Germany wants EU postal services liberalisation by 2009 – minister

The German government intends to push for the liberalisation of the European postal market during its presidency of the EU in the first half of 2007 so that the project can be completed by 2009, said Economy Minister Michael Glos.

‘I want to actively push the negotiations on the directive of postal services, and if possible complete if before the end of the German presidency’, the minister said in a statement after a meeting here with EU Internal Market and Services commissioner Charlie McCreevy.

‘I know that won’t be easy, in view of the reticence of certain member states’, Glos said, ‘but for me, lower prices for transportation of mail for consumers is a priority’.

In the EU, postal services are already partially liberalised, owing to a directive dated 2002, but letters weighing less than 50 grammes still come under the postal monopoly in several member states.

Several national postal services, notably the French, Belgian and Spanish, have appealed to the EU Commission this summer for caution in the liberalisation plan, and warned that they foresaw difficulties in financing postal services if they are totally liberalised from 2009.

Germany, however, where Deutsche Post AG still has a dominant position, will liberalise its market in 2008, the minister said.