Description and analysis of the international co-operation on the Postal market - PTS-ER-2004:36 - December 2004
22/12/2004
The international co-operation concerning postal issues takes place on different levels which are partly integrated in such a way that the actions taken on a higher level are often the outcome of co-ordinated actions from an inferior level. The main figures taking part in the domestic co-operation in the postal field is the Government Offices (above all the Ministry of Industry, Employment and Communications), the National Post and Telecom Agency (PTS) and Posten AB (Sweden Post).
The global organization for postal co-operation is the Universal Postal Union (UPU) with 190 member countries. Within the organization, regulatory issues as well as operational issues are discussed and Sweden participates in the work with representatives from Ministry of Industry, Employment and Communications, PTS and Sweden Post. PTS participation in the UPU’s work has increased as a consequence of a clearer distinction made between regulatory and operational issues within the organization and that essential regulatory matters are increasingly debated but also that globalization and the need for international co-operation on a regulatory level have become more important.
On the European level, the postal regulators affiliated to CERP (European Committee of Postal Regulators with 46 member countries) co-operate with the 42 national postal operators belonging to PostEurop. Before the UPU congresses which in the future will take place every four years instead of as hitherto every five years, CERP and PostEurop co-ordinate their actions in order to prepare common European standpoints concerning proposals about modifications in the international treaties to be discussed at the congress.
PTS is the chairman of the CERP working group for regulatory issues but also participates in the three other working groups of this organization. On the eve of the restructuring of CERP, PTS has come forward to take the chair also in the future of one of the working groups. The chairmanship offers i.a. the possibility to propagate the Swedish standpoint about the necessity of a liberalized market and to contribute to a greater consensus between the regulatory bodies of the member countries.
Postal issues of importance to Sweden are also debated in the EU, the WTOGATS, in the international bodies of standardization and during international conferences. PTS has only an advisory role concerning the EU efforts and the WTO-GATS negotiations since the work is done by representatives of the Government. The standardization work is carried out in the framework of the Postal Directive Committee of the European Commission, by CERP and the UPU and is of importance when safeguarding the quality of postal services. PTS participates in international conferences mainly after having been invited to make a contribution to the conference. At this kind of occasions, it is possible for the administration to share its knowledge about how a liberalized postal market works. The Ministry, PTS and Sweden Post also co-operate in some issues with their counterparts in other Scandinavian countries.
In the present report, it is pointed out that the actors participating, i.e. the Ministry, PTS and Sweden Post have identified their roles and that the Swedish interests in the international co-operation are looked after in an expedient way. In conclusion, it is emphasized that the international developments as far as Sweden is concerned will give rise to a rather extensive international activity in this field for the foreseeable future.