Year: 2003

The European Commission has decided to pursue infringement procedures against thirteen Member States for failure to implement or for implementing incorrectly in national law various Internal Market Directives and EC Treaty obligations. The Commission is sending reasoned opinions to Austria, France and Greece for failing to implement the Second Postal Directive (2002/39/EC) by the agreed date of 31 December 2002. In January 2003, the Commission sent letters of formal notice the first stage of the infringement procedure – to the eight Member States that had not implemented the Directive by the agreed date. Since then, five Member States (Denmark, Spain, Ireland, Luxembourg and Portugal) have notified the Commission that they have written the Directive into national law. Austria, France and Greece have also begun the implementation process and Austria and France have introduced some administrative measures to partially remedy the effects of the delay. Given that this delay is already over six months, the Commission will continue the formal infringement procedures against Austria, France and Greece to help ensure that any further delay is minimised.