***** 
** ** COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
Brussels, 26.07.1995 
COM(95) 227 final 
95/0221 (COD) 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 
on the set of measures proposed for the development of Community postal services 
Proposal for a 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 
on common rules for the development of Community postal services 
and the improvement of quality of service 
(presented by the Commission) 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 
on the set of measures proposed for the development of Community postal services 
1. Postal services constitute an essential means of communication and trade and are thus 
of a vital importance for many social and economic activities throughout the 
Community. In the Community, postal services generate about 1.3% of GDP and 
employ about 1.8 million workers of which 1.4 million are employed by the public 
postal operators. Postal services in the Community comprise 80 billion items of mail 
per year, of which 3 billion constitute intra-Community cross-border mail. An efficient 
postal sector in Europe is to be considered as an important prerequisite for the further 
development of competitivity and employment in the European economy. It is of utmost 
importance to guarantee within the whole Community the maintenance of a good 
quality universal service accessible for all users at affordable prices. The financial 
viability of such universal service must be ensured. 
The completion of the internal market for the postal sector requires the further 
development of the Community postal services and in particular the implementation of 
the fundamental principles of freedom to provide services and freedom of establishment. 
It is therefore essential that competition can play an important role in this sector of the 
economy as well, and that there is a level playing field for all economic actors 
concerned. 
2. In the Commission's "Green Paper on the development of a single market for 
postal servicesl,(1) of 11 June 1992 and the subsequent public consultations which led 
to the Commission's Communication to the European Parliament and the Council on 
Guidelines for the development of Community postal services(2) of 2 June 1993, a 
number of problems were identified which require action at Community level. The 
European Parliament, in its Resolutions of 22 January, 25 June and 29 October 1993 
and 14 July 1995 invited the Commission to submit proposals for the sector(3). The 
Council, in its Resolution of 7 February 1994 on the development of Community postal 
services(4), invited the Commission to propose the measures necessary for implementing 
a Community policy on postal services. These measures should refer specifically to the 
definition of the universal service, the obligations of the providers of the universal 
service, the definition of services which may be reserved to the universal service 
providers, the quality of the universal service, and required technical standardization. 
The Council stressed that the measures proposed should be transparent, simple and easy 
to manage, to ensure the best possible conditions of monitoring and enforcement. 
3. In this context, the Commission submits to the European Parliament, the Council, the 
Social and Economic Committee and the Committee of the Regions the attached 
package of measures, which consists of a "Proposal for a European Parliament and 
Council Directive establishing common rules for the development of Community postal 
services and improvement of quality of service" and a draft "Notice on the application 
of the competition rules to the postal sector and in particular on the assessment of 
certain state measures relating to postal services". This package constitutes a 
comprehensive approach for establishing, for the first time at Community level, a 
universal postal service and gradual liberalization and opening up of the postal market 
to more competition. This will have to occur in two stages in order to give the 
providers of this service sufficient time to adapt to the new situation. Harmonization 
(i) 
(2) 
(3) 
(4) COM(91) 476 final. 
COM(93) 247 final. 
OJ No C 42, 15.2.1993, p. 240, OJ No C 194, 19.7.1993 p. 397, OJ No C 315, 
22.11.1993, p. 643, OJ No C 
OJNo C 48, 16.2.1994, p. 3. 
measures in the postal sector will have to go together with gradual liberalization, as 
requested by the Council. 
The proposed Directive and the draft Notice are complementary to each other. While 
the proposed Directive will provide for a harmonized regulatory framework at 
Community level for the postal sector, the Notice seeks to provide the actors in this 
sector with the necessary clarity as regards the application of the Treaty rules. It will 
make it easier for Member States and for undertakings to assess whether their individual 
rules or their behaviour are consistent with the Treaty provisions, especially those on 
competition and freedom to provide services and freedom of establishment. Both 
documents, the proposal for a Directive and the draft Notice, build on the results of the 
public consultation following the submission of the Commission's Green Paper, as well 
as on the objectives set out by the Council Resolution of 7 February 1994, and are fully 
in line with the principle of subsidiarity. 
The proposed European Parliament and Council Directive based on Article 100a of the 
EC Treaty aims at the introduction of harmonized provisions for universal postal 
services, services that may be reserved for the universal service providers, the 
improvement of quality of service, the promotion of standardization and related issues. 
The proposed Directive provides for a minimum mandatory universal service to be 
provided throughout the Community to all citizens, wherever they are located, at 
affordable prices, and for a high degree of quality to be guaranteed to all users of 
universal service. These provisions are very important for remote areas within 
Member States and for penpheral regions of the Community. Currently, universal 
service obligations and quality of service are not always explicitly defined in national 
legislation or administrative rules, so that it is sometimes difficult to enforce them. 
Where there is not a well-functioning basic postal service, people and businesses have 
to rely on express services and pay much higher prices in order to get a reliable, timely 
service. This risk is higher the further the point of posting is away from the main 
business-centres. The proposed Directive will oblige those Member States which at 
present do not have strict rules on universal service and quality of service, to introduce 
such obligations for the universal service providers. These will be for the benefit of 
users (both senders and receivers) and especially those located in remote and peripheral 
areas. 
In order to ensure the financial viability of the universal service, the proposed Directive 
defines harmonized criteria for the services which may be reserved to the universal 
service providers to the extent necessary for the maintenance of the universal service, 
i.e. collection, transport, sorting and distribution of domestic mail which does not weigh 
more than 350 grammes and where the tariff is below five times the basic tariff (that is 
to say the tariff for letters up to 20 grammes). 
Outgoing cross-border mail which is already de facto liberalized in most Member States 
will be excluded from the reservable services. 
Incoming cross-border mail may continue to be reserved until 31 December 2000 if this 
is necessary for the financial viability of the universal service provider. Incoming cross-
border mail represents, as an average in the Community, 4% of volume and 3% of 
revenues of the public postal operators for their letter service. Therefore, the opening 
up to competition of this market segment can be expected to have a limited impact 
only, thus not endangering the viability of the universal service providers; it would, 
however, constitute a significant step forward towards the realization of the internal 
market for postal services. Member States could provide for the introduction of an 
objective, transparent and non-discriminatory system of licences, in order to avoid 
abusive diversion of domestic traffic from the reserved area. 
Direct mail may continue to be reserved until 31 December 2000 if this is necessary 
for the financial viability of the universal provider. On average, direct mail represents 
in the Community 17% of volume and 12% of revenues of the public postal operators 
for their letter service. This segment of the market has a high rate of growth and a large 
majority of Posts apply specific tariffs for these items. The risk for the Posts of the 
establishment of alternative networks for the delivery of direct mail is reduced since 
they benefit from very important economies of scale by using the same existing 
universal network to deliver other types of correspondence. The delivery of direct mail 
is already liberalized in some Member States, where experience shows that the public 
postal operators have been able to maintain a dominant position on this market despite 
competition, and that any control problems arising can be overcome 
The Commission will decide by 30 June 1998 whether it is appropriate to keep direct 
mail and incoming cross-border mail in the reserved area even after 31 December 2000, 
taking into consideration the developments, in particular economic, social and 
technological developments, which have occurred in the postal sector in the meantime 
and taking also into consideration the financial viability of the universal service 
provider(s). 
During the first half of the year 2000 at the latest a major review will take place on the 
scope of the reserved area. 
With regard to tariffs, the proposed Directive requires that Member States implement 
the principles of affordability and cost-orientation for tariffs for the universal service. 
However, Member States may decide that for every service that forms part of the 
universal service a uniform tariff is to be applied on their territory. 
Operators providing the universal service are to be subject to an obligation to establish 
transparent cost accounting systems as well as separate accounts for reserved services 
on the one hand, and non reserved services on the other hand. 
As regards the establishment of service quality standards, the Member States will be 
responsible for the establishment of quality standards for the national service, which 
have to be consistent with Community standards, while the Commission will, assisted 
by an Advisory Committee composed of Representatives of the 15 Member States, set 
out the quality standards for intra-Community cross-border services. 
As regards the harmonization of technical standards, the proposed Directive sets out a 
procedure allowing for the elaboration and adoption of harmonized standards on the 
basis of mandates entrusted to the European Committee for Standardization. 
Finally, and in conformity with the principle of separation of regulatory and operational 
functions, the proposed Directive requires the establishment of a national regulatory 
authority independent of the postal operators in all Member States. 
5. The Court of Justice has recognized that the rules of the EG Treaty and, in particular, 
its competition rules, apply to the postal sector(5). The Commission's draft Notice, which 
is complementary to the proposed legislative measure, sets out and explains the guiding 
principles according to which the Commission intends to apply the competition rules 
of the Treaty to the postal sector, in order to further the gradual, controlled 
liberalization of the postal market while maintaining the necessary safeguards for the 
provision of a universal service. It takes into account the specificities of the sector and 
(5) See, in particular, Judgments of 12 February 1992, The Netherlands and Koninlijke PTT 
Nederlands NV and PTT Post BV v Commission. Joined Cases C-48/90 and C-66, 
[1992] ECR 1-565 and of 16 May 1993, Paul Corbeau. Case C-320/91, 
[1993] ECR 1-2533. 
is fully in line with the approach defined in the Council Resolution. The Notice aims 
at establishing a clear and reliable framework with regard to the future application of 
the competition rules, which can, at this stage, be considered sufficient for provision 
of the degree of legal certainty necessary for a smooth development of the sector. 
