Postal services: common rules for the development of the services and improvement of quality of service

The rapporteur welcomed the fact that the directive provided for a large enough reserved area and recalled that the real objective of liberalisation had to be to improve the services provided. As for the common position, Mr Simpson stated that a number of technical improvements had been made but added that a solution was still needed to one outstanding issue, namely terminal dues. Commissioner Bangemann also welcomed the fact that the liberalisation principle had been accepted and that a timetable had been decided. He was keen to continue the work so that, within the framework of reasonable deregulation, the postal service would become an important part of the information society.