1997 Postal Services Directive
The 1997 Postal Services Directive is the piece of European legislation from which the Postal Services Act 2000 arises. It establishes common rules concerning:
- the provision of a universal postal service within the European Community;
- the criteria defining the services which may be reserved for universal service providers and the conditions governing the provision of non-reserved services;
- tariff principles and the transparency of accounts for universal service provision;
- the setting of quality standards for universal service provision and the setting up of a system to ensure compliance with these standards;
- the harmonisation of technical standards;
- the creation of independent national regulatory authorities.
The original Directive - Directive 1997/67/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (external website) - has been amended by two later directives, Directive 2002/39/EC (external website) and Directive 2008/6/EC (external website) to become the 1997 Postal Services Directive (as amended). These later directives have taken account of increased market opening in EU Member States.
For more information:
- The consolidated version of the 1997 Postal Services Directive (as amended) (external link)
- Further information on the European legal background, see the postal services webpage of the Internal Market Directorate General within the European Commission.