In particular, the Notice sets out the approach the Commission intends to take when 
addressing the compatibility of State measures restricting the freedom to provide 
services and/or to compete in the postal markets with the competition rules of the 
Treaty. It confirms the Member States' right to maintain, at this stage, a defined area 
of reserved services. In addition, it addresses the issue of non-discriminatory access to 
the postal network and the necessary regulatory safeguards required to ensure fair 
competition in the sector. 
The Commission recognizes that the postal sector is critical for the future development 
of the European economy. At this stage, a balance between the requirements of a public 
service and the application of competition rules has to be developed at Community 
level in which both aspects are complementary and mutually reinforcing. 
The Commission aims at the phased development of a comprehensive Community 
policy for the postal sector, firmly based on legislation adopted by the 
European Parliament and the Council within the framework of the Treaty, and in 
particular its competition rules, respecting the duties assigned to the Commission by the 
Treaty. 
The attached measures should be considered as a first step of a progressive and future-
oriented policy towards the completion of the internal market and the development of 
the Community postal services. It is with this objective in mind that this set of 
measures is submitted. 
Proposal for a 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 
on common rales for the development of Community postal services 
and the improvement of quality of service 

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 
L CONTEXT 
This proposal for a Directive represents the result of a process covering several stages which 
can be summarized as follows: 
1. In June 1992 the Commission published a Green Paper on the development of the 
single market for postal services^. On the basis of this document, it has been possible 
to identify three major objectives in the postal sector: 
search for a balance between, on the one hand, the need for a universal service 
providing a basic postal service affordable to all users together with, as a 
corollary, the definition of a range of services which may be reserved for the 
universal service providers so as to enable them to provide such a service under 
sound economic conditions and, on the other hand, opening-up of the sector to 
more competition for the benefit of users; 
establishment at Community level of common obligations for those providing 
universal service, especially compliance with standards which guarantee a high 
quality of service; 
strengthening the harmonization of the basic services which make up the universal 
service with a view to providing an efficient postal service throughout the territory 
of the Community; harmonization of the conditions of access to the postal 
services, of service quality standards and of the monitoring of the performance of 
the universal service. 
Large-scale public consultation has made it possible to hear the views of all the 
parties concerned: representatives of the national governments, users and 
consumers, operators, trade unions, etc. 
2. A year later, in June 1993, the Commission submitted to the European Parliament and 
the Council the results and guidelines which had emerged from this consultation 
process, through its Communication on the guidelines for the development of 
Community postal services(2). 
A general consensus has emerged on the need for Community action, particularly with 
regard to: 
the definition of the universal service and a list of services which may be 
reserved; 
common criteria for access (non-discrimination, transparency); 
separation of regulatory and operating functions; 
common specifications with regard to the quality of services, at least in the area 
reserved for the universal service providers; 
technical standardization. 
It was clear that the Commission Communication constituted only an intermediate stage 
in the wide-ranging debate on the future development of postal services. 
0) 
(2) COM(91) 476 final. 
COM(93) 247 final. 
3. In the course of 1993(3) the European Parliament adopted three resolutions on the postal 
sector. In these Resolutions the European Parliament invited the Commission to prepare, 
inter alia, a set of proposals for the development of the single market for the postal 
sector and, in particular, to establish at Community level a common definition of the 
mandatory universal service and a common definition of the reservable sector which, 
while being as restricted as possible, would be large enough to enable the universal 
service providers to offer this service at a reasonable cost. 
4. In its Resolution of 7 February 1994 on the development of Community postal 
services(4) the Council, supporting the general approach set out in the Commission's 
Green Paper on the development of the single market for postal services, and the 
Communication on guidelines for the development of Community postal services, laid 
down the objectives for this development and invited the Commission to propose the 
measures necessary for the implementation without delay of a Community policy on 
postal services, with a view to adapting these services to the requirements of the single 
market and increasing their efficiency. 
The Council also invited the Commission "to base its proposals for future regulation 
of postal services on measures which are transparent, simple and easy to manage, to 
ensure the best possible conditions of monitoring and enforcement". 
The following measures were advocated: 
lasting guarantee of universal service which can justify, to the extent necessary to 
maintain the universal service, exclusive or special rights for the benefit of the 
universal service providers; 
gradual introduction of more competition in the postal services market; 
establishment of quality of service standards which meet the expectations of 
European users; 
development of a policy for the harmonization of technical standards with a view 
to improving the efficiency and interconnection of postal networks, in the interests 
of the users; 
designation in the postal sector of independent national regulatory authorities. 
5. The development of Community policy in the postal sector is based on the idea that the 
provision of a postal service must respect the following general principles: 
universality: access to anyone, anywhere, at affordable prices; 
equality: under equivalent conditions, all users are entitled to identical treatment; 
neutrality: treatment is independent of the status of the person sending the mail; 
confidentiality: inviolability and secrecy of postal items; 
continuity: provision of an uninterrupted service; 
adaptability: any service to be adaptable to technical progress and changes in 
demand. 
(3) 
(4) OJ No C 42, 15.2.1993, p. 240, OJ No C 194, 19.7.1993, p. 397, OJ No C 315, 
22.11.1993, p. 643. 
OJNo C 48, 16.2.1994, p. 3. 
IL PROPOSED MEASURES 
1. RESPECT OF UNIVERSAL SERVICE OBLIGATIONS 
(a) TTie aim of the universal postal service is to meet the needs of users, notably 
domestic consumers, and to promote the economic and social development of the 
Community. There is still a long way to go towards ensuring an optimum service 
in the Community, mainly because of the heterogeneity and disparities between 
Member States both as regards the definition of the obligations comprising 
universal service and the availability and quality of the services provided and the 
tariffs applied. 
In addition, the way the services are organized penalizes cross-border trade and 
seriously hampers the establishment of the single market. The average time taken 
for the routing and delivery of a postal item between Member States is more than 
four working days, whereas the time taken for domestic mail is significantly less. 
Consequently, each Member State must ensure the application, on its territory, of 
minimum common criteria adopted at European level for the universal service -
albeit allowing for enlargement in scope in accordance with the principle of 
subsidiarity. 
(b) The postal services provided under universal service obligation are subject to the 
obligation of transparency, equal access and non-discrimination, notably with 
regard to: 
quality of service; 
the setting of tariffs and transparency of accounts; 
conditions for access to the universal service; 
characteristics of the universal service (frequency of collections and 
deliveries, points of contact, etc.). 
2. IMPROVEMENT OF QUALITY OF SERVICE 
In order to consolidate and improve.the quality of service, three principles will be 
applied: 
laying-down of standards by the Member States for the national services, and 
laying-down of standards at a Community level for intra-Community cross-border 
services; 
performance monitoring, to be carried out impartially and in accordance with 
harmonized procedures, by bodies not involved in the provision of the universal 
service; 
annual publication of results. 
These quality standards will concentrate in particular on delivery times and on the 
regularity and reliability of services. Furthermore, transparent procedures for users will 
need to be established in order to handle complaints relating to the provision of 
services. 
OPENING-UP TO MORE COMPETITION 
(a) The maintenance of a reserved sector must be compatible with the objective of a 
gradual opening-up of the postal market to competition in accordance with the 
rules of the Treaty. If Member States are obliged to guarantee the financial 
viability of the postal operators responsible for providing the universal service, 
they are equally obliged to comply with Community law and, in particular, the 
rules on competition, pursuant to the principle of proportionality. 
The extension of exclusive or special rights requires an appropriate protection for 
consumers, taking into account the provisions of Article 129a of the Treaty. 
(b) The postal services liable to be reserved with a view to providing a universal 
service, to the extent necessary to maintain such a service, involve the collection, 
transport, sorting and delivery of domestic postal items subject to the weight 
(350 grammes) and price (5 times the basic tariff) limits laid down at Community 
level. 
The following services cannot be included in the reserved area: express mail 
service, delivery of postal packages (even with accompanying postal items) and 
delivery of brochures, catalogues, newspapers, magazines, etc. 
New services shall be offered under free-market conditions, provided that they can 
be clearly distinguished and differentiated from the reserved service (on the basis 
of an assessment by the national regulatory authority). 
Outgoing cross-border mail that is already de facto liberalized in the majority of 
Member States, can no longer be reserved . 
The distribution of incoming cross-border and direct mail, a segment of the market 
with a high rate of growth,. where a large majority of public postal operators 
already apply specific tariffs for these items, may continue to be reserved until 
31 December 2000, in so far as their reservation is necessary for the financial 
equilibrium of the universal service provider(s). The Commission will decide on 
30 June 1998 at the latest, on the appropriateness on maintaining these services 
within the reserved area after 31 December 2000, taking into consideration the 
development of the sector, in particular economic, social and technological 
developments, as well as the financial equilibrium of the universal service 
provider(s). 
RE-EXAMINATION IN THE YEAR 2000 
A re-examination of the extent of the reserved area will take place during the first half 
of the year 2000, at the latest. For this purpose, the Commission will be assisted by a 
review body that will monitor the evolution of postal activities to better foresee the 
implications of the progressive liberalization of the sector. 
HARMONIZATION OF TECHNICAL STANDARDS 
Work must continue, in line with the process of international standardization, on the 
harmonization of the technical standards needed to strengthen network interoperability 
and conceived in the interests of users. 
In accordance with the principles set out in Directive 83/189/EEC in the field of 
standards and technical regulations, responsibility for drawing up technical standards 
applicable to the postal sector rests with the European Committee for Standardization 
(CEN), acting on a mandate from the Commission and after consultation with the actors 
concerned. 
