Documento

Development of postal services
in 2013

Outline
Postal Traffic
Postal Consumption and Business
Models
Postal Network and Employment
Postal Statistics Online:
http://www.upu.int/en/resources/postal-statistics/2013-results.html

Postal Traffic

Letter post
(world estimates, 2013)
Total traffic: 339.8 billion items
2012-2013: -2.9%
336.3 billion items (99.0% of total traffic)
Domestic service
2012-2013: -2.8%
3.5 billion items (1.0% of total traffic)
International service
2012-2013: -5.6%
4UPU, Bern, October 2014

Letter post traffic trends
UPU, Bern, October 2014
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
90 95 00 05 10
Domestic service
Base: 1990 = 100
-3.8 %
-5.3%
-2.8 %
-5.6 %
 Domestic service
 International service
Average annual variation
0.5 %
-0.8 %
-1.4 %
-5.6 %
1990-2000 2000-2010 2010-2012 2012-2013
The number of letter post
items is in decline.
However, the average weight
of an item increases.

Letter post – international service
(estimates by region, 2013)
Latin America and Caribbean
0.04 billion (1.3%)
Asia and Pacific
0.48 billion (13.8%)
Eastern Europe and CIS
0.22 billion (6.4%)
Arab countries
0.11 billion (3.1%)
Industrialized countries
2.56 billion (73.1%)
Africa
0.16 billion (2.8%)
Distribution of volumes (export)
Decrease of volumes in all
regions except for
Europe and CIS: +8.7%
 Africa
 Latin America and Caribbean
 Asia and Pacific
 Eastern Europe and CIS
 Arab countries
 Industrialized countries
% of countries
experiencing growth 12-13
16.3 %
14.3 %
45.7 %
38.7 %
0.0 %
14.3 %

Number of letter-post items posted
per capita, 2013
18.9
2.0
289.2
2.0
33.9
10.2
World average in 2012: 47.7

Ordinary parcels
Total traffic: 6’715 million items
2012-2013: +3.7%
6’648 million items (99.0% of total traffic)
Domestic service
2012-2013: +3.68%
67 million items (1.0% of total traffic)
2012-2013: +5.8%

Parcel post traffic trends
UPU, Bern, October 2014
2.7 %
10.1%
3.7 %
5.8 %
 Domestic service
 International service
Average annual variation
4.6 %
-1.1 %
2.4 %
2.5 %
1990-2000 2000-2010 2010-2012 2012-2013
Parcel post volumes
are growing.
However, not everywhere
and probably not always
along with the market.
-
50
100
150
200
250
90 95 00 05 10
Domestic service
Base: 1990 = 100

Parcel post – international service
(estimates by region, 2013)
Volumes are increasing
except for Africa
and Asia Pacific (!)
 Africa
 Latin America and Caribbean
 Asia and Pacific
 Eastern Europe and CIS
 Arab countries
 Industrialized countries
% of countries
experiencing growth 12-13
72.1 %
30.0 %
25.7 %
82.8 %
54.5 %
80.1 %
0.58 million (0.9%)
Asia and Pacific
4.58 million (6.8%)
2.65 million (4.0%)
Arab countries
0.47 million (0.7%)
58.4 million (87.1%)
Africa
0.36 million (0.5%)
Distribution of volumes (export)

Number of postal parcel posted per 1’000
inhabitants, 2013
101.3
4.6
6587.1
3.7
260.1
95.2
World average in 2013: 942

Postal Consumption and
Business Models

Postal consumption and diversification
(world estimate, 2013)
Global postal consumption expenditures: 234.8 billion SDR
(at 2013 exchange rates)
• Increased by 3.0% between 2012 and 2013 in nominal terms
Breakdown of consumption expenditures by product (simple average):
Letter post
(43.4%)
Postal parcels and
logistics services (18.6%)
Postal financial
services
(14.5%)
Other products
(23.5%)

Postal income by business line: 2003
(income share by region, 2003, simple average of designated operators in every region)
46.7%
41.0%
47.7%
37.3%
64.2%
67.1%
51.1%
12.5%
3.9%
13.7%
7.5%
14.5%
10.3%
11.1%
18.1%
26.1%
19.4%
20.0%
10.0%
6.7%
15.9%
22.7%
29.0%
19.2%
35.2%
11.3%
16.0%
21.9%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Africa
Asia and Pacific
Arab countries
World
Letter post Postal parcels and
logistics services
Postal financial
services
Other products

