EETT informs on the ERGP reports for the European postal market

February 2, 2016

EETT, constantly aiming in promoting the issues of the European postal market, informs that
ERGP (the European Regulators Group for Postal Services), by completing its 2015 work schedule,
published two summary reports on the state of the European postal market.

The first report presents best practices and trends regarding the quality of service,
consumer protection and complaint handling, while the second presents the main European postal
market monitoring indicators. Key points for the traditional mail market, according to the two
reports of ERGP, are the following:

• The volume of postal items, during the 2011-2014 period, decreased at an annual rate of
  6.5%.
• Employment also decreased, though at a lower rate, in both Universal Service Providers (USPs)
  and private providers, while the USPs employing about 66% of all workers in the industry.
• The cost of sending First Priority mail, from 2008 to 2014, increased by 32% on average.
• The USPs maintain a high market share in a market where competition reaches on average
  13%.

Another important initiative was the establishment of a joint working group between ERGP and
BEREC (the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications) on cross-border parcel
delivery for online purchases aiming at investigating whether the regulatory experience of the
electronic communications sector may be applied to the cross-border mail market.

The final conclusion of the ERGP-BEREC working group reflects the competences that national
regulatory authorities should have in order to effectively monitor the cross-border parcel delivery
and intervene on cost transparency issues for intra-EU shipments. In addition, it focuses on
existing measures to enhance information for consumers and suppliers by means such as electronic
platforms for available delivery and price comparison services, parcel detection and tracking
systems, etc.

The European Commission has already announced that it would take immediate steps for securing
unimpeded and cost-effective cross-border parcel delivery services, especially for individual users
and small businesses, not through price regulation, but through the development of transparency and
competition.

It is noted that ERGP was established in 2010 and consists of 28 national regulatory
authorities (NRAs) in the EU postal services, and NRAs from EEA countries and countries with EU
membership candidate status. Its objectives are the development of the internal market and its
consistent application in the member states of the regulatory framework for postal services.