Tariffs on cross-border parcel delivery services will be made easily comparable
The Ministry of Transport and Communications requests comments on amendments to the Postal Act in terms of cross-border parcel deliveries. The amendments are based on the adopted EU Regulation that obliges larger service providers of parcel deliveries to open up their tariff information on cross-border parcel delivery services.
A draft of the amendments to the Postal Act has been sent out for comments, with a deadline on 28 May 2019.
The amendments implement the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on cross-border parcel delivery services. As a rule, the EU Regulation is directly binding on Member States. In addition to the transparency of tariffs, the Regulation obliges Member States to assign a competent authority for monitoring the implementation of the Regulation and providing information on tariffs to the Commission and other Member States as well as for laying down provisions on the consequences for possible violations.
The objective of the Regulation, which was adopted in the EU in spring 2018, is to improve transparency of tariffs of cross-border parcel delivery services and, in doing so, improve the functioning of the market and promote competition. A further aim of the Regulation is to improve regulatory oversight.
The amendments to the Postal Act sent out for comments propose that the authority monitoring the cross-border parcel delivery services in Finland be the Transport and Communications Agency and the consequences for violating the Regulation be in line with the valid Postal Act.
In Finland, the Regulation applies to around ten providers of parcel delivery services. It does not apply to undertakings that are established in only one Member State and provide only domestic parcel delivery services.
No additional national regulation is meant to be issued by virtue of the legislative amendments.
What next?
A draft of the amendments to the Postal Act has been sent out for comments, with a deadline on 28 May 2019. All organisations and private individuals may submit comments at www.lausuntopalvelu.fi. Following the consultation round, the preparations will continue by Ministry officials.
The amendments are meant to enter into force on 23 November 2019.
Inquiries:
Sini Wirén, Head of Unit, tel. +358 (0)40 507 0916, Twitter @WirenSini
Eero Salojärvi, coordinator, tel. +358 (0)295 34 2123