10 
Accordingly, an initial mandate was drawn up in 1993 and was the subject of a report 
in 1994. Specific areas of activity in the postal sector were identified, guidelines were 
fixed, and a framework was worked out for future actions. 
6 SEPARATION OF OPERATING AND REGULATORY FUNCTIONS 
Furthermore, it is essential to separate operating and regulatory functions in the postal 
sector throughout the Community in such a way as to ensure that the power to regulate 
rests with bodies that are independent of the undertakings providing the universal 
service. Tlie obligations incumbent on national regulatory authorities in ensuring such 
separation include the following: 
defining regulatory measures encompassing the universal service; 
determining the providers of the universal service; 
specifying the obligations and defining the rights of the universal service 
providers; 
monitoring the conditions of competition in the postal sector; 
publishing findings on the quality of services; 
ensuring that the users receive equality in treatment; 
ensuring that there are simple procedural rules in case of complaints from 
domestic consumers. 
7. INDEPENDENCE OF UNIVERSAL SERVICE PROVIDERS 
It is important that the universal service providers should have the commercial, 
operational and financial independence needed to ensure efficient compliance with 
customer requirements and technological developments in an increasingly competitive 
environment. 
8. INTERFACE WITH OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD 
Lastly, steps must be taken to ensure compatibility between Community regulatory 
initiatives and initiatives in other parts of the world, with special reference to decisions 
taken in the framework of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), and in this way to make 
it easier for European operators to gain access to markets outside the Community, and 
vice versa. 
9. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE PROPOSED MEASURES 
The social and societal dimensions of the postal sector have to be taken duly 
into account. The public postal operators in the European Union employ about 
1.4 million people and with the addition of the private operators this figure would 
increased by one fifth. 
the absolute levels vary widely from one operator to another according to factors 
such as density of population, postal consumption per head, the mix of services 
offered and the level of operating efficiency (globally measured by items 
per employee); 
there is a trend for employment levels to fall over time (if allowance is made for 
the impact of re-unification on the German public operator) reflecting productivity 
gains (as traffic levels are generally increasing also). 
11 
The postal sector is in transformation due to the technological evolution in the sector 
itself, but also and above all, in the sector of telecommunications. The international 
situation is characterized by a strong trend for modernization and opening up of the 
postal markets as emphasized by the last Universal Postal Union Congress in 1994. 
The real threat to all postal operators - be they public or private - in the medium to 
long-term will come from other communication means (faxes, e-mail, data networks, 
etc.). It can be assumed that only if the public postal operators adapt their structure to 
be able to compete with private operators in the short-term, will they get the strength 
to face the even more challenging competitive situation in the long-term. This 
adaptation process will lead to job losses for the postal operators. 
Liberalization of the postal sector should recognize the possibility that private operators 
will hire staff to undertake the same activities as the public operators. Experience of the 
growth of the express service market since the 1970s has demonstrated that employment 
in the sector as a whole can actually increase rather thari fall as a result of 
liberalization, as well as leading to improvements in competitiveness. 
Improvements in efficiency in the postal sector can be expected to improve the general 
competitiveness of economic activities for services where postal costs are significant 
(for example, mail order goods) and this will strengthen the economy as a whole thus 
creating a favourable climate for new employment. 
It is difficult accurately to foresee the economic and social impact of opening up the 
various market segments to competition, since the future behaviour of the relevant 
parties in a liberalized market, subject to strong technological evolution, cannot be 
predicted. The Commission will take the needed steps to monitor this evolution. 
The experiences in countries which have already liberalized postal services show that 
the smooth evolution towards an efficient, competitive postal service is possible, if the 
opening of the market is phased over a number of years and accompanied by measures 
such as voluntary redundancy. 
ffl. ASSESSMENT OF THE PROPOSED MEASURES IN THE LIGHT OF THE 
PRINCIPLE OF SUBSIDIARITY 
1. Objectives of the action envisaged 
The principal objective of the action envisaged is to guarantee in the whole 
European Union the long-term provision of a good quality universal service at 
affordable prices, accessible to all, for which financing is assured and durable. In 
particular, the alignment of conditions governing the supply of postal services and the 
removal of legal and technical barriers to cross-border trade, are obligations which are 
incumbent on the Community in order to attain the internal market. This Directive is 
conceived as an instrument which seeks, in accordance with Article 7a of the Treaty, 
to establish the internal market comprising an area without internal frontiers in which 
the free movement of goods, persons, services and capital is assured. The Directive will 
establish a framework in which national initiatives can be taken. 
2. Community dimension of the problem 
All the Member States are concerned, and all citizens and moral persons in the 
Community will benefit from the proposed measures which will have the effect of 
improving the efficiency and performance of postal services. 
Postal traffic in the Community involves 80 billion items per year, some 3 billion of 
which are associated with intra-Community trade. On average, each citizen in the 
Community receives 300 postal items a year. 
12 
Up to now postal administrations have initiated a number of harmonization actions. 
However the limitations of this activity have become apparent, partly because the 
measures taken do not have binding force. As regards the area of quality of cross-
border services, in particular, no significant progress has been made over the past few 
years (cf. results of the joint studies carried out by the EBCU and the Commission in 
1990 and 1993). 
3. Necessity for Community action 
Member States have at their disposal relatively less effective means to achieve rapid 
results, especially as regards the improvement of cross-border mail and the area of 
technical standardization. The only alternative to Community legislation would be 
a system of bilateral agreements which would be difficult to achieve between all 
Member States. 
Any attempt by Member States to embark on uncoordinated action could have the effect 
of hampering the proper functioning of the internal postal market. 
Failure to take action would result in a widening of the gap between situations which 
are already highly divergent and would make it more difficult for the internal market 
to function. In addition, it cannot be excluded that a two-speed Europe in 
postal services would be the result: a Europe of the North with relatively efficient 
services, and a Europe of the South offering users an inadequate level of services. 
Failure to act would also have an indirect but significant impact on other economic 
sectors that are particularly dependent on the postal services. 
Lastly, it would be prejudicial to social and economic cohesion. In particular, the 
socia role of the postal service, especially in remote areas, and its role for regional 
planning, are not insignificant. 
4. Action open to the Community: potential benefits of a Directive 
The formulation of a recommendation will not suffice in this case, mainly because 
postal administrations depend on one another to ensure the cross-border service. It is 
therefore essential that all Member States participate in the action envisaged. Indeed, 
they expressed their intention of doing so in the Council Resolution of 7 February 1994 
inviting the Commission to propose Community measures in this area. The 
Telecommunications Council of 13 June 1995 has re-affirmed the urgent necessity to 
have available a regulatory framework for postal services in the interests of all the 
parties active in the postal sector. 
This proposal for a Directive sets out general rules and lays down basic principles. The 
provisions envisaged constitute a minimum basis of harmonized measures. 
It is a matter for the Member States to transpose these Community provisions into 
national laws, regulations and administrative provisions and to determine the exact 
modalities for the system best suited to their own situation. 
IV. STRUCTURE OF THE DIRECTIVE 
After establishing the objectives and area of application in Chapter 1, the Directive 
provides in Chapter 2 a definition of the universal service to be guaranteed by each 
Member State on its territory. 
Chapter 3 sets out the principles governing the harmonization of services which may 
be reserved for the universal service provider(s), in order to ensure the functioning of 
the reserved service under properly balanced financial conditions. 
13 
Chapter 4 concerns the conditions for the provision of non-reserved services and access 
to the network. 
Chapter 5 defines the tariff principles applicable to the universal service as well as the 
transparency of the accounts of the universal service providers. 
Chapter 6 seeks to lay down quality standards for the national and intra-Community 
cross-border services in order to respond better to the expectations of the users of the 
universal service. 
Chapter 7 introduces a mechanism which will be developed by the European Committee 
for Standardization (CEN) to encourage the technical standardization needed to improve 
the interoperability of postal networks and the quality of service provided for users. 
Chapter 8 deals with consultations involving interested parties in the sector. An 
Advisory Committee responsible for assisting the Commission on matters relating to 
quality of service and technical standardization will be set up for this purpose. 
Chapter 9 provides for the creation of a national regulatory authority independent of the 
postal operators. 
Chapter 10 stipulates, apart from the final provisions, that the Commission will 
establish a report on how this Directive has been applied by the Member States three 
years after the entry into force of this Directive or, at the latest, during the first half of 
the year 2000. The Commission will be assisted for that purpose by a review body, 
which will monitor the development in the postal sector. 
V. CONCLUSION 
The present proposal for a Directive, whilst also providing for an opening up to more 
competition of some postal services, guarantees for the first time a universal service at 
the level of the European Union. It constitutes a regulatory framework defining 
universal service as well as the modalities of its financing over the long terms, by the 
definition of a reserved sector of appropriate size. 
The development of a Community universal service will help to strengthen social and 
economic cohesion and improve the efficiency of the services offered to users including 
domestic consumers. 
The Commission therefore presents this proposal for a Directive in accordance with 
Article 189b of the Treaty relating to the codecision procedure, and invites the 
European Parliament and the Council to decide as soon as possible on these proposals, 
with a view to moving forward towards the attainment of the internal market in the 
postal sector. 
