Press Releases

ANCOM Discussed with the Industry about the Future of the European Postal Universal Service

09.10.2014

 
 
The Romanian National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) met with representatives of the Romanian postal services market and discussed about the Universal Service in the postal sector from a European perspective. The meeting was held in the context of the public consultation launched by the European Regulators Group for Postal Services (ERGP) on the implementation of the Universal Service in the postal sector and the effects of the market and other developments on the scope and long term sustainability of the Universal Service obligations (USO). The consultation aims at obtaining the views of the postal stakeholders concerning the future of the postal services, in order to identify possible directions for reviewing the European regulatory framework.
The Discussion paper on the implementation of Universal Service in the postal sector and the effects of recent changes in some countries on the scope of the USO, prepared by ERGP, was presented during this meeting. The Discussion paper takes stock of the current situation of the USO at the European level, accounting for the recent market and regulatory developments.
By contrast to a period when the traffic within the scope of Universal Service was registering increases along with a general economic growth, now it is declining in almost all Member States. This change is related, among others, to the evolution of the electronic communications services. The decline in letter volumes is not just a feature of European postal markets, but of postal markets worldwide. In some countries, regulators, governments and/or Universal Service providers have taken steps to reform universal postal services to respond to volume decline.
Thus, globally, some countries introduced a slower class of service for business customers, reduced the number of days of delivery or loosened up the legal obligations imposed on the Universal Service providers.
In Romania, between 2012 and 2013, the postal traffic within the scope of Universal Service continued to decrease by more than 7% year on year, and thus the Universal Service provider’ share dropped by approx. 10% in this market, whereas the next 10 large volume providers increased their market share by 7% in 2013 as compared to 2012.
In view of implementing the most efficient solutions concerning the future Universal Service in the European Union, the ERGP aims to assess the effect of these changes on the long term sustainability of the USO and analyse the means by which the access of all citizens to basic postal services can be ensured.
In this sense, the public consultation is meant to gather input from all stakeholders in view of the elaboration of the “Report on the implementation of the Universal Service in the postal sector and analysis of the effects of the market and other developments on the scope and long term sustainability of the USO”, to be published at the end of 2015. All interested persons are invited to send their views on the Universal Service implementation in the postal sector in writing, in English, to the ERGP Secretariat (MARKT-ERGP@ec.europa.eu) until 14 November 2014.
Further information on the European consultation, as well as the Discussion paper are available on the Authority’s website, here.
As ERGP Chair in 2014, ANCOM will host in Bucharest, on 19 November 2014, a workshop which will mark the completion of the European public consultation. The event will be attended by the ERGP members, respectively the heads of the regulatory authorities from all the ERGP Member States, representatives of the postal providers, e-retailers, as well as European consumer and postal industry associations who will debate the comments received during the consultation process.
 
Additional information
 
The Universal Service ensures any person’s right to benefit from the continuous provision of basic postal services, at a certain quality level, in any location on the national territory, at affordable tariffs for all users.
The postal services within the scope of universal service are:
1. clearance, sorting, transport and delivery of the domestic and cross-border postal items up to (including) 2 kg dealing with:
1.1. items of correspondence;
            1.1. printed matter;
2. clearance, sorting, transport and delivery of domestic and cross-border cecogrammes;
3. clearance, sorting, transport and delivery of the domestic and cross-border postal parcels up to (including) 10 kg;
4. distribution of the postal parcels between 10 and 20 kg, sent from outside Romania to an address located on the Romanian territory;
5. the service for registered items dealing with the domestic and cross-border postal items up to (including) 2 kg;
6. the service for insured items dealing with:
6.1. domestic and cross-border postal items up to (including) 2 kg;
6.2. domestic and cross-border postal parcels up to (including) 10 kg;
            6.3. postal parcels between 10 and 20 kg, sent from outside Romania to an address located on the Romanian territory.
The National Company “Poşta Română” S.A. (CNPR) has been designated Universal Service provider in the postal field for the provision of all postal services within the scope of Universal Service until 31 December 2018.
The National Authority for Management and regulation in Communications (ANCOM) is the regulatory authority for postal services in Romania and holds the chairmanship of ERGP in 2014.
The European Regulators Group for Postal Services (ERGP) advises and assists the European Commission in consolidating the internal market for postal services or any other matter related to postal services within its competence.
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