Postal services: Commission opens consultation on the needs of the EU postal sector

The Commission launched an open public consultation on the Postal Services Directive. The public consultation aims to assess the impact of the Directive and better understand the needs of the postal sector, especially in the light of the growing e-commerce economy. Thierry Breton, Commissioner for the Internal Market, said: “Postal services are a crucial enabler for our economy, allowing to send growing volumes of goods across the world. The growth of e-commerce has led to a rapid transformation of the sector, but nothing has proved its importance more than the recent coronavirus crisis, during which it helped to provide essential goods and services to countless citizens and businesses across the EU. This public consultation will help us to better assess the needs of the sector and ensure it can successfully adapt to these new challenges of our times.” The Postal Services Directive guarantees the postal universal service and ensures a level playing field in the European postal market. In Europe, the sector generates €90 billion per year, which accounts for 0.52% of EU GDP, and employs around 1.8 million people across the EU. The public consultation on the Directive, which was last revised in 2008, will be an opportunity to assess how the postal market has contributed to the objectives of economic and social cohesion, consumer protection, innovation and market integration. Everyone is welcome to respond to the public consultation, including citizens and businesses that use postal services, postal operators, social partners and public authorities. The public consultation questionnaire is available in all EU languages and will be open until 9 November 2020. On the basis of the feedback received and further research, the Commission aims to adopt an evaluation of the Postal Services Directive in 2021.