14 
Proposal for a 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 
on common rules for the development of Community postal services 
and the improvement of quality of service 
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community and in particular 
Articles 57(2), 66 and 100a thereof, 
Having regard to the Resolution of the European Parliament of 22 January 1993 concerning 
the Green Paper on the development of the single market for postal services(l), 
Having regard the Council Resolution of 7 February 1994 on the development on Community 
postal services(2), 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions, 
1. Whereas measures should be adopted with the aim of establishing the internal market 
in accordance with Article 7a of the Treaty; whereas this market comprises an area 
without internal frontiers in which the free movement of goods, persons, services and 
capital is ensured; 
2. Whereas the establishment of the internal market in the postal sector is of proven 
importance for the economic and social cohesion of the Community, in that 
postal services are an essential instrument of communication and trade; 
3. Whereas the Commission presented, on 11 June 1992, a Green Paper on the 
development of the single market for postal services and, on 2 June 1993, a 
Communication on the guidelines for the development of Community postal services; 
4. Whereas the Commission has conducted wide-ranging public consultation on those 
aspects of postal services that are of interest to the Community; 
5. Whereas the current extent of the universal postal service and the conditions governing 
its provision vary significantly from one Member State to another; whereas, in 
particular, performance in terms of quality of service is very unequal amongst 
Member States; 
6. Whereas cross-border postal links do not always meet the expectation of users and 
European citizens, and performance, in terms of quality of service with regard to 
Community cross-border postal services, is at the moment particularly unsatisfactory; 
7. Whereas the disparities observed in the postal sector have considerable implications for 
those sectors of activity which rely especially on the postal services and effectively 
impede the progress towards internal Community cohesion, in that the regions deprived 
of postal services of sufficiently high quality find themselves at a disadvantage as 
regards both their letter service and the distribution of goods; 
(i) 
(2) OJNo C42, 15.2.1993, p. 240. 
OJNo C 48, 16.2.1994, p. 3. 
15 
3) 
8. Whereas the measures seeking to ensure the gradual opemng-up of the market and to 
secure a proper balance in their application are necessary in order to guarantee, 
throughout the Community, and subject to the obligations and rights of the universal 
service providers, the free provision of services in the postal sector itself; 
9. Whereas action at Community level to ensure greater harmonization of the conditions 
governing the postal sector is therefore necessary and steps must consequently be taken 
to establish common rules; 
10. Whereas, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, a set of general principles 
should be adopted at Community level, whilst the choice of the exact modalities should 
be a matter for the Member States, which should be free to choose the system best 
adapted to their own circumstances; 
11. Whereas it is essential to guarantee at Community level a universal postal service 
encompassing a minimum range of good quality services to be provided in all 
Member States at an affordable price for the benefit of all users, irrespective of their 
geographical location in the Community; 
12. Whereas the aim of the universal service is to offer all users easy access to the postal 
network through the provision, in particular, of a sufficient number of fixed points of 
contact, and by ensuring satisfactory conditions with regard to the frequency of 
collections and deliveries; whereas the provision of the universal service must meet the 
fundamental need to ensure continuity of operation, whilst at the same time remaining 
adaptable to the needs of users as well as guaranteeing them fair and non-discriminatory 
treatment; 
13. Whereas universal service must cover national services as well as cross-border services; 
14. Whereas users of the universal service must be given adequate information on the range 
of services offered, the conditions, governing their supply and use, and the tariffs; 
15. Whereas the maintenance of a range of those services that may be reserved, in 
compliance with the rules of the Treaty and without prejudice to the application of the 
competition rules, appears justified on the grounds of ensuring the operation of the 
universal service under financially balanced conditions; 
16. Whereas postal items weighing 350 grammes and over represent less than 2% of letter 
volume and 3% of the receipts of the public operators; whereas the criteria of price 
(five times the basic tariff) will better permit the distinction between the reserved 
service, and the express service, which is already liberalized; 
17. Whereas direct mail should, in principle, be excluded from the services which may be 
reserved, as it constitutes a distinct segment of the postal market, which represents on 
average in the Community 17% of the volume and 12% of the receipts of the public 
postal operators of the letter service; whereas the maintenance of this service in the 
reserved sector could nevertheless be justified until 31 December 2000, in so far it is 
necessary for the financial equilibrium of the universal service provider; whereas the 
Commission will decide on 30 June 1998 at the latest on the appropriateness of 
postponing the date of liberalization, taking into account the developments, in particular 
economic, social and technological developments that have occurred in the sector and 
taking also into account the financial equilibrium of the public service provider(s); 
18. Whereas steps should be taken to exclude the distribution of incoming cross-border mail 
from the services which may be reserved, which represents on average in the 
Community 4% of volume and 3% of receipts of public postal operators for the letter 
service; whereas the maintenance of this service in the reserved sector could 
nevertheless be justified until 31 December 2000, in so far as its contribution to the 
financial equilibrium of the universal service provider is necessary; whereas the 
16 
Commission will decide on 30 June 1998 at the latest on the feasibility of postponing 
the date of liberalization, taking into account the developments, in particular economic, 
social and technological developments, that have occurred in the sector and taking also 
into account the financial equilibrium of the public service provider(s); 
19. Whereas a general re-examination of the scope of the reserved sector is scheduled for 
the first half of the year 2000; 
20. Whereas, for reasons of public order and public security, Member States may have a 
legitimate interest in conferring the right to site letter-boxes intended for the reception 
of postal items on the public highway on one or more entities designated by them; 
whereas, for the same reasons, they are entitled to appoint the entity or entities 
responsible for issuing postage stamps bearing the name of the country; 
21. Whereas special services, such as the express mail service (apart from greater speed and 
reliability in the collection, distribution and delivery of items, this service features all 
or some of the following supplementary facilities: guarantee of delivery by a fixed date; 
collection from domicile; personal delivery to addressee; possibility of changing the 
destination and addressee in the course of delivery; confirmation to sender of reception 
of the item dispatched; monitoring and tracking of items dispatched; personalized 
service for customers and provision of an à la carte service, as and when required), as 
well as the new services (services quite distinct from the conventional services) and 
document exchanges, do not form part of the universal service, and consequently there 
is no justification for their being reserved to the universal service providers; whereas 
the foregoing applies equally to self-provision (provision of postal services by the 
natural or legal person who is the originator of the mail, or collection and routing of 
these items by a third party acting solely on behalf of that person), which does not fall 
within the category of services; 
22. Whereas Member States should be able to regulate, on their territory, the provision of 
postal services which are not reserved to the universal service providers by declaration 
procedures and, where justified, by authorization procedures; whereas those procedures 
must be transparent, non-discriminatory and based on objective criteria; 
23. Whereas the Member States should have the option of making the grant of licences 
subject to universal service obligations or contributions to a compensation fund intended 
to compensate the universal service provider for the provision of services representing 
an unfair financial burden; whereas Member States should be able to include in the 
authorizations an obligation that the authorized activities must not improperly impair 
the exclusive or special rights granted to the universal service providers from the 
reserved services; whereas an identification system for direct mail may be introduced 
for the purposes of supervision when direct mail is liberalized; 
24. Whereas it may be necessary in the future to harmonize at Community level the 
authorization procedures laid down by the Member States, in justified cases, for the 
commercial provision to the public of non-reserved services; 
25 Whereas it may be necessary in the future to harmonize, at Community level, the 
conditions governing access to the public postal network in Member States; 
26. Whereas, in order to ensure sound management of the universal service and to avoid 
distortions of competition, the tariffs applied to the universal service should be 
objective, transparent, non-discriminatory and cost-based; 
27. Whereas, in the case of cross-border mail, the universal service provider in the 
incoming country should receive remuneration covering its costs;, whereas this 
remuneration should also include an incentive to improve the quality of Community 
cross-border service; 
17 
28. Whereas separate accounts for the different reserved services and non-reserved services 
are necessary, in order to introduce transparency into the actual costs of the various 
services, and in order to ensure that cross-subsidies from the reserved sector to the 
unreserved sector cannot affect the competitive conditions in the latter; 
29. Whereas consideration should be given to the interests of users, who are entitled to 
services of a high quality; whereas, therefore, every effort must be made to improve and 
enhance the quality of services provided at Community level; whereas such 
improvements in quality require Member States to lay down standards, to be attained 
or surpassed by the universal service providers, in respect of the services forming part 
of the universal service; 
30. Whereas the quality of service expected by users constitutes an essential aspect of the 
services provided; whereas the evaluation standards for this quality of service and the 
levels of quality achieved must be published in the interests of users; whereas it is 
necessary to have available harmonized quality of service standards and a common 
methodology for measurement in order to be able to evaluate the convergence of the 
quality of service throughout the Community; 
31. Whereas national quality standards consonant with Community standards must be 
determined by Member States; whereas, in the case of intra-Community cross-border 
traffic requiring the combined efforts of at least two universal service providers from 
two different Member States, quality standards must be defined at Community level; 
32. Whereas compliance with these standards must be independently verified at regular 
intervals and on a harmonized basis; whereas users must have the right to be informed 
of the results of this verification; 
33. Whereas Council Directive 93/13/EEC of 5 April 1993 on unfair terms in consumer 
contracts(3) applies to postal operators; 
34. Whereas the need for improvement of quality of service means that disputes have to be 
settled quickly and efficiently; whereas, in addition to the forms of legal redress 
available under national and Community law, a simple conciliation procedure should 
be provided, which should be flexible, inexpensive and transparent, and should enable 
all relevant parties to participate; 
35. Whereas progress in the interconnection of postal networks and the interests of users 
require that technical standardization be encouraged; whereas technical standardization 
is indispensable for the promotion of interoperability between national networks and for 
an efficient Community universal service; whereas users should be actively involved 
in the harmonization of technical standards; 
36. Whereas the detailed drafting of those harmonized technical standards must be a 
step-by-step process; whereas guidelines on European harmonization provide for 
specialized technical standardization activities to be entrusted to the European 
Committee for Standardization; 
37. Whereas the future work on the development of measures relating to the quality of 
Community cross-border service and technical standardization must be prepared under 
the aegis of the Commission, assisted by the Member States in consultation with 
interested parties, including associations of consumers, and with the assistance of a 
committee set up for this purpose; 
(3) OJNo L 95, 21.4.1993, p. 29. 
