Festschrift für Fritz W. Scharpf - MPIfG

118 II · Politik und Demokratie in Europa
1997 agreement to open up for competition the delivery of letters weighing
more than 350 grams. The agreement proposed taking another step at a later
date, which did happen at the end of 2001, after a protracted conflict. The
main opponents were France’s La Poste, which claimed that further liberalization
would cost thousands of jobs and imperil a universal service because
post offices would not earn enough to pay for loss-making deliveries to rural
areas. Political protest is now materializing in the UK as well, where Consignia,
the state-owned postal service formerly called the Post Office, announced
plans to cut 30,000 jobs over the next 18 months. The postal workers
union threatened a national strike. The cuts were perceived a part of a
plan by Consignia to cut costs as a result of pressure from the government
regulator and the EU drive to boost efficiency (Guardian, 12 December
2001).
As a consequence of political protest, the Commission’s ambitious liberalization
plans had to be dropped. The Commission ended up proposing to
allow existing postal operators to retain their monopolies on the delivery of
letters of less than 50 grams until 2003. Only the market for direct mail and
outgoing cross-border deliveries was to be opened. Furthermore, a study on
universal service was envisaged to investigate whether service public obligations
were observed. However, the EP still opposed the proposals, calling
instead for a reserved 150-gram limit for all parts of the market. In the
Council, member states unsuccessfully tried to reach a common position
during the French Presidency in 2000. While opponents (in particular France,
Greece and Luxemburg) thought that the Commission proposal went too far,
private sector operators and some post offices (such as the Dutch, Danish,
Finnish and Austrian postal services) argued that the proposal would
achieve little without a final date for full liberalization – which would give
firms the economic certainty needed for investment in expansion into new
markets and services.
The Swedish presidency prepared a new compromise, which later, under
the Belgian presidency, helped break the deadlock among member states. It
used a three-step approach. The first step was to open up the market in 2003
for letters weighing more than 100 grams. The second step would have widened
the market in 2006 for letters above 50 grams, while the third envisaged
a study by the Commission, on the basis of which it would be decided
whether liberalization should be continued. If it were deemed a success, a
complete opening of the market was envisaged by 2009. If not, liberalization
would have to be reconsidered. Still, the position of the EP is split.
While the Christian Democratic rapporteur of the committee has signalled