EU demands Belgium change its regulation of postal services

The European Commission said it has launched infringement
proceedings against Belgian authorities demanding that changes be made to the
way EU laws governing the regulation of postal services have been implemented.
The commission said Belgium must ensure the national postal regulator is
fully independent from public postal operators.
The Belgian authorities have two months to comply with the commission’s
request, after which time they could be referred to the European Court of
Justice, it said.
“The commission considers regulatory independence as a fundamental
instrument to ensure the proper functioning of the universal postal service and
ensure undistorted competition in the liberalised area,” it said.
“The infringement proceedings against Belgium concern the lack of
operational independence of the postal regulatory authority from the postal
operators.”
In Belgium, the minister for telecoms has a role both in the national public
sector postal services operator and regarding regulatory functions in the postal
sector which the commission considers a “potential conflict of interest”.
ev/bam AFX EUROPEFOCUS, 30th July 2001