The Commission supports the common position adopted by qualified majority. The amendments made by the common position, which in this regard follow the relevant EP amendments made in the first reading, concern in particular the final date for the implementation of the amending Directive (31 December 2010), the possibility for some Member States to postpone full market opening by two more years as a maximum and the inclusion of a temporary reciprocity clause applying to those Member States that make use of the latter transitional period. Furthermore, and also taking over a substantive element of the EP first reading, the common position inserts a new Annex I to the Directive ("Guidance on calculating the net cost, if any, of universal service").
EP amendments relating to Recital 27 are reflected in a statement by the Commission which, on substance, reflects the Acquis. The Commission confirms that in accordance with Recital 18 of Directive 97/67/EC and the consistent case law of the European Court of Justice (e.g. Case C-320/91 [Corbeau]), express and courier services constitute specific services that are characterised by being essentially different from universal postal services.
In another statement, the Commission recalls its position concerning the creation by Member States of correlation tables linking the transposition measures taken by the Member States with the directive, in the interest of citizens, Better Regulation and transparency and to assist the examination of the conformity of national rules with Community provisions.
In this instance, the Commission does not stand in the way of an agreement at Council with a view to the successful conclusion of the inter-institutional procedure on this file. However, it expects this horizontal matter to be considered jointly by the institutions.