Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-07-10-Speech-2-011"
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"en.20070710.5.2-011"2
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".
Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, liberalisation of the postal services is one of the most important proposals under discussion in the second half of this term. We have been working on it since the third and fourth terms, and I would like to recapitulate everything that has been done since the Green Paper the European Commission submitted in 1992. It is important for us as a parliament to send out a clear signal today and tomorrow in the vote. Hopefully we will soon bring this development, which started in the late 1980s, to a successful conclusion.
What is the main issue? Quite simply, the issue is to move from an offer-based postal service to a demand-based postal service. We have had monopolies in the Member States for 200 years now. In the course of today’s debate, we will hear about many problems affecting the postal services. For me there can be only one conclusion: monopolies are not in a position to solve these problems. They can only be solved when there is fair competition – and that is something we value greatly – in the European Union, but fair competition where there is a strong emphasis on working conditions, but competition is nevertheless allowed.
That is the model that we in the Committee on Transport and Tourism have drawn up together, regardless of national and party boundaries. At this point I would like to thank all my fellow MEPs who participated and contributed to reaching this compromise. We can confidently say that by the end of 2010 the postal markets in all Member States will be opened up, while we have provided for a few exceptions up to the year 2012. Let us say clearly that those who come from a protected domain do not have the right to get involved where competition already exists. That is what reciprocity is about.
At this point let me point out that a common objection to this is that this runs counter to the EU Treaty. My only reply to that is look at the currently applicable Postal Directive. This explicitly proscribes entering a competitive market with profits made as a monopoly. Ten cases are pending in the DG Competition against Member States suspected of doing precisely this. If the current Directive therefore provides us with a tool to ensure this kind of reciprocity, then we should make use of it.
We have said quite clearly that there should be no change to the scope of postal services that should be available to every citizen of the EU. The universal service must be available to every citizen, regardless of where he or she lives, be it in the town or the country, be it at the heart or at the edge of Europe. That is the right approach. We have already shown that there is a legal entitlement to a certain level of service provision in other areas of market liberalisation.
The next big question was how can this universal service be funded? Together we have come up with a good solution. However, it is important that the Member States are given sufficient instruments. If you read the Directive carefully, you will find five instruments, four proposed by the Commission and a few more mixed forms which we have added, to allow us to organise this universal service so that it is available everywhere.
We have drawn up a clear schedule of what the Commission and the Member States need to do before the markets are opened. This will avoid anybody being taken by surprise when the measures are implemented, as it is all being done in agreement with the Member States. We have focused heavily on consumer protection aspects: the Commissioner has already set out the uniform tariffs which will enable citizens to continue to use the model of a standard letter. We also want to continue to guarantee the service for the visually impaired. Further to the Commission’s proposal we have also introduced a far-reaching complaints system to ensure that consumer rights will continue to be protected even under a liberalised regime.
We have dealt closely with the issue of postal employees. There are more than a million postal employees in the European Union, and they obviously want to know what will happen to them in a liberalised environment. I believe that we have found the right solutions, both as regards the definition of a postal employee, and as regards securing the rights they are guaranteed on a national basis.
I would like to thank everybody who helped us to reach this compromise, and in particular the Commission for its proactive support. I hope that the Council will also shortly be in a state to formulate a common position on the basis of our first reading."@en1
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