Germany may privatise postal service before 2007

Germany may privatise postal service before 2007: report
From AFP ENGLISH, May 28th, 2001

BERLIN, May 28 (AFP) – Germany may privatise the postal service Deutsche Post earlier than its planned 2007 date if European partners liberalize their postal services, Economy Minister Werner Mueller said in an interview Monday in the newspaper Die Welt.
“If the liberalisation of postal services at a European level makes significant progress in the coming years, the government will reduce the extension of its monopoly to before 2007, or reduce the weight limit of 200 grams (seven ounces) for letters and 50 grams for advertising mailings,” Mueller said.
Last March the government extended its monopoly on Deutsche Post until 2007 because of opposition by other European countries to liberalizing the sector, notably by France.
A year ago the European Commission proposed to launch a new stage in
opening the postal market to competition within the 15-state European
Union,
by 2003, and a further opening by 2007.

Deutsche Post has a monopoly on letters with a maximum weight limit of 200 grams and on advertising materials, such as catalogs, with a limit of 50 grams.