OREANDA-NEWS. February 11, 2010. The representatives of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation (FAS Russia) participated in the consultations on "Liberalization of the postal services market in the European Union" held in Paris, France, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

Consultations were organized within the frameworks of the TAIEX project (Technical Assistance Information Exchange Instrument) of the European Commission in order to gain experience of the French telecommunication and posts regulator (ARCEP), as well as the French Ministry of Economy, Industry and Employment in the field of liberalization of postal services market.

During the visit the following issues were discussed:

- state regulation of the postal services market in the EU, including France, in particular setting tariffs for the postal services;

- licensing of the postal operators activity in France, including requirements for entering the postal services market set for the postal operators;

- measures for state aid granted to the operators providing universal postal services;

- the main stages of the postal services liberalization process in the European Union;

- estimation of the postal service liberalization process in the European Union by France, particularly from a perspective of the competition development in the postal services market, achievement of social and economic goals and state securing;

- international post exchange, both among the EU member-states and with third countries, including Russia;

- fulfillment of obligations taken by France within the framework of the European Union activity, General agreement on trade in services (GATS) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Universal Postal Union (UPU).

It should be mentioned that in 2011 the postal services market of the European Union will be fully liberalized. At the same time, each EU member-state will be able to appoint one or more the so-called indicated operators, that will take over the country's obligations to provide postal services, available in each center of population of the country at affordable prices.

The EU member-states do not exclude that after the liberalization of postal services market and the removal of monopoly in the reserved segment of sending written correspondence, the indicated operators may require subsidies for provision of universal services, because the competitors entering of the reserved market segment would significantly reduce the volume of the indicated operator's activity. Such situation is currently prevailing in other market segments that are not classified as reserved.

These consultations allowed studying the best European practices on the liberalization of the postal services market, and will secure the use of gained international experience during the planned liberalization of the postal services market in Russia, as well as contribute to the elaboration of the legal act regulating the postal services market.