18 
38. Whereas, in order to ensure the proper functioning of the universal service and to 
ensure undistorted competition in the non-reserved sector, it is important to separate the 
functions of the regulator, on the one hand, and the operator, on the other; whereas no 
postal operator may be both judge and interested party; whereas it is a matter for the 
Member State to define the statute of one or more national regulatory authorities, which 
may be chosen from public authorities or independent entities appointed for that 
purpose; 
39. Whereas the effects of the harmonized conditions on the functioning of the internal 
market in postal services will need to be the subject of an assessment; whereas, 
therefore, the Commission will present a report to the European Parliament and the 
Council on the application of this Directive three years following the date of its entry 
into force, and, at the latest, during the first half of the year 2000; whereas it is 
appropriate that the Commission should be assisted in this task by a review body which 
will monitor the evolution of the sector, that it should be composed of up to 
five independents experts appointed by the Commission who, together, will provide the 
necessary expertise and will collect all appropriate information about the developments 
in the sector, particularly concerning economic, social and technological aspects, as well 
as quality of service; 
40. Whereas the Court of Justice has confirmed the applicability of the rules on competition 
to the postal sector; whereas this Directive must comply with the Treaty; whereas, in 
a Notice of , the Commission explained how the competition rules, and in 
particular Article 90 of the Treaty, applied to the postal sector; whereas the rules on 
competition require the creation of an independent authority to ensure the effective 
monitoring of the reserved services as well as the transparency of the postal 
organizations' accounting systems; whereas competition rules require that non­
discriminatory access to the postal network be guaranteed; 
41. Whereas this Directive does not affect the application of the rules of the Treaty, and 
in particular its rules on competition and the freedom to provide services, 
HAVE ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE: 
CHAPTER 1 
Scope and definitions 
Article 1 
This Directive establishes common rules concerning: 
the provision of a universal postal service within the Community; 
the criteria limiting the services which may be reserved to the providers of universal 
service; 
tariff principles and transparency of accounts; 
the fixing of quality standards and the setting-up of a system to ensure compliance with 
those standards; 
the harmonization of technical standards; 
the creation of independent national regulatory authorities. 
19 
Article 2 
For the purposes of this Directive, the following definitions shall be applicable: 
1. postal services: services involving the collection (including public collection), carriage, 
and delivery of postal items; 
2. public postal network: a system of human resources and tangible assets necessary to 
ensure: 
the public collection of postal items covered by the universal service obligation 
from mail boxes or other access points throughout the territory; 
the routing and handling of those items from their point of access to the postal 
network and the distribution centre; 
the delivery of those items to the addressees on the basis of regular delivery 
rounds; 
3. collection: the process of gathering, transporting and relaying postal items from the 
place of packaging and from mail boxes where they have been deposited for that 
purpose, to a point giving access to the postal network; 
4. clearance: the process of collecting postal items deposited in mail boxes on the public 
highways or on the premises of the universal service providers suitable for reception 
of postal items; 
5. distribution: operations ranging from sorting in the distribution centres to the delivery 
of postal items to the addresses shown on the items; 
6. postal item: any addressed item whose technical specifications allow it to be carried in 
the postal network. Such items include books, catalogues, newspapers, periodicals and 
postal packages containing merchandise with or without commercial value; 
7. item of correspondence: a communication in written form on any kind of physical 
medium to be conveyed and delivered at the address indicated by the sender of the item 
itself or on its wrapping. Books, catalogues, newspapers and periodicals shall not be 
regarded as items of correspondence; 
8. document exchange: delivery of mail by the senders to ad hoc exchange centres in 
which correspondents have designated boxes where they can come to retrieve their mail. 
Users of an exchange center must belong to a group of subscribers to this service; 
9. registered item: a postal item guaranteed on a flat-rate basis against risks of loss or 
damage and delivered against signed confirmation of receipt; 
10. insured item: a postal item the contents of which are insured up to the value declared 
by the sender in the event of loss or damage; 
11. incoming cross-border mail: incoming mail from another Member State or from a 
third country; 
12. direct mail: item of correspondence consisting of the same message and sent to a 
significant number of addresses for advertising or marketing purposes; 
13. universal service provider public or private entity designated by a Member State to 
ensure the provision of a universal service, or parts thereof; 
20 
14. terminal dues: the remuneration applied between universal service providers for the 
delivery of incoming cross-border mail; 
15. sender natural or legal person responsible for originating the postal items; 
16. users: professional users, domestic consumers and postal operators other than those 
responsible for the universal service (including intermediaries), where postal operators 
wish to have access to the services in order to provide an end-to-end service; 
17. intermediary: any economic operator who acts between the sender and the universal 
service provider, by collecting, routing and/or pre-sorting postal items, before 
channelling them into the public postal network of the same or of another country; 
18. national regulatory authority: the body or bodies in each Member State, to which the 
Member State entrusts inter alia the regulatory functions falling within the scope of this 
Directive. 
CHAPTER 2 
Universal service 
Article 3 
Member States shall ensure that users enjoy the right to a universal service involving the 
provision of a good-quality postal service for all users at all points on their territory at 
affordable prices. 
To that end, Member States shall take steps to ensure that the density of the points of contact, 
and of the points where mail is collected, take account of the needs of users. 
They shall take steps to ensure that the universal service providers guarantee every working 
day, and not less than five days a week save in exceptional circumstances or geographical 
conditions: 
one collection from the clearance points; 
one door-to-door delivery for every natural or legal person; 
Each Member State shall take the measures necessary to ensure that the universal service 
includes the following minimum facilities: 
the collection, transport and distribution of addressed mail items and addressed books, 
catalogues, newspapers and periodicals up to 2 kg and addressed postal packages up to 
20 kg; 
services for registered items and insured items. 
The maximum and minimum dimensions envisaged for postal items are those laid down in 
the Agreement concerning Postal Parcels adopted by the Universal Postal Union at its 
Congress in Washington in December 1989. 
Universal service as used in this Article covers both national and cross-border services. 
Article 4 
Each Member State shall appoint one or more postal operators to be responsible for providing 
universal service and shall notify the Commission thereof. In accordance with Community 
law, each Member State shall determine the obligations and rights assigned to the universal 
service provider(s), and shall publish them. 
21 
Article 5 
Each Member State shall take steps to ensure that the universal service meets the following 
requirements: 
it shall offer a service guaranteeing the inviolability and secrecy of correspondence; 
it shall offer an identical service to all users whose circumstances are similar; 
it shall be made available without any form of discrimination whatsoever, especially 
without discrimination arising from political, religious or ideological considerations; 
it shall not be interrupted or terminated, except in cases of force majeure; 
it shall evolve in response to the technical, economic and social environment and to the 
demands of users. 
Article 6 
Member States shall take steps to ensure that users are regularly given sufficiently detailed 
information by the universal service provider(s) regarding the particular features of the 
universal services offered, with special reference to the general conditions of access to these 
services as well as to prices and quality standard levels. This information shall be published, 
in particular, through the use of publicly displayed notices or brochures. 
Member States shall notify the Commission, within six months of the date of entry into force 
of this Directive, of how the information to be published in accordance with the provisions 
of the preceding paragraph is being made available. Subsequent modifications shall be notified 
to the Commission at the earliest opportunity. 
. Article 7 
Each Member State shall take steps to offer lasting guarantees regarding the provision of a 
universal service, as defined in this Directive. 
CHAPTER 3 
Harmonization of the services which may be reserved 
Article 8 
1. To the extent necessary to ensure the maintenance of the universal service, the services 
which may be reserved to the universal service provider(s) in each Member State are 
the collection, sorting, transport and delivery of items of domestic correspondence 
whose price is less than five times the public tariff for an item of correspondence in the 
first weight step, provided that they weigh less than 350 grammes, and without 
prejudice to paragraph 2. 
2. The distribution of incoming cross-border mail and direct mail may continue to be 
reserved until 31 December 2000, wherever their reservation is necessary for the 
financial equilibrium of the universal service provider(s). The Commission shall decide 
on 30 June 1998 at the latest as to the appropriateness of maintaining the reservation 
of those services after 31 December 2000, taking into account the developments, in 
particular economic, social and technological developments, that have occurred by that 
date and also taking into account the financial equilibrium of the universal service 
provider(s). 
22 
3. Without prejudice to paragraph 2, the provisions of paragraph 1 shall be re-examined 
when the Commission reports to the European Parliament and the Council on the 
application of this Directive pursuant to Article 23, and no later than the first half of 
the year 2000. 
4. Member States, upon request of the Commission, shall provide the necessary 
information for the decision envisaged in paragraph 2 and the report referred to in 
paragraph 3. 
Article 9 
Member States shall appoint the entity or entities that are entitled to place letter-boxes on the 
public highway for the reception of postal items and to issue postage stamps bearing the name 
of the country. 
CHAPTER 4 
Conditions governing the provision of non-reserved services and access to the network 
Article 10 
1. Member States may apply declaration procedures and, where justified, authorization 
procedures for the commercial provision to the public of postal services that are not 
reserved to the universal service providers. These procedures shall be transparent, non­
discriminatory, and based on objective criteria. 
