacceptthatuniversalservicesareregardedasa
Communityminimum,ontheunderstanding thatno
MemberStatemaybeallowedtoextendtheuniversal
servicespackageinordertoimprovethestandardof
itsreservedservices.
4.1.2.TheGreenPaperalsocallsforaCommunity
definitionofreservedservices,withtheMemberStates
havingtheoptionoffixingasmallerreservedarea
(Chapter9,point2.11).TheCommitteecanalso
endorsethisdefinitionofCommunityreservedservices
asamaximum .4.2.3.IntheCommittee'sview,variousformsof
unfaircompetitionbetweennationalpostalservicesand
privatebusinessesshouldnotbeallowedeither.Bythis
theCommitteemeans,interalia:
—theinadmissiblecross-subsidization of,forexample,
nationaladministrations 'transportservicesbytheir
financialservices,
—differentValueAddedTax,customsandtransport
provisions,etc.,forpostalservicesoutsidethe
reservedarea.4.1.3.However,thenotestoChapter9oftheGreen
Paper(point2)proposethattheMemberStatesshall
alsobeallowedtodefinemoreextensivereservedser­
vicesthanarelaiddownatCommunitylevel.
4.3.Socialaspects 4.1.4.TheCommitteeseessuchapossibilityasan
obstacletotheattainmentofthenecessarylevelof
harmonization andcompetitioninpostalservices.
Nevertheless ,shouldthepossibilityofoperating
reservedservicesbeyondtheCommunitylimitsremain
available,theCommitteewouldasktheCommission
totesttheirapplicationbytheMemberStates(in
advance)byreferencetoArticle90oftheTreatyand4.3.1.Internalsocialaspects
4.3.1.1.TheCommitteenotesthatthepolicyoutli­
nedintheGreenPaperandendorsedbyit,subjectto

NoC129/54 10.5.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
certaindetailedobservations,willcreatebothrisks
andnewopportunitiesforthestaffofnationalpostal
administrations andprivateoperators.4.3.2.4.Itseemsconceivablethatsomeofthefinan­
cingcouldcomefromtheStructuralFunds,insofaras
thisisconsistentwiththecorresponding policyguide­
lines.
4.3.1.2.Anextremelywelcomedevelopmentinthis
connectionisthegrowthofpostaltrafficwhich—in
termsofturnoverduringthenext10years—isexpected
toincreaseby50%inthecaseofnationaladminis­
trationsandby150%amongstprivateoperators.
4.3.1.3.Toensurethatdevelopments insuchan
importantsectoroftheCommunitymarkettakedue
accountofthesocialdimension,theCommitteewould
urgethat:4.4.Qualitystandards
4.4.1.TheGreenPaperproposestheadoptionof
Communityqualitystandardsfortheservicesprovided
undertheuniversalschemeandcallsforauniform
qualitymonitoringsystem.
4.4.2.TheCommitteeagreeswithCommunity-wide
qualitycriteriafortheuniversalpostalservicesbut
considersthatthenationalpostaladministrations them­
selvesshouldberesponsibleforimplementingthequal­
ity-controlprocedures .Theresultsshouldbemade
publicandsubjecttoverificationbytheCommission .
4.4.3.TheGreenPaperalsosuggestthatusers'rep­
resentativecommittees,whichwouldincludecon­
sumers,shouldbesetuptoassistthenationalregulatory
bodies.TheCommitteecallsforconsideration tobe
giventothequestionofwhetherusers'committees
couldnotbemoreeffectivelylinkeddirectlytothe
operationalpostalservices.TheCommission isalso
askedtoexaminewhetherandhowsuchcommittees
couldfunctioninrelationtoprivateoperators.a)theCommissionensurethedefactooperationof
theJointCommitteeforPostalServiceswithout
delay;
b)nationaladministrations andprivateoperatorsin
theMemberStatesarrangeforinternaldiscussion
withstaffrepresentatives ofexpecteddevelopments
andappropriatepolicystrategiesingoodtime;
c)nationaladministrations andprivateoperators
maketimeandresourcesavailableforfurthertrain­
ingandretraining. 4.5.Separationofexecutiveandregulatoryfunctions
4.3.2.Externalsocialaspects4.5.1.TheCommitteefullyendorsestheGreenPap­
er'sproposalwithregardtotheseparationofregulatory
andexecutivefunctionsinthepostalservicessector.
