WRITTEN QUESTION E-2834/01

by Gian Gobbo (NI) to the Commission

(12 October 2001)

Subject: Saving the public postal service in Cadore

Considering that:

- the Italian postal services are planning to close down a number of post offices in the mountain areas of the Belluno Province in November 2001,

- the closure of these post offices would cause great inconvenience to local inhabitants, many of whom are elderly,

- this measure could constitute a serious restriction of these citizens' right to the full enjoyment of essential public services, a right which may be interpreted broadly and extensively as a particular aspect of human rights, taken as an evolving set of rights,

- the local authorities affected by the plan have offered the Italian postal authorities the free use of some of their property in order to maintain the services in question.

Will the Commission agree to call on the Italian Government and the Italian postal authorities to maintain a nationwide network of post offices, as an essential guarantee of universal access to postal services?

What strategies has the Commission adopted, or does it intend to adopt, in order to guarantee universal access to essential public services, which is a fundamental aspect of the European Union's economic, social and territorial cohesion?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(26 November 2001)

Under the postal Directive(1), it is for the Member States to decide about the density of the network of points of contact and access points necessary to ensure the provision of the universal postal service. Only if the universal service is not guaranteed(2), can the Commission intervene to request that a Member State (Italy in the case referred to by the Honourable Member) complies with its obligations in this respect.

Beyond that situation, the Commission is not competent under the existing rules to instruct any Member State on the appropriate way to guarantee the access to the postal services and to the postal network to its citizens and companies, for which different possibilities exist (mobile post offices, franchises, etc.).

Therefore, the Commission suggests that the request of the Honourable Member be presented to the National Regulatory Authority for postal services in Italy, which is the Ministero delle Communicazioni, 2201, Viale America, 00144 Rome Italy, Telephone:(+39 6 54442192), Fax (+39 6 5414512).

In the Commission's view, the postal Directive is sufficient and clear as to the issue of universal postal services and the Commission, at this stage, does not consider that any new measure is needed in this respect. As a matter of fact, the Commission Proposal presented in May 2000 to amend the postal Directive(3) has maintained, without change, all the articles that refer to universal service.

(1) Directive 97/67/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 1997 on common rules for the development of the internal market of Community postal services and the improvement of quality of service. OJ L 15, 21.1.1998.

(2) I.e. provision of every working week and not less than five days a week of one clearance and one delivery to the premises, or exceptionally appropriate installations, of every natural or legal person. The universal service should include postal items up to 2 kilograms or packages up to 10 or 20 kilograms, and services for registered and insured items. A certain quality of service required by the Directive must also be met.

(3) Proposal for a Parliament and Council Directive amending Directive 97/67/EC with regard to the further opening to competition of Community postal services. OJ C 337 E, 28.11.2000.