2. The granting of authorizations may, where appropriate, be made subject to universal 
service obligations which are proportional, and to the obligation not to improperly 
impair the exclusive or special rights granted to the universal service providers, for the 
reserved services referred to in Article 8(1). 
3. Where a Member State determines that the universal service obligations under this 
Directive represent an unfair financial burden on the universal service provider, it may 
make the granting of authorization subject to an obligation to make a financial 
contribution to a compensation fund established for that purpose and administered by 
a body independent of the beneficiary or beneficiaries. In that event, the Member State 
must ensure that the principles of transparency, non-discrimination and proportionality 
are respected when fixing the level of the financial contributions. 
4. Member States must ensure that the reasons for refusing an authorization are 
communicated to the relevant party and establish an appeal procedure. 
5. Member States may provide for an identification system for direct mail, allowing the 
supervision of such services once they are liberalized. 
Article 11 
1. The European Parliament and the Council, acting on a proposal from the Commission 
and on the basis of Articles 57(2), 66 and 100a of the Treaty, shall adopt the measures 
necessary for the harmonization of the authorization procedures governing the 
commercial provision to the public of non-reserved postal services, with the exception 
of those services that cannot be subjected to such constraints, such as document 
exchange and outgoing cross-border mail to other Member States. 
2. The harmonization measures referred to in paragraph 1 shall concern, in particular, the 
criteria to be observed and the procedures to be followed by the postal operator 
requesting the authorization, the detailed rules governing publication of those criteria 
and procedures, and also the appeal procedures to be followed in the event of refusal 
of an authorization. 
23 
Article 12 
The European Parliament and the Council, acting on a proposal from the Commission and on 
the basis of Articles 57(2), 66 and 100a of the Treaty, shall adopt such harmonization 
measures as are necessary to ensure that users and providers of the universal service shall 
have access, under conditions that are transparent and non-discriminatory, to the public postal 
network during the various stages preceding the final distribution of postal items. 
CHAPTER 5 
Tariff principles and transparency of accounts 
Article 13 
Member States shall take steps to ensure that universal service tariffs comply with the 
following principles: 
prices must be affordable and must be such that all users have access to the services 
provided; 
prices must be fixed in relation to the costs for each service making up the universal 
service; Member States may decide that a uniform tariff is to be applied on their 
territory for each service composing the universal service; 
tariffs must be transparent and non-discriminatory. 
Article 14 
Member States shall take steps to ensure that terminal dues are determined in relation to the 
costs of the universal service providers responsible for the non-discriminatory handling and 
distribution of the mail in the country of arrival, and so as to ensure the quality of the 
services provided. 
Article 15 
1. Member States shall take the measures necessary to ensure, within two years of the date 
of entry into force of this Directive, that the accounting of the universal service 
providers is conducted in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs 2 and 3. 
2. The universal service providers shall keep separate accounts, within their internal 
accounting systems, on the one hand for each of the relevant reserved services within 
the reserved sector (distinguishing between collection, transport, sorting and delivery) 
and, on the other hand, for the non-reserved services, in the same way as would be 
required if the services in question were provided by separate undertakings. They shall 
draw up in their annual report a balance-sheet and a profit-and-loss account for the 
reserved services, on the one hand, and for the non-reserved services, on the other. 
3. Whatever their system of ownership or legal form, the universal service providers shall 
have their annual accounts verified by an independent auditor. Universal service 
providers who are not under a legal obligation to publish their annual accounts shall 
hold a copy of these at the disposal of the national regulatory authority and the 
Commission. 
The Commission shall take the steps necessary to ensure the confidentiality of the 
information received in this connection. 
24 
CHAPTER 6 
Quality of services 
Article 16 
Member States shall take steps to ensure that the universal service is of good quality. 
Quality standards shall aim, in particular, on transit times and on the regularity and reliability 
of services. 
These standards shall be laid down by: 
the Member States, in the case of the national services; 
the Commission, in the case of intra-Community cross-border services, in accordance 
with the procedure set out in Article 21. 
Independent performance monitoring shall be carried out at least once a year by external 
bodies unrelated to the universal service providers under standardized conditions to be laid 
down by the Commission and shall be the subject of reports published at least once a year. 
Article 17 
Member States shall take steps to ensure that standards are laid down for national mail that 
are compatible with those laid down by the Commission for the intra-Community cross-border 
services. However, regard being had to specific national conditions, an initial objective shall 
be to ensure that in all Member States the items of correspondence of the fastest standard 
category achieve an end-to-end transit time of one working day from the date of deposit to 
the date of delivery for at least 80% of the items dispatched. 
These standards shall be subject to periodic review. 
Performance monitoring and the justification of results shall be carried out in compliance with 
the provisions laid down in Article 16. 
Article 18 
In accordance with the provisions of Article 16, the Commission shall, one year after the 
entry into force of this Directive, lay down quality standards for intra-Community cross-border 
services. It shall publish these standards in the Official Journal of the European Communities 
and shall take steps to ensure the regular monitoring and the publication of performance levels 
certifying compliance with these standards and the progress accomplished. These standards 
shall be subject to periodic review. 
Pending the definition of those standards, Member States shall apply the following standard 
for items of correspondence in the fastest standard category: an end-to-end transit time of 
three working days from the date of deposit in the country of origin and the date of delivery 
in the country of distribution (D+3) for 90% of the items dispatched, and five working days 
(D+5) for 99% of the items dispatched. The standards in question shall be regarded as 
averages upon which universal service providers may improve. 
Article 19 
Member States shall take steps to ensure that transparent, simple and inexpensive procedures 
are drawn up for dealing with users' complaints, particularly in cases involving loss, theft or 
damage, or non-compliance with service quality standards. Member States shall ensure that 
an efficient and speedy system for reimbursement and/or compensation is available, and that 
disputes are settled fairly and promptly. 
25 
Without prejudice to other forms of redress under national and Community legislation, 
Member States shall ensure that users acting, where national law so permits, jointly with 
organizations representing the interests of users and consumers may bring before the national 
regulatory authority cases where complaints made to the universal service provider have not 
been satisfactorily resolved. 
In accordance with the provisions of Article 16, Member States shall ensure that the universal 
service providers publish, together with the annual report on the monitoring of their 
performance, information on the number of complaints and the manner in which they have 
been treated. 
CHAPTER 7 
Harmonization of technical standards 
Article 20 
The harmonization of technical standards shall be developed, taking into account in particular 
the interests of users. 
The European Committee for Standardization shall be entrusted with drawing up technical 
standards applicable to the postal sector on the basis of mandates and pursuant to the 
principles set out in Council Directive 83/189/EEC(4). This work shall take account of the 
harmonization measures adopted at international level, and, in particular, those decided upon 
within the Universal Postal Union. The standards applicable shall be published in the 
Official Journal of the European Communities once a year. 
Member States shall ensure that, in all matters relating to the provision of the universal 
service, reference is made to the standards published in the Official Journal of the 
European Communities. 
The status of the work carried out by the European Committee for Standardization and the 
progress achieved in this area by that body shall be the subject of consultations with the 
Advisory Committee in accordance with Article 21. 
CHAPTER 8 
The Advisory Committee 
Article 21 
The Commission shall be assisted by a committee of an advisory nature composed of the 
representatives of the Member States and chaired by the representative of the Commission. 
The Advisory Committee shall establish its own rules of procedure. 
The Advisory Committee shall be consulted on the provisions relating to quality of service 
set out in Article 16 and the provisions relating to the harmonization of technical standards 
set out in Article 20. 
The representative of the Commission shall submit to the committee a draft of the measures 
to be taken. The committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft, within a time-limit which 
the Chairman may lay down according to the urgency of the matter, if necessary by taking 
a vote. 
The opinion shall be recorded in the minutes; in addition, each Member State shall have the 
right to ask to have its position recorded in the minutes. 
(4) OJ No L 109, 26.4.1983, p. 8. 
26 
The Commission shall take the utmost account of the opinion delivered by the committee. It 
shall inform the committee of the manner in which its opinion has been taken into account. 
The Commission shall also consult the representatives of the postal operators, the industries 
involved, the users including domestic consumers and both sides of the industry on questions 
relating to quality of service and the harmonization of technical standards. 
It shall keep the Advisory Committee regularly informed of the outcome of those 
consultations and of the work carried out by the review body referred to in Article 23. 
CHAPTER 9 
The national regulatory authority 
Article 22 
Each Member State shall appoint a national regulatory authority for the postal sector that is 
legally and operationally independent of the postal operators. Member States shall inform the 
Commission which national regulatory authorities they have designated to carry out the tasks 
arising from this Directive. 
The national regulatory authorities shall have as a particular task ensuring compliance with 
the obligations arising from this Directive. They may also be made responsible for ensuring 
compliance with the national and Community competition rules in the postal sector. 
The national regulatory authorities shall transmit to the Commission, once per calendar year, 
a report setting out the progress made at national level in the achievement of the objectives 
set out in this Directive. The annual report shall be transmitted to the Commission no later 
than five months after the end of the year covered by the report. 
CHAPTER 10 
Final provisions 
Article 23 
1. Three years after the date of entry into force of this Directive and at the latest by the 
first half of the year 2000, the Commission shall submit a report to the 
European Parliament and the Council on the application of this Directive. For this 
purpose, the Commission shall be assisted by a review body which will monitor the 
evolution of the sector. 