Suchaseparationisaclearreflectionofthecompletely
differentresponsibilities associatedwiththesefunc­
tions.Italsoensuresthattheprovisionofpostalservices
iskeptwellapartfromtheregulatoryauthority,with
resultantbenefitsforefficiency.Authorities,inthestrict
senseoftheword,arenotcutoutforlarge-scalebusi­
nessactivitiesand,conversely,undertakingssuchas
nationalpostaladministrations shouldnotbeimpeded
byresponsibilities otherthantheiressentialbusiness­
managementfunctions.4.3.2.1.TheCommitteecallsfordueaccounttobe
takenoftheimportanceofthepostalnetwork(post
officesanddeliveryservices)forthesocialandecon­
omiclifeofthinly-populated regions.
4.3.2.2.TheCommitteeendorsesthesesocialand
economicfunctionsofthepostalinfrastructure ,particu­
larlyinruralareas.Thesefunctionscanalsobefound
intheuniversalservicesconcept.Thisconceptcovers
botheaseofaccesstothepostalnetwork—including,
wherenecessary,postoffices—forindividualcitizens
andfirmsandthepossibilityofregularmaildeliveries
toindividualsandfirms,allatreasonableprices.4.5.2.TheCommitteefeelsthatoneofthemain
reasonsfortheinadequatequality(insomerespects)
ofpostalservicesistheundueoverlapbetweenthe
government'sfunctionassuchanditsfunctionasa
postalservicesprovider.
4.3.2.3.Socialandeconomicdemandsonthepostal
systembeyondthescopeoftheuniversalschemeare5.Conclusions
classifiedinthecaseofnationaladministrations as
'outside'services,forwhichfundsmustbeprovided
separatelybysomeappropriatemeans,e.g.onthebasisa)TheCommitteeurgesthat,inimplementingthe
ofregionaldevelopmentpolicyorapolicyforstrength-GreenPaper'srecommendations ,theCommission
eningthesocio-economic infrastructureofruralareas.shouldsetadefinitetimetableindicatingprecisely

10.5.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC129/55
whenthedifferentpolicyproposalsaretobeput
intoeffect:b)TheCommitteeexpectstobeconsultedonthese
moredetailedpolicyproposals.
DoneatBrussels,25March1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN
APPENDIX
totheOpinionoftheEconomicandSocialCommitteeonthe
GreenPaperontheDevelopmentoftheSingleMarketforPostalServices
Thefollowingamendmentswhichreceivedatleastaquarterofthevotescastwererejectedinthecourseof
thedebate:
1.Points3.3.2.2.1.2and3.3.2.2.1.3
Replacebythefollowing:
'3.3.2.2.1.2.Oneadvantageofwithdrawingornotgrantinganaturalmonopolyisthatthepostalservices
areobligedtomaintaintheirmarketposition.Thistheymustdobypursuingavigilantpricingpolicy,
providingahigh-qualityservice,displayingamarketmentalityandbeingcostconscious,thatisdemonstrating
qualitiesalsorequiredbybusinessesoperatinginthemarket.
3.3.2.2.1.3.Alternativesolutionsbasedonanaturalmonopolycannot,ofcourse,beputforwardpending
long-termcontinuousandon-the-spotmonitoringofthesituation.Duringthisperiodtheuniversalpostal
servicemustcontinuetobeguaranteed .TheCommissionisaskedtocontinuemonitoringdevelopmentsin
thisarea.'
