Tag: Europe

Pin-striped postmen banking competition from France’s La Poste must be fair

Posted by | Dec 2, 2005 | |

French banks long feared competition would come from abroad. So they busily constructed (often with state help) defensive mergers among themselves to forestall foreign takeovers. But now, they suddenly find themselves bitten in the ankle from behind by the state itself. For the government has pushed its postal service, La Poste, into setting up a banking subsidiary as a full competitor in the lucrative mortgage market. The country’s four main commercial banks have now cried foul to Brussels about this new Banque Postale using its special advantages to distort competition. All European postal systems are diversifying away from their traditional mail delivery business, which is in decline because of the rise of e-mail and is increasingly open to cross-border competition under European Union rules. Governments are also using electronic bank transfers rather than post offices to deliver welfare benefits. So most post offices are trying to capitalise on their large networks to sell financial services products, to the general displeasure of commercial banks.

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TNT and Norbert Dentressangle conclude deal for the majority of TNT Logistics France’s logistics and part of its transport business

Posted by | Dec 1, 2005 | |

TNT and Norbert Dentressangle announced today that they have signed an agreement for the sale of the majority of the contract logistics activities and part of the transportation activities of its French subsidiary TNT Logistics Holdings SAS. This sale is effective from today.

This sale includes in particular the businesses of Aixor, Cemga, Copal, Nord Mendy, the Clermont-Ferrand site of Nicolas and the shares of Les Routiers Francais and Barco. TNT branding will be removed progressively from the facilities, before October 31st 2006.

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By Jan 1, 2007 Bulgaria will introduce EU’s sectoral law in postal services

Posted by | Dec 1, 2005 | |

The government of Bulgaria issued the following news release: The government passed the amendments to the Postal Services Law, regulating the introduction of the EU’s sectoral law in postal services by 1 January 2007. Under the amendments, the process of gradual and controlled price liberalization will go on. According to plan, the state will have monopoly on the sector of universal postal services in compliance with the clauses laid down in Directive 97/67/EC and Directive 2002/39/EC of the European Communities. The functions of entities involved in the management and regulation of postal services will be better defined, and their prerogatives will be enhanced and expanded. The independent regulatory body will have more functions in the case of breach of the law and of respective regulations. The articles in the law defining the issue of licenses to postal operators will be improved.

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Doubt cast over UK Royal Mail reliability

Posted by | Dec 1, 2005 | |

Post for millions of people is going missing or arriving damaged, according to a new survey that casts doubt over Royal Mail’s reliability. One quarter of householders surveyed by Which? magazine said at least one postal item sent to them was damaged and another item was lost in the past 12 months, while a further 34 per cent had experienced either lost or damaged mail. The figures, from a survey of 1,000 people carried out in September, flatly contradict Royal Mail’s claim to be delivering 99.9 per cent of items properly. In the run-up to Christmas, Britons are expected to spend far more ordering goods from the internet for delivery. The Royal Mail expects 70 million items to be delivered from the Web this Christmas, compared with 55 million last year. Postwatch, the postal watchdog, said the number of cases where customers had problems with the premium ‘special delivery’ service was ‘quite worrying’.

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Cover price rises inevitable – PPA UK

Posted by | Dec 1, 2005 | |

Consumer magazine price rises are “inevitable” if the removal of the cap on Royal Mail’s distribution charges goes ahead, warns the Periodical Publishers Association (PPA). The trade body says “time is running out” for it to persuade postal regulator Postcomm that it should not take away pricing controls on Royal Mail’s Presstream magazine delivery product. David Thomas, head of legal affairs at the PPA, claims that allowing the postal operator to set its own prices could result in huge cost hikes for publishers. He is also concerned by the lack of nationwide, competitive magazine distribution services being planned by entrants to the postal market, which will be opened to competition in January.

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