POSTAL HARMONY: CAN THE COMMUNITY DELIVER?

This article explores the changes in the mail and courier business in Europe. A long-awaited and much-debated European Commission Green Paper covering the future of postal services in the European Community (EC) is expected to be published shortly. Meanwhile, express industry giant TNT Ltd. is setting up a joint venture operation with five major postal authorities - and possibly more - to develop international express delivery services for documents and packages. And in Great Britain, the government continues to ponder ways of privatizing postal services and opening them up to more private sector competition. One way and another, mail and courier services appear to be on the brink of a major revolution. Still far from clear, though, is the likely extent of that revolution, how quickly it will happen, and who will be the winners and losers. The complexities of the issues involved are highlighted by the long delay in the publication of the Green Paper. Representatives from EC members states agreed on the basic proposals for the paper as long ago as late 1989, with publication originally expected by mid-1990. Elaborating on the key issues likely to be covered in the Green Paper is the definition of the basic services that can be protected from competition.