WRITTEN QUESTION E-2979/03 by Carles-Alfred Gasòliba i Böhm (ELDR) to the Commission. Postal services in the European Union.
Date: 2003-10-09
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU law - national law, Spain, postal service, provision of services, serial publication, single market, technical specification

C 70 E/184

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

20.3.2004

The Commission has no information on any withdrawal of funding by France entailing a reduction in the
national public matching funding for the 2000-2006 SPD in Brittany.

A mid-term check of the Objective 2 programmes for compliance with the principle of additionality will
the French Objective 2 programmes together but not each individual
be carried out, covering all
programme. The French authorities must provide the Commission with the relevant information by
31 December 2003. Independently of these checks, France must inform the Commission in the course of
the programming period of any threat to its ability to maintain the level of expenditure laid down.

(2004/C 70 E/193)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2979/03

by Carles-Alfred Gasòliba i Böhm (ELDR) to the Commission

(9 October 2003)

Subject: Postal services in the European Union

The main purpose of European Parliament and Council Directive 97/67/EC (1) 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, as amended by European Parliament and Council Directive 2002/39/
EC (2) of 10 June 2002 with regard to the further opening to competition of Community postal services, is
to complete the internal market for postal services, while assuring the retention of universal service in
keeping with the conclusions of the Lisbon Summit.

Article 2(1) and Article 3(4) mean that periodical publications such as magazines, weighing up to
2 0kilogrammes, fall within the scope of the universal postal service.

In Spain, Law 24/1998 of 13 July on the Universal Postal Service and the Liberalisation of the Postal
Services, amended by Laws 50/1998 of 30 December and 53/2002 of 30 December, excludes from the
scope of the universal postal service periodical publications such as magazines of up to 2 kilogrammes, or
imposes unjustified additional requirements. In particular, they need to be packaged or presented in the
form of a letter or a postal package.

Does the Commission not believe that this Spanish legislation contradicts the European Directive, and
constitutes an obstacle to the universalisation of postal services in the European internal market?

(1) OJ L 15, 21.1.1998, p. 14.
(2) OJ L 176, 5.7.2002, p. 21.

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(10 November 2003)

As correctly stated by the Honourable Member, Directive 97/67/EC (1), requires in Article 3, in connection
with Article 2.6, that the universal postal service includes the conveyance of items such as newspapers and
periodicals within the prescribed minimum weight limits.

The Spanish legislation provides, in Article 15 of Law 24/1998 and Article 27 of Royal Decree 1829/1999,
that the conveyance of periodicals is included in the universal postal service under the form of a letter or
package.

20.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 70 E/185

The Commission cannot, therefore, agree with the Honourable Member that the Spanish Law has excluded
periodicals from the universal postal service that Spain is required to guarantee. On the contrary, the
Spanish legislation allows that
items such as periodicals can be conveyed under universal service
conditions, which is the Directive’s intended result.

The fact that the Spanish legislation requires that these items be sent under the form of a letter or package
falls under Member State’s discretion as to the form and methods used to achieve the Directive’s objective.

(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.
Amended by Directive 2002/39/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 10 June 2002.

(2004/C 70 E/194)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2989/03

by Ioannis Marínos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Commission funding for the European Policy Centre

(6 October 2003)

In an invitation to MEPs, the European Policy Centre (EPC), which is situated in Brussels, indicates that ‘His
Excellency the President of Northern Cyprus, Rauf Denktas’ (sic) will be a guest at a ‘breakfast policy
briefing’ and urges the Members to attend. However, it is common knowledge that no country in the
world (apart
from Turkey, which is responsible for the military occupation of 37 % of Cyprus)
acknowledges Mr Denktas as ‘President’, or accords his pseudo-state any degree of official recognition,
while the UN and EU have repeatedly criticised his secessionist ambitions. Furthermore,
this event,
coinciding as it does with the run-up to the ‘Presidential elections’, could accordingly be interpreted as
support for Mr Denktas against his political opponents.

Can the Commission tell me whether the Centre receives Community funding? If so, in which year did it
commence and what precise amounts have been paid? If the Centre is receiving European Union funding,
what steps will the Commission take to impress upon the recipients the inadmissibility of using the funds
to promote recognition of regimes based on the use of violence and disregard for law?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(12 November 2003)

The European Policy Centre (EPC) is an independent think-tank undertaking research on European affairs.
It has received Community financial support since it was founded in 1996.

The budgetary authority earmarks appropriations each year in favour of the EPC as a think tank on budget
line A-3026 (operating costs grants of EUR 125 000 awarded in 1999, 2000 and 2001, and EUR 150 000
in 2002 and 2003).

The Commission reports in detail each year to the Parliament on the beneficiaries of grants under chapter
A-30. The reports can be seen on the Commission’s Europa website.

In addition the Commission has supported specific actions carried out by the EPC, with total payments of
EUR 90 400 from 1999 to-date.

The Commission understands that the proposed meeting described by the Honourable Member did not in
fact take place.