Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the application of the Postal Services Directive (Directive 97/67/EC as amended by Directive 2002/39/EC and 2008/6/EC)

In February 2008 the European Parliament and the Council adopted Directive 2008/6/EC ("the Third Postal Services Directive"), which introduced the legal basis for the accomplishment of the internal market for postal services by providing the last legislative step in the process of gradual market opening. It set a deadline for full market opening of 31 December 2010 for 16 Member States and 31 December 2012 for the (then) remaining 11 Member States.

The Third Postal Services Directive also strengthened the tasks and competences of national regulatory authorities, changed the manner in which the universal postal service could be provided and financed, required access to certain elements of the postal infrastructure and extended consumer protection provisions, and required the Commission to provide assistance to Member States on its implementation, including on the calculation of any net cost of the universal service.

Article 23 of Directive 2008/6/EC requires the Commission to report on the application of the Directive to the European Parliament and Council every four years, providing appropriate information on developments in the sector. Although this provision states that a report will be submitted by December 2013, the report was postponed in order allow time to examine the early effects of full market opening in all Member States.

This Application Report summarises how the Postal Services Directive (Directive 97/67/EC as amended by Directives 2002/39 and 2008/6/EC) has been implemented across the European Union and the main developments that have taken place in the postal market since December 2008. It provides information concerning economic, social and employment patterns and technological aspects, as well as on quality of service. The Application Report is accompanied by a Staff Working Document which provides more detailed information and includes an Annex on the calculation of the net cost of the Universal Service Obligation.

• Primary Source

EUR-Lex: SWD(2015)207: Commission Staff Working Document accompanying the report http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=SWD:2015:207:FIN

---