French Deputies support postal reform
French deputies took a vote on Friday regarding a draft bill which would allow France’s postal services market, currently dominated by La Poste, to be opened to rival service providers by 2009. The bill would also allow the creation of a post office bank. The text was supported by the UMP-UDF coalition. It has yet to be voted by the Senate. If passed, the bill would end the monopoly of postal service operator La Poste on letters weighing more than 50g with effect from 2006. However, it would enable La Poste to form a banking subsidiary as from January of next year, offering property loans without preliminary savings. Banks fear that this might give rise to unfair competition. The postal service operator is to retain over 14,000 post offices owing to an amendment adopted by the national assembly and the industry ministry, aimed at preventing more than 10 per cent of the population of any French department from being 5km from the nearest post office.
