WRITTEN QUESTION E-2151/00 by Mauro Nobilia (UEN) to the Commission. Funding of the universal postal service in Italy.
Date: 2000-06-30
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Italy, free competition, infringement procedure (EU), job cuts, liberalisation of the market, national implementing measure, postal service, universal service

13.3.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 81 E/161

(2001/C 81 E/205)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2151/00

by Mauro Nobilia (UEN) to the Commission

(30 June 2000)

Subject: Funding of the universal postal service in Italy

In 1998, the provision of the universal postal service cost the Italian public postal services operator over
ITL 2 700 billion.

If the Commission decides to liberalise the postal service in Italy pursuant to the infringement proceedings
initiated against Italy with a view to reducing the funding of the universal postal service, these costs will
increase to over ITL 4 000 billion.

The Italian postal service is currently implementing a new business plan (1998-2002), which has enabled it
to improve considerably the quality of its service by means of a far-reaching redeployment and retraining
process for its staff and reorganisation of its technological infrastructure.

The aim of this business plan is to balance the budget of the Italian postal service in 2002 while avoiding
traumatic repercussions on the jobs front.

If the Commission adopts its decision within the deadline announced at the start of the infringement
proceedings, all the efforts made thus far and those planned for the future will have been in vain.

The only option then available to the Italian postal service to offset its losses would be to reduce its
productive capacity and shed at least 50 000 jobs.

Can the Commission:

(cid:129) confirm that the above is true?

(cid:129) can it check whether the practical consequences of the decision to liberalise the postal service in Italy
in accordance with the aforementioned infringement proceedings does not conflict with the objectives
of the universal postal service?

(cid:129) does such liberalisation not run counter to the aims of increasing economic and social cohesion
amongst Member States, given that the Dutch postal service, for example, with the profits it makes as
a result of its monopoly in the Netherlands, will be able to make further acquisitions in breach of the
competition rules?

Answer by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(28 July 2000)

On 15 December 1997, Parliament and the Council adopted Directive 97/67/EC on common rules for the
development of the internal market of Community postal services and the improvement of quality of
service (the (cid:145)Postal Directive(cid:146)) (1). The measures prescribed were to be implemented by 10 February 1999 at
the latest, and all the Member States, without exception, must comply with the requirements of this
Directive.

The measures provided for under the Postal Directive include the possibility of assigning a reserved sector
to the universal service provider and setting up a compensation fund to contribute toward the costs of the
It is with this in view that Decree No 261/99,
universal service and ensure that it is maintained.
supplemented by the Decision of 2 February 2000 and Ministerial Decree No 73 of 4 February 2000 (cid:129)
texts for the implementation of the Postal Directive in Italy (cid:129) provided for the assignment to the Italian
postal service of the largest reserved sector permitted under the Directive and for the establishment of a
compensation fund financed by contributions from the operators competing in the non-reserved sector of
the universal service.

As the Commission explained in its reply to the honourable Member(cid:146)s Question P-2132/00 (2), the
infringement procedure launched against Italy concerns the extension of the reserved area to include the
provision of value-added services, which, under Community law, must be provided in free competition in
all the Member States. This action does not question the implementation of a business plan by the Italian
postal service, nor its beneficial consequences.

(1) OJ L 15, 21.1.1998.
(2) See p. 155.