Reasons
TheTransportSectionmeetingof10Marchadopted,by23votesto21,anamendment—withoutany
accompanying explanation—whichseriouslyunderminesthestructuralclarityoftheapproachandpays
insufficientattentiontocarefulpolicy-preparation .
Thesetwoamendments ,whichtogetherformawhole,aredesignedtocorrectthesefaultsbyseekingto
ensure.
(a)thatthequestionofa'naturalmonopoly'continuestobedealtwithseparatelyintheOpinionandnot
inconjunctionwith'legalmonopoly'issues;and
(b)thatnofinaldecisionontheprecisescopeofapostalmonopolyistakenuntiltheCommissionstudy
dealingwiththepossibilitiesandtheirconsequences ispublishedinthenextfewmonths.
Voting
For:63,against:80,abstentions :4.
2.Point3.3.2.2.2.4
Insertthefollowingafterpoint3.3.2.2.2.4:
'3.3.2.2.2.5.Theprincipalelementsofamedium-termmonopolymentionedintheGreenPaperconcern
standardpersonalandindividualmail,amaximumweightoflessthan500gramsandtheexclusionof
printedmatterorgoods.
3.3.2.2.2.6.TheGreenPaperstatesthat,inaccordancewiththeprincipleofproportionality ,themonopoly
shouldnotbegreaterinsizethanisnecessarytoenablethenationalpostaladministrations tofulfiltheir
obligationtoprovideahigh-qualityuniversalpostalserviceataffordableprices.Abalancemustbemaintained
betweencostsandbenefits.TheCommitteecanacceptthisinterpretationofArticle90,whichaccordswith
thecaselawlaiddownbytheCourtofJustice.

NoC129/56 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 10.5.93
3.3.2.2.2.7.TheGreenPaperexcludesexpressdeliveriesfromthereservedareaandtheCommitteeendorses
thisapproach.
3.3.2.2.2.8.AccordingtotheGreenPaper,theexclusionofdirectmailfromthereservedareawarrantsa
prioriconsideration .TheGreenpaperalsostatesthatdirectmailisnotastandardserviceofanindividual
orpersonaltypebutamass-communication facility.
Atthesametime,itquestionswhethertheexclusionofthisserviceiscompatiblewiththecontinuationof
thenationalpostaladministrations .TheGreenpaperalsoannouncesthatastudyoftheeconomicimplications
ofapossibleliberalizationofdirectmailistobepublishedwithinayear—i.e.beforetheendof1993.The
Committeewillawaitthisstudybeforeexpressingitsviewsonwhetherdirectmailshouldformpartofthe
monopoly.TheCommissionisrequestedtoreferthestudyandtheassociatedconclusionstotheESCforan
Opinion,
3.3.2.2.2.9.TheGreenpaperalsoprovidesfortheexclusionofcross-frontierpostaltrafficfromthe
monopoly.Itregardstheliberalizationofthistrafficasthemosteffectivemeansofimprovingservicequality
inthissectorandthinksthiswillnotthreatenthenationalpostaladministrations 'continuationinbusiness.
Bearinginminditscommentsinpoint3.3.2.2.2.11,theCommitteecanacceptthisapproach.
3.3.2.2.2.10 .Initsdefinitionofthereservedarea,theGreenPaperproposesbothamaximumweightlimit
andamaximumtarifflimit.Itsuggestsaprovisionalmaximumtarifflimitof1.5or2timesthemaximum
weightlimit.
TheCommitteethinksitwouldbemorelogicaltoequatethetarifflimitforstandardmailwiththemaximum
weighttariff.Ifspecialservicessuchasregisteredmail,insuredmailandacknowledgement ofreceiptareto
beincludedinthestandardservicespackage,therelationshipofthecorresponding chargestothemaximum
tarifflimitshouldbeexaminedingreaterdetail.'
NB:Theexistingpoint3.3.2.2.2.5shouldberenumberedpoint3.3.2.2.2.11.
Reason
SameasforprecedentAmendment.
Voting
For:52,against:73,abstentions:2.