Policy Implications of Postal Network Access

The regulation of Postal Administrations in Europe will soon be returning to the public arena following proposals from the European Commission (the `Green Paper’). The regulatory debate on obligations and monopoly rights of service shows little sign of abating with a key area of controversey being the extent to which a monopoly is necessary to support a wider universal service. In the United Kingdom, further deregulation of the Postal Services is being proposed by the Government (1991) in its `Citizens Charter’ and although the details are not yet established, some key proposals are: