Member Newsletter In this issue: April 2007 News in Brief 1 Editorial Agenda 2 Dear Members and Colleagues, programme to be signed by the Member Board Key 2 postal operators; a meeting with the European Decisions First I would like to take this Commission to clarify elements in their proposal opportunity to thank our for a 3rd Postal Directive; a very successful Quality PostEurop 3 Members and all of you which of Service workshop in Slovenia, and other Activities have so heartily welcomed important initiatives which you can read about in European Projects 8 me in my new function as Secretary General this issue of our Member Newsletter. of PostEurop. As you can imagine the last few Headquarters 9 months have been very intense and rich both As a response to your feedback, the Newsletter Activities in qualitative and quantitative measures. Marc has been slightly redesigned to allow for greater Pouw has handed over to me after dedicating 10 readability and user-friendliness. It now also Story Teller 10 years to the Association. He has left me with the features more investigative content with three difficult task to succeed him and to continue the new sections - the Story Teller digs into a postal Members Corner 14 great work undertaken under his tenure. topic of interest to several operators; the Members Corner brings you the latest best practices Postal People 15 I am pleased to inform you that more than 18 from our Members, and the Questions to... are months after the adoption of the Vilamoura addressed to top postal executives or people who Questions to... 16 strategy PostEurop’s major activities are now made a difference in the postal world. We hope running smoothly. Its new services and products you will like this enhanced version and encourage - in communications and intelligence - are you to contribute as much as possible. being appreciated by Members and industry stakeholders alike. Highlights of the last few months include the Ingemar Persson finalisation of a Greenhouse gas reduction Secretary General News in Brief January 08.02 - European Socialist March 09.01 - Postal Services a Party organises public 02.03 - France sees creation of Written, designed, edited and priority for EU German conference on future of postal first national postal operators produced by PostEurop Presidency services and USO federation Editor-in-Chief: 13.02 - Euractiv online Aurélie Valtat 31.01 - Top politicians want 12.03 - Provisional Ferber delay to full German postal information portal proposes Report submitted at European liberalisation dossier on postal services Parliament. The contents of this liberalisation publication are compiled February in good faith. The publisher 23.02 - EC launches accepts no responsibility for 01.02 - OXERA Report on Consult our online EU and investigation into Royal Mail errors or omissions. financing of the USO to postal affairs press review for state funding enrich debates at European more information or subscribe © PostEurop 2007 to your weekly ‘In the press’. Parliament All illustrations are free of rights, except when specified THE LIFE OF THE ASSOCIATION Management Board Key Decisions Date: 8 March 2007 The latest Management Board meeting was also UPU restricted unions. The MoUs are to be signed Place: PostEurop HQ, Ingemar Persson’s first meeting as PostEurop’s respectively in June and April 2007. Brussels new Secretary General. Finally, the Board validated the dates for the The Board approved the nomination of three Vienna and Krakow Plenary Assemblies and new WG Chairs: the meetings taking place around these events. • Mr Pierre Mawas for the Environment WG; • Mr Ján Bojnanský for the Operations WG; Vienna Plenary Assembly, 11-13.09.2007: • Mr Levente Laszlo for the Product 11: Management Board meeting Development WG. 11: Restricted UPU/MB meeting 12: PostEurop Plenary It also agreed to a new position at PosEurop: 13 (am): PostEurop Plenary – Internal affairs UPU Congress Project Manager to assist the Intelligence Manager in preparing the next UPU Krakow Plenary Assembly, 14-17.01.2008: Congress in Nairobi. Secondment offers are 14: Management Board meeting currently being sought from PostEurop Member Krakow Plenary Assembly 15: IAC & UPU RUs WG meeting dates approved by POs. To download the job description and 15: Terminal Dues Forum the Board - mark your practical information about this new position, 16: Joint CERP/PostEurop Plenary calendars now! click here. 17 (am): PostEurop Plenary – Internal affairs Board members approved the text of two Memorandums of Understanding, one with PostEurop has updated its Organisation Chart. the RCC and one with PAPU, in order to increase Click here to access it. co-operation between PostEurop and these two Postal Agenda 2007 PostEurop upcoming APRIL MAY JUNE - JULY events are in bold 04.04 - PostEurop, IPC and 09-11.05 - CERP Plenary, Tallinn 08.06 - UPU Conference on UPU Coordination meeting, the postal sector and the Brussels 09-10.05 - QofS Workshop on Information Society, Bern ‘Comparison and Aanalysis of 12.04 - Health WG meeting, End-to-End and Diagnostic 13-14.06 - 5th Petersberg London data from the UPU Continuous Conference on ‘The Future of testing System’, Bern Postal Outlets’ 18.04 - Product Development WG meeting, Budapest 15.05 - 67th PostEurop 15.06 - PostEurop IT Forum Management Board meeting, 2007, Bonn 23-24.04 - 1st GPREN Postal Brussels Research Conference, EPFL, -- Lausanne 21-27.05 - Hrvasta Posta Process Review, Croatia 24.07 - 68th PostEurop 16.04-04.05 - UPU Postal Management Board meeting, Operations Council, Bern 25.05 - PostEurop Statutes Brussels Committee meeting, Brussels 22-23.05 - World Mail and Express Europe Conference and Exhibition, London 30.05 - Aviation Security WG Page 2 meeting, Brussels POSTEUROP ACTIVITIES European Affairs Committee The EAC Working Groups have been quite successful Aviation Security and WTO / GATS issues Working Groups: since January 2007 in making their voice heard PostEurop’s lobbying efforts in 2006 have allowed • Postal Directive • VAT among EU officials both at the Commission and at for the inclusion of a clear separation between • Services of General the Parliament. Thanks to their active involvement mail and cargo in EU aviation security regulations. Interest (SGI) and follow-up of sensitive dossiers, PostEurop has Thanks to continued lobbying efforts in early • WTO / GATS managed to defend its Members’ interestst on 2007 the Aviation Security WG has now ensured • Standardisation several issues. that the advantageous amendments originally • Aviation Security • Contact with adopted by the MEPs will be taken on board for regulators nd Postal Directive the 2 reading at the end of April. • Monitoring Services PostEurop is closely following the EU third Postal Directive Directive pending legislative proceeding. The At the occasion of a meeting with the new postal • Monitoring transport Working Group “postal directive” does not have services negotiations expert at the European legislation a policy position towards the proposed Directive, Commission Mr Wolfgang Igler, the WTO / GATS but has been since the beginning a discussion WG has reiterated its position developed in a arena where regulatory experts of incumbent June 2006 Paper (read position paper) to the EC postal operators meet on a regular basis to discuss on the multilateral trade negotiations. technical aspects of the proposed legislation. Road Transport Legislation Within this arena the European Commission The recently published Transport Bulletin represented by Mr Jörg Reinbothe and his presents the ongoing legislative and policy team from DG MARKT, met on 7 February with initiatives in the field of road transportation at EU PostEurop’s regulatory experts to respond to level. The Bulletin also features some results of a some of their questions and concerns. survey undertaken among Members on existing PostEurop has updated its Organisation Chart. authorisation regimes for the carriage of mail by Click here to access it. The legislative proceeding is now ongoing before road. the European legislator (the European Parliament Download the 2nd Transport Bulletin (Members and the Council) and its advisory institutions (i.e. only) EAC Plenary Meeting, the Committee of Regions and the Economic and 27 March 2007, Castel Social Committee ) As of today the Commission’s Gandolfo, Italy proposal has been reviewed by several More about the parliamentary commissions. All their ‘reports’ - outcome of this including the provisional leading parliamentary meeting in our next report better known as the ‘Ferber Report’ - and issue! ‘opinions’ can be obtained from PostEurop upon request. The end of the first legislative phase is intended to occur in the course of July ( European Parliament Plenary, see timetable below). Contact Joost Vantomme for more info Process and timing for the 3rd Postal Directive (tentative, based on publicly available information) 2007 March June Sept 2008 March Ferber EP TRAN EP Plenary EP 2nd Council Report voting voting (12.07) reading decision Start Council estimation estimation Postal Group Council meeting Start Comm. Econ/Soc. of Regions Comm. (EESC) CoR plenary (CoR) plenary voting voting Page 3 POSTEUROP ACTIVITIES International Affairs Committee Working Groups: The IAC Working Groups mainly focused their It however believes more negotiation with the EC •Wider Europe efforts on developments in the field of European is needed on the following proposals: •UPU and Restricted customs and follow-up of the UPU 2008 Congress • Abolishment