WRITTEN QUESTION E-1996/00 by Pat Gallagher (UEN) to the Commission. Price differences for the posting of printed matter.
Date: 2000-06-21
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Ireland, United Kingdom, intra-EU trade, postal charges, price disparity, serial publication

C 72 E/164

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

6.3.2001

The deadlines for that provision are 31 December 1998, 31 December 2000 and 31 December 2005,
depending upon the size of the settlement and the sensitivity of the recipient water.

It should be noted that the size of the settlement to be taken into account when designing systems must
include not only the corresponding load from the residents in the settlement concerned, but also that
corresponding to the seasonal population and to the industrial waste water load fed into the urban waste-
water system.

The Commission is currently examining the situation in built-up areas in the Member States in terms of
the Directive(cid:146)s first deadline (cid:129) 31 December 1998 (cid:129) which concerns settlements of more than 10 000 IEs
which discharge into sensitive areas and their catchment areas. In early 2001 it will publish a report on
the current situation as regards the collection and treatment of waste waters in all the of the settlements
concerned. According to the information received from the Greek authorities there are 29 settlements with
more than 10 000 IE in Greece which discharge their waste water into sensitive recipients and their
catchment areas.

The Greek authorities have also stated that the 797 Greek settlements with more than 2000 IEs covered by
the Directive will comply with that Directive(cid:146)s requirements on 31 December 2005. The Commission will
subsequently check that the 31 December 2000 and 31 December 2005 deadlines are met.

If the obligations under the directive were not met the Commission could bring an infringement action
against the Member State (concerned).

(2001/C 72 E/209)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1996/00

by Pat Gallagher (UEN) to the Commission

(21 June 2000)

Subject: Price differences for the posting of printed matter

At present, there are wide price differences for the posting and distribution of magazines on subscription
between the United Kingdom and Ireland.
In the context of the recently announced proposals for
liberalisation of the postal service market, what solution to this problem does the Commission envisage?

Reply by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(24 July 2000)

In general
in the Community, postage rates for magazines sold by subscription differ considerably
depending on whether they are sent to an address in the same country or to an address in another
Community country. This is indeed the case for postal rates between Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Unlike domestic rates, cross-border postage rates are dependent, following international agreements, on
changes in the end costs which the dispatching postal service of one Member State must pay to the postal
service of the other Member State responsible for distribution. Since rates must be geared to actual costs,
as laid down in Article 12 of Directive 97/67/EC of the European 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 (1) for services falling within the universal service, this
rate distinction is not in breach of Community law. It is for the national regulatory authorities of each
Member State to ensure compliance with obligations under the Directive.

Since Directive 97/67/EC has already determined the principles on which postage rates are to be based, it
is not planned to deal with this question again in the proposed amendment to this Directive.

(1) OJ L 15, 21.1.1998.