ACTION PROGRAMME

The Free and Fair Post Initiative is a European initiative whose purpose is to create a competitive environment in the postal sector in order to allow users and consumers to benefit from increased choice, better quality of service and affordable tariffs.

The FFPI welcomed the adoption of the Third Postal Directive on 31 January 2008 that sets a final date for full liberalisation of the EU postal market on 31 December 2010, with a two-year delay for some EU countries.

However, the FFPI believes that the fixation of an unconditional final date for liberalisation will not mark the end of the European postal reform process. The Third Directive will in fact have to be implemented by the Member States. Since it only sets framework rules, significant room for interpretation will be left to national authorities, with the consequent risks of delayed market openings and partial liberalisations as well as the introduction of regulatory requirements, which might create significant obstacles to market entry.

Hence, the FFPI will continue working to ensure that a correct implementation of the Directive takes place in the Member States and to point at potential manoeuvres to introduce barriers and protectionist rules that risk hampering access to new entrants in the market and at breaches of competition rules.

The FFPI main goals are to:

• Promote the opening of the market for postal services to the benefit of users and consumers even prior to full liberalisation at EU level at the end of 2010.
• Advocate the correct implementation of EC Directives on postal services by the Member States.
• Review of the implementation of the Third Postal Directive to ensure the full and correct execution of all its provisions.
• Review and benchmark the Universal Service Obligation in order to ensure that it is organised optimally and not used as a pretext to oppose further market opening.
• Expose the abuse of anti-competitive behaviour of dominant national postal operators.
• Expose and pursue breaches of the Internal Market and competition rules in Member States relating to the postal sector.