ERGP Press Release 8th March 2018

ERGP key priorities 2018

Brussels, 8 March 2018 – 2018 will be an important year in European postal regulation. The European Regulators Group for Postal Services (ERGP) is set to perform major work in contributing to a modernization of the European postal regulatory framework and its consistent implementation and development.

The ERGP comprises 28 EU national regulatory authorities for postal services as well as national regulatory authorities from countries of the European Economic Area and countries with candidate status to join the European Union. It is tasked, among other things, with counselling the European Commission on the proper operation of the internal postal market. The ERGP is chaired in 2018 by Jack Hamande, Member of the Council of the Belgian Institute for Telecommunication and Post (BIPT) supported by the vice-chairs, Mr. Cadete de Matos (ANACOM) and Prof. Angelo Cardani.

The ERGP decided to focus its Work Programme in 2018 on a number of important priorities:

• ERGP shall support the harmonised implementation by the regulators of the Regulation on cross-border parcel delivery services, which has been agreed in principle by the co-legislators on 13 December 2017, according to the European Commission request to ERGP.
• ERGP shall assist the European Commission with a view to the revision and reform of the Postal Services Directive. In this context, ERGP will list the main difficulties identified in practice by the national postal regulators and recommend the characteristics of a fit-for-purpose regulation in view of the changes that are taking place in the postal sector.

In addition, the national regulatory authorities face a number of challenges in their current work. Therefore, the ERGP, in line with the strategic objectives of the 2017–2019 Mid Term Strategy, is helping the national postal regulators to specifically tackle complex regulatory challenges, e.g. in the field of the calculation of the net cost of the universal service, access regulation and stimulation of competition and quality assurance.

Jack Hamande, ERGP chairman in 2018: “In 2018, the ERGP has a series of strong engagements that the national postal regulators want to carry out together. I am looking forward with a lot of enthusiasm to taking efficient and effective steps to achieve that goal together with my colleagues of the other national postal regulators.”

Contact details: GROW-ERGP@ec.europa.eu