Favourable decision European Parliament on liberalisation Postal Market
13 March 2002 - On March 13, 2002, the European Parliament (EP) has voted on the further opening of the postal market to competition. The EP has decided to support the common position of the Council of 15 October 2001:
- weight and price limit brought down to 100 g and three times the basic tariff as of 1 January 2003;
- weight and price limit brought down to 50 g and two and a half times the basic tariff as of 1 January 2006;
- the weight and price limit to continue to apply to outgoing cross-border mail (only in exceptional cases) and to express services;
- a study to be drawn up on the prospective impact on universal service of the introduction of an internal postal services market in the year 2009;
- the Commission is to report to the EP and the Council of Ministers by 31 December 2006 with a proposal on possible confirmation of the 2009 deadline for completing the internal market in postal services or laying down alternative measures in the light of the study's conclusions.
The EP added to the common position the following:
- the European Commission should inform the EP and Council 'regularly' on the developments of the internal market for postal services. The EP and Council should have the oppportunity to provide political feedback (this addition does not influence the automatic steps in 2003 and 2006).