Upon analysing the access to the postal network and services in the European states, the legal framework and the access regime in Romania and the Romanian postal market, as well as upon conducting a survey among all the postal providers authorised to provide postal services in Romania, the Authority published a set of preliminary conclusions and invites all interested parties to contribute in order to establish the necessary conditions for ensuring the access of other postal providers to the postal public network, to the services falling within the scope of universal service which the Romanian Post National Company (CNPR) has the obligation to provide and to the infrastructure elements of the public postal network the latter operates.

This action comes in the vein of ANCOM’s attributions as regards ensuring the right of access to the universal service and promoting users’ interests. Furthermore, the specific objectives in this case are promoting the economic efficiency of the postal providers and ensuring the economic sustainability of the postal providers’ activities.

 

The analysis of the Romanian postal market, as well as of the answers received from the respondents (postal providers) to the survey conducted by ANCOM in 2016 showed there is a low interest in the access to the infrastructure elements of the public postal network, and where such interest exists, it is limited to the access to the non-physical infrastructure elements (postal codes, address database, reports on the delivery of postal items and existing complaints), and to the physical ones (working points and postal offices).

A great deal of the postal providers that have in their portfolios including services within the scope of universal service hold their own postal network with national coverage, while there is a relatively small number of providers that have requested so far access to the public postal network operated by CNPR.

Few respondents consider that an ex ante regulatory intervention on the technical and economic conditions for access is opportune, as they believe the market is competitive enough.

 

Taking account of the conclusions of the aforementioned survey and having regard to the legal provisions, ANCOM considers it is justified to intervene, by imposing the conditions under which the universal service provider (USP) must ensure access to the postal services within the scope of universal service which it has the obligation to provide and to the infrastructure elements of the public postal network it operates, only in those cases where - upon requesting the access - another postal provider is unable to reach an agreement with CNPR on the access conditions within the term provided by the law.

Furthermore, ANCOM may set ex-ante technical and economic conditions, including price-related, for the access of the users, integrators or postal providers to the USP’s public postal network to the extent it is necessary to promote economic efficiency and effective competition on the postal market, as well as to maximise the users’ benefits.

 

The Document on identifying the conditions necessary for the access of other postal providers to the public postal network and containing the answers of the questioned providers is available for consultation here. The interested persons are invited to send their comments, suggestions and answers to the 5 questions under this document by 7.03.2017, at the ANCOM headquarters in 2 Delea Noua Street, Bucharest 3, directly to the ANCOM Registry Office or by means of the Authority’s regional divisions. Comments may also be sent by fax to +40 372 845 402 or by e-mail to consultare@ancom.org.ro.