Postal income by business line: 2013
(income share by region, 2013, simple average of designated operators in every region)
36.0%
32.3%
33.3%
37.9%
51.3%
59.6%
43.4%
13.2%
13.9%
31.3%
11.2%
26.5%
19.5%
18.6%
16.8%
18.5%
14.0%
23.1%
11.0%
3.9%
14.5%
34.0%
35.3%
21.4%
27.8%
11.2%
17.0%
23.5%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Africa
Asia and Pacific
Arab countries
World
Letter post Postal parcels and
logistics services
Postal financial
services
Other products

Mail delivery modes by region
(estimate by region, 2013, weighted average by population)
UPU, Bern, October 2014 16
42.6%
85.8%
93.9%
92.8%
62.9%
96.2%
83.9%
44.3%
12.0%
5.9%
4.5%
29.1%
3.8%
13.2%
13.1%
8.0%
2.9%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Africa
Asia and Pacific
Arab countries
Total
Population without postal services
Population having to collect mail
Population having mail delivered at home

Postal Network and
Employment

Postal staff
(world estimate, 2013)
5.4 million postal staff
2012-2013: -0.4%
4.34 million full-time staff
 80.2% of total number of staff
 Down by -0.8% in 2013
1.07 million part-time staff
 19.8% of total number of staff
 Up by 1.3% in 2013

Distribution of postal staff
(estimate by region, 2013)
213 235 (3.9%)
Asia and Pacific
1 730 224 (32.0%)
834 100 (15.4%)
Arab countries
117 367 (2.2%)
2 454 297 (45.4%)
Africa
54 901 (1.0%)

Number of people served
by each staff member, 2013
2’869
15’888
381
3’217
580
2’224
World average 2013: 1’319

Post offices
663’210 post offices
2012-2013: -0.7%
448’332 offices staffed by postal administration officials
 67.6% of total number of offices
 Decrease by -0.4% in 2012
214’878 offices staffed by persons
from outside the postal administration
 32.4% of total number of offices

Distribution of post offices
(estimate by region, 2013)
48 924 (7.4%)
Asia and Pacific
305 968 (46.1%)
169 872 (25.6%)
Arab countries
17 855 (2.7%)
169 872 (25.6%)
Africa
13 891 (2.1%)

Average area covered by
a permanent office (km2), 2013
418
1’447
200
771
227
76
World average in 2013: 205

Inhabitants per post office, 2013
12,505
62,792
5,501
21,146
4,534
12,575
World average in 2013: 10,747

Visit UPU Postal Statistics
ONLINE

52
Steven Cape,
Senior Analyst,
Market Intelligence

53
44 bn 43 bn 44 bn 45 bn 45 bn 44 bn
32 bn 31 bn 30 bn 30 bn 29 bn 28 bn
198 bn
172 bn 167 bn 164 bn 155 bn 153 bn
79 bn
73 bn 71 bn 69 bn 65 bn 62 bn
353 bn
320 bn 313 bn 308 bn 295 bn 288 bn
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Europe
USA
Asia Pacific
BRIC
Volume (billions)
Source: WIK / Ofcom analysis
Mail volumes across our comparator
countries have declined by 18.6% since 2008

54
Revenues have fallen as well, but not
at the same rate
Revenue (£bn)
4 bn 4 bn 4 bn 4 bn 5 bn 5 bn
15 bn 15 bn 15 bn 15 bn 15 bn 15 bn
38 bn 34 bn 33 bn 32 bn 30 bn 30 bn
34 bn
33 bn 32 bn 32 bn 31 bn 31 bn
92 bn
85 bn 84 bn 82 bn 81 bn 80 bn
0
25
50
75
100
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Europe
USA
Asia Pacific
BRIC

55
(2010=1)
Source: WIK / Ofcom analysis.
Note: Figures are nominal. Standard letter is a C5 envelope, 229x162x5 <=100g
.
Price increases are one reason for this...
Change in First Class equivalent stamp price since 2010
1.51
1.45
1.40
1.18
0.98
0.90
1.00
1.10
1.20
1.30
1.40
1.50
1.60
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
UK
NED
ITA
FRA
USA
ESP
BRA
POL