Translation of "federal postal services commission " (English → French) :

to advise and assist the Commission as to the development of the internal market for postal services and as to the consistent application in all Member States of the regulatory framework for postal services.

It is appropriate to provide Member States that have acceded to the Union after the entry into force of Directive 2002/39/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 June 2002 amending Directive 97/67/EC with regard to the further opening to competition of Community postal services and may have faced particular difficulties regarding the smooth adaptation of their postal markets because they joined the postal reform process at a late stage, and certain Member States with a small population and a limited geographical size having specific characteristics that are particular to postal services ...[+++] or with a particularly difficult topography, with a huge number of islands with the possibility to postpone the implementation of this Directive for a limited period of time, in order to continue to reserve services to their universal service provider(s), subject to notification to the Commission.

− (DE) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, we have come to the end of a long debate that has stretched over four legislative terms in the European Parliament, beginning in 1992 with the publication by the European Commission of its White Paper on the development of postal services, which was followed by the adoption of the first Postal Directive in 1997 and its revision in 2002; now, at the start of 2008, after more than 15 years, I hope we are poised to adopt jointly a rational set of rules that will help us to ...[+++]reconcile the interests of consumers, the interests of the companies that have hitherto enjoyed a monopoly in the provision of postal services, the interests of the competitors wishing to enter this lucrative market and the interests of those who are employed in the postal sector.

In view of a possible compromise with Parliament, which has stressed the need to protect consumers from price increases on standard postal services, and with regard to Amendments Nos 6, 9 and 10, the Commission could agree to widening the proposed scope of postal services that may qualify for a reduced rate so as to include standard postal services relating to items of up to 10 kg in weight.

As is known, the Commission should already, before the end of 1998, have tabled new proposals for a revision of the Postal Services Directive 97/67, guaranteeing the continued provision of a universal service, securing its economic viability, and regulating the gradual liberalisation of the postal services market while taking into account the consequences of this for all those involved, including postal workers and customers.

[36] See, for example, the Communication on 'The public consultation on the draft notice on the application of the competition rules to the postal sector and in particular on the assessment of certain State measures relating to postal services', COM(1996) 480 following the Commission Green Paper on 'The development of the single market for postal services', COM(1991) 476; the Communication on 'The results of the public consultation on the 1999 Communi ...[+++]cations Review and Orientations for the new Regulatory Framework', COM(2000) 239.