Postal services: further opening to competition

The Council held a preliminary exchange of views which produced some diverging positions amongst Member States. The discussions mainly covered the principal provisions aimed to ensure the gradual, controlled opening of the postal sector as proposed by the Commission : the introduction of new definitions, especially of special services, the limits of 50g and 2,5 times the basic tariff in the case of weight and price limits for reserved services in 2003, and a new phase proposed for 2007 to be defined at a later date. The Council instructed the Permanent Representatives Committee to make progress on this subject quickly, so that it can be discussed in depth and political agreement reached at the meeting in December.