2. The review body shall be composed of up to five independent experts, appointed by the 
Commission, who, together, shall provide the different areas of expertise required. They 
shall collect all appropriate information on developments in the sector, particularly 
concerning economic, social and technological aspects, as well as information on 
quality of service. 
Article 24 
Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions 
necessary to comply with this Directive not later than six months after the date of its entry 
into force. They shall immediately inform the Commission thereof 
When Member States adopt these provisions, these shall contain a reference to this Directive 
or shall be accompanied by such reference at the time of their official publication. The 
procedure for such reference shall be adopted by Member States. 
27 
Article 25 
This Directive shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in 
the Official Journal of the European Communities. 
Article 26 
This Directive is addressed to the Member States. 
Done at Brussels, 
For the European Parliament For the Council 
The President The President 
28 
FINANCIAL STATEMENT 
L FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS 
1. Tide of tfae action 
European Parliament and Council Directive on common rules for the development of 
the Community postal services and the improvement in the quality of service. 
2. Budget heading 
A-250 
A-2510 (group 3) 
3. Legal basis 
Article 100a; 
Green Paper on the development of the single market for Community postal 
services, COM(91) 476 final; 
Communication on guidelines for the development of Community postal services, 
COM(93) 247 final; 
Resolution of the European Parliament of 22 January 1993 concerning the 
Green Paper on the development of the single market for Community 
postal services, OJ No C 42, 15.2.1993; 
Council Resolution of 7 February 1994 on the development of Community postal 
services, OJ No C 48, 16.2.1994. 
4. Description 
4.1 Objectives 
The proposed action seeks to develop postal services by: 
guaranteeing, on a Community scale, a universal postal service; 
improving the quality of services both for inland traffic and for cross-border 
traffic; 
promoting the harmonization of technical standards. 
This will have the effect of ensuring a more efficient postal service in the 
Community, while at the same time promoting the completion of the single market 
by facilitating intra-Community cross-border trade. The proposed measures have 
been drawn up in the interests of all postal users, but in particular of the end 
users. 
4.2 Duration 
The duration of the measures to be applied is not limited. However, it is envisaged 
that in the year 2000, an assessment should be made which could give rise to 
certain modifications of the initial measures. 
29 
4.3 Economie and social players covered by the action 
The Directive concerns all users of the postal services, i.e., to a greater or lesser 
degree, all economic operators and citizens of the Community. However, certain 
sectors of activity use the postal services more intensively than others. The same 
applies to mail order sales, the press and direct marketing. 
5. Classification of expenditure 
non-compulsory expenditure; 
differentiated appropriations. 
6. Nature of tfae expenditure 
Not applicable. 
7. Financial implications 
No implications for the operation headlines. 
8. Anti-fraud provisions 
Not applicable. 
IL ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURE 
This expenditure covers: 
the expenses for convining a team of experts, the review body, whose creation is 
foreseen to assist the Commission to monitor the evolution of the postal sector. 
The review body would meet sux times a year. It will be composed of five people 
who, together, will cover all needed backgrounds for the tasks required. 
Taking as an average basis ECU 1.100 per person and per meeting in respect of 
travel expenses for members of the group, the cost over a full year should be as 
follows: 6x5x1 100 = ECU 33 000 to be allocated to heading A-250. 
the operation of the Advisory Committee made up of representatives from the 
Member States, under the chairmanship of the Commission. This Committee has 
been set up in order to assist the Commission in carrying out the various tasks 
involving quality of service and technical standardization. 
This committee could meet six times per year. It will be composed of 30 persons. 
Taking as an average basis ECU 770 per person and per meeting in respect of 
travel expenses for members of the group, the cost over a full year should be as 
follows: 6x30x770 = ECU 138600 to be allocated to heading A-2510 
(group 3). 
Following the adoption of the Directive, the review body and the 
Consultative Committee will be established in 1996, at the earliest. 
The actual mobilization of the necessary administrative resources will depend on the 
Commission's decision on the allocation of resources, taking particular account of 
staffing levels and such additional amounts as may have been granted by the 
budgetary authority. 
30 
ÏIL COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS 
1. Objectives 
The proposed Directive reflects the obligations incumbent on the Commission and the 
declared objectives of the Council to establish the internal market in postal services. 
The measures to be introduced will place at the disposal of postal users, including end 
users, a range of quality services better adapted to meet their needs, particularly as 
regards intra-Community cross-border postal services 
2. Grounds for the action 
The proposed Directive contains the legislative measures necessary for the development 
of the internal market in postal services. 
Major differences exist between the Member States with regard to the definition of the 
obligations incumbent on the universal service, the quality of the services provided and 
the tariffs applied. In addition, cross-border trade is hampered by various barriers of 
an operational, technical or regulatory nature. 
The harmonization of the conditions governing the provision of the universal service 
and the improvement of trade between Member States will be achieved more effectively 
through Community action. 
As far as a framework Directive is concerned, however, the Member States retain an 
essential active role. In particular, they guarantee the provision of the universal service 
and, on the basis of the relevant provisions of the Directive and pursuant to the rules 
of the Treaty, they determine the obligations and rights of the universal service 
providers. They apply the rules on improving the quality of service and promoting 
technical standardization, while at the same time setting up an independent national 
regulatory authority for the sector. 
3. Monitoring and assessment of the action 
Article 23 of the proposal for a Directive stipulates that in the year 2000, the 
Commission shall submit a report to the European Parliament and the Council on the 
application of this Directive and, where necessary, shall make appropriate proposals 
for amendments with a view to the future development of the internal market in 
postal services. The Commission will be assisted by a review body which will monitor 
the evolution of the sector. 
31 

Impact Evaluation Dossier 
IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL ON ENTERPRISES, 
and, in particular, on small and medium size enterprises (SME) 
Title of the proposal : Directive by the Parliament and Council concerning common rules 
for the development of Community postal services and the improvement of quality of 
service. 
Document reference number : 
Proposal 
1. Necessity for the proposed Community legislation 
The principal objective of the action envisaged is to guarantee throughout the 
European Union the long-term provision of a good quality universal service at 
affordable prices, accessible to all, whose financing is assured over the long term. In 
particular, the alignment of conditions governing the supply of postal services and the 
removal of legal and technical barriers to cross-border trade, are obligations which 
are incumbent on the Community in order to achieve the internal market. 
Member States have at their disposal relatively less effective means to achieve rapid 
results in the attainment of this objective, especially as regards the improvement of 
cross-border mail and in the area of technical standardisation. The only alternative to 
Community legislation would be a system of bilateral agreements which would be 
difficult to achieve between all Member States. 
Should Member States take unco-ordinated action, the smooth operation of the 
internal postal market could be compromised. 
Failure to take action at Community level would result in a widening of the gap 
between situations which are already highly divergent and would make it more 
difficult for the internal market to function. In addition, it cannot be excluded that a 
two-speed Europe in postal services would be the result : a Europe of the North with 
relatively efficient services and a Europe of the South offering users an inadequate 
level of service. 
Equally, such a failure would have significant indirect effects on other economic 
sectors, which are particularly dependent on postal services, and would be detrimental 
to social and economic cohesion. In particular, the social role of postal services in 
less-favoured regions, as well as their role in regional development cannot be ignored. 
32 
Impact on companies 
2. Who will be affected by the proposal ? 
The proposed directive seeks to introduce harmonised provisions concerning the 
universal postal service and those services likely to be reserved to providers of 
universal service, improvement in the quality of service, and the promotion of 
technical standardisation. 
The planned measures thus form a global approach seeking for the first time to 
establish at Community level, a universal postal service as well as a progressive 
liberalisation of the market and its opening-up to competition, which must be 
implemented in stages. 
The proposed directive would require those Member States which currently do not 
have strict rules on universal service and service quality, to place obligations on 
providers of universal service. 
This is of particular importance to individual users and companies which, in the 
absence of a correctly functioning basic postal service, have to fall back on express 
services and thus pay more in order to benefit from a sufficiently rapid and reliable 
service. This risk is higher for users whose collection points for mail are far from 
principal business centres, are located in less-favoured regions of the Member 
States, or in peripheral regions of the Community. 
3. What measures should enterprises take to be in conformity with the 
proposal? 
Member States will identify the universal service providers, will specify the 
obligations and rights, and will supervise the competitive postal sector. The 
Commission will be informed of the operators identified as providers of universal 
service. 
4. What economic effects may the proposal be expected to have ? 
The adoption of a clear and coherent framework for harmonisation measures in the 
postal sector, together with a gradual liberalisation, will provide the necessary 
degree of legal security for investment and economic development of the sector. 
The gradual opening to competition, which will act to stimulate productivity in 
certain Member States, may lead to a reduction in the staffing levels of public 
operators charged with providing universal service. 
On the other hand, moves towards liberalisation will stimulate the offer of and 
requirements for, open service provision and freedom to innovate, which will 
translate into the creation of employment in the liberalised sector. 
The proposed directive does not contain specific actions aimed at SMEs, which, 
however, may benefit from market opening and play their role in the development 
of the sector. 
5. Consultation 
In June 1992, the Commission published a Green Paper on the development of the 
single market for postal services1. This document has permitted the identification 
of major objectives which should be the subject of a Community initiative in the 
postal sector. 
A broad public consultation has allowed the views of all concerned parties to be 
heard : representatives of national governments, users and consumers, operators, 
staff unions, etc. (see list in annex). 
