Postal sector: rules of competition, assessment of certain state measures relating to the postal services

OBJECTIVE: to present the principles which will guide the Commission in the application of the competition rules in the Treaty to the postal sector with a view to facilitating the gradual and controlled liberalization of the postal market, while maintaining the universal service guarantees needed. CONTENT: the draft communication, which rounds off the harmonization measures proposed by the Commission, describes the approach which the Commission intends to take when dealing with the compatibility of national measures relating to a reserved service and/or limiting free competition on the postal markets with the competition rules in the Treaty. It confirms the right of Member States to maintain a limited reserved service at this stage. It also addresses questions of cross-subsidy, non-discriminatory access to the network and the regulatory protection needed in order to guarantee fair competition in this sector.