One year later, in June 1993, the Commission presented to the European* 
Parliament and the Council the results and orientations which resulted from the 
consultation in a Communication on guidelines for the development of Community 
postal services2. A broad consensus formed on the need for Community action in 
the following areas : 
* definition of universal service, and a listing of the services likely to be reserved; 
* common criteria for access (non-discrimination, transparency); 
* common specifications for service quality, at least in the field reserved to 
providers of universal service; 
* technical standardisation. 
- In March and April 1994, a new consultation on the proposal for a regulatory 
framework for postal services in the European Union, was organised in the forrn. of 
hearings. The following organisations were consulted : 
* The Mail Users Association (MUA) 
* European Express Organisation (EEO) 
* Internationale du Personnel des Postes, Télégraphes et Téléphones (IPTT) 
* EUROFEDOP 
* Federation of European Direct Marketing (FEDIM) 
* Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs (BEUC) 
* Service Public des Consommateurs (SPC) 
* SOGP (Senior Officiai Group for Posts) 
COM(91) 476 final, 
COM(93) 247 final. 
34 

ANNEX 
LIST OF WRITTEN CONTRIBUTIONS 
SENT TO THE COMMISSION DURING 
THE CONSULTATION PERIOD 
OF THE POSTAL GREEN PAPER 
A. WITHIN THE EEC <»> 
I. INSTITUTIONS 
1. Community Bodies 
- Résolution du Parlement Européen adoptée le 22 janvier 1993 
- Avis du Comité Economique et Social adopté le 25 mars 1993 
2. Governments of the Member States 
- Belgium 
- Germany 
- France 
- Greece 
- Ireland 
- Italy 
- Netherlands 
- Portugal 
- Spain 
3. Parliaments of the Membre States 
- Assemblée Nationale française (rapport de M. Durieux) 
4. International Bodies 
- Conférence européenne des Postes et Télécommunications (Comité 
européen de la réglementation postale) 
- Universal Postal Union (UPU) 
(u or European or intcnuUonal oegsneurtioas which include the 12 Member Sûtes. 
35 
5. Groups with a Community Perspective 
- Comité Consultatif des Consommateurs 
- Comité du Commerce et de la Distribution 
6. Others 
- Bundesrat (Germany) 
- Commission Supérieure du Service Public des PTT (France) 
- POUNC - Post Office Users' Council (Royaume-Uni) 
II. INTERESTED PARTIES 
7. USERS 
7.1. CONSUMERS ASSOCLATIONSS 
- Arbeitsgerneinschaft der Verbraucherverbànde e.V. 
- Association Etudes Consommateurs - CFDT 
- BEUC - Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs 
- Consumers Association 
- Consumers in the EEC Group 
- CSF - Confédération Syndicale des Familles 
- Fédération Nationale des Familles Rurales 
- Union de Consumidores de Espana 
- Union Fédérale des Consommateurs 
- Verband derPostbenutzer e.V. 
7.2. BUSINESS USERS 
- AEMD Venta por Correo 
- AEVD - Association des Entreprises de Vente à Distance 
- Agence Centrale des Organismes de Sécurité Sociale. 
- Allied Irish Bank 
- American Express 
- ASEMPRE - Asociacion Profesional de Empresas de Reparto y 
Manipulado de Correspondencia 
- Asociation espagnole de Marketing Direct 
- Association Française des Banques 
- Barclays Bank Pic 
- BDZV - Bundesverband deutscher Zeitungverleger 
- Belgische Veringing van Banken 
- Boersenverein des deutschen Buchhandels e.V. 
- Bundesverband deutscher Industrie e.V. 
- British Printing Industries Federation 
- CAEJ - Association Européenne des Editeurs 
- Caisse Nationale d'Assurance Vieillesse 
- Caisse Nationale de Crédit Agricole 
- Caisse Nationale des Allocations Familiales 
- CEEP - Centre Européen des Entreprises à Participation Publique 
- Chambre Commerce et d'Industrie de Paris 
- CNPF - Conseil National Patronat 
- Comité National Français - Chambre de Commerce Internationale. 
- Confederacion Espanola de Organizaciones Empresariales 
36 
Confédération Générale des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises 
Confederation of Irish Industries 
Deutschen Industrie und Handelstag 
Direct Mail Services Standards 
Direct Marketing Association 
Dublin Sollicitors Bar Association 
Electricité de France 
Electricity Supply Board - ESB 
EMESUA - European Mail and Express Services Users Association 
EMOTA/AEVPC - European Mail Order Traders 
Association/Association Européenne de Vente par Correspondance 
EUROCHAMBRES 
FEB - Fédération des Entreprises Belges 
Federacion Nacional de Empresas Publicidad 
Fédération Bancaire de la CE. 
Fédération Française des Sociétés d'Assurance 
Fédération Nationale de la Presse Française 
FEDIM - Fédération Européenne du Marketing Direct 
FNPS - FAEP / Fédération Nationale de la Presse d'Information 
Spécialiée - Fédération des Associations d'Editeurs de Périodiques 
de la CE. 
Garantie Mutuelle des Fonctionnaires 
Gesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft e.V. 
Groupement Européen des Caisses d'Epargne 
Imperial Chimical Industry 
IFSDA-International Federation of Stamp Dealers's Association 
IOD - Institute of Directors 
Law Society 
Marketing y Publicitad directa 
Mutuelle Générale des PTT 
National Newspapers of Ireland 
NOTU - Nederlandse Organisatie van Tijdschrift-Uitgevers 
Office des Transports et PTT de l'Ile de France 
Paul Spain Group Ltd 
Periodical Publishers Association 
Postal Users' Platform 
Postbank 
Reader's Digest 
Royal National Institute for the Blind 
Syndicat des Entreprises de Vente par Correspondance et à 
Distance 
Syndicat National de la Communication Directe 
The Irish Mail Order Ass. 
The Irish Trade Board 
The Packing Shop 
Timewarner 
UNICE - Union des Confédérations de l'Industrie et des 
Employeurs d'Europe 
Union des Offices des Transports et des PTT 
Union Internationale Editeurs 
Union Nationale Interprofessionnelle pour l'Emploi dans l'Industrie 
et le Commerce 
Voluntary Health Insurance Board 
37 
OPERATORS 
8.1. PUBLIC 
- Amministrazione délie Poste e Telecomunicazioni (Italie) 
- Correos y Telégrafos (Spain) 
- An Post (Irlande) 
- La Poste (Belgique) 
- La Poste (France) 
- Plateforme La Poste/Postdienst (France/Germany) 
- Postdienst (Allemagne) 
- PostEurop 
- PTT Nederland (Pays-Bas) 
- The Post Office (Royaume-Uni) 
8.2. PRIVATE 
- AEEC - Association of European Express Carriers 
- AICES - Association of International Courier and Express Services 
- Air France 
- Association française des Transports Routiers Internationaux 
- Association of European Document Exchange (branche irlandaise) 
- Belgian International Express Carriers Association 
- Business Post Holdings Ltd 
- DHL Espagne 
- EEO - European Express Organisation 
- Entrega en Mano 
- European Association of Document Exchange 
- Francedoc SA. 
- Groupement des Activités de Transport et de Manutention de la 
Région Ile de France 
- Irish Association of International Express Carriers 
- Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer 
- Syndicat Français de l'Express International 
- Syndicat Français des Entreprises de Transports légers 
- Syndicat National de Messagerie et Abonnements Périodiques 
- Syndicat National des Entreprises de Logistique et Publicité 
9. POSTAL INDUSTRY SUPPLIERS 
- CALIBAN SA. 
- Compagnie Générale Automatisme 
- GPMU - Graphical Paper & Media Union 
- Néopost - Société pour l'Affranchissement et le Timbrage Automatique 
- Pitney-Bowes (France) 
- Sociedad de Desarrollo Postal S.A. 
- Société d'Etude et de Construction d'Appareils de Précision 
- Syndicat Général des Fabricants d'Enveloppes, Sachets et Pochettes 
10. EMPLOYEES 
- Association des Administrateurs des PTT 
- Confédération Européenne des Syndicats 
- CFDT - Confédération Française Démocratique du Travail 
- CGP - Christliche Gewerkschaft Post 
- CIF - Confédération Internationale des Fonctionnaires 
- Confédération Française Encadrement - Confédération Française des 
Cadres 
38 
- Confédération Générale du Travail 
- Confédération Générale du Travail Force Ouvrière 
- CVVU Communication Workers Union 
- DBB - Deutscher Beamtembund 
- Deutsche Postgewerkschaft 
- Deutscher Postverband 
- DGB - Deutsche Gewerkschaftsbund 
- EUROFEDOP 
- Federation of Irish Employers 
- Fédération Syndicale des Travailleurs des PTT 
- IPTT - Internationale des Postes, Télégraphes et Téléphones 
- Irish Congress of Trade Unions (see CVVU) 
- Post Office Unions' Council 
- Sindicato Federal de Correos y Telegrafos 
- Syndicat Chrétien Communication et Culture 
- Syndicat Libre de la Fonction Publique 
- Vereniging Van Hoger Personeel PTT 
11. RESEARCH INSTITUTES AND CONSULTANTS 
- Fachhochschule des Bundes fur ôffentliche Verwaltung, Deutsche 
Bundespost Telekom, Dieburg 
- Omega Partners 
- Rickard Johnson 
- WIK - Wissenschaftliches Institut fur Kommunikationsdienste GmbH 
B. EFTA 
1. STATES 
- Ministry Transport Communication (Suède). 
- Gouvernement Suisse 
OPERATORS 
Post Finland 
PTT Suisses 
39 




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COM(95) 227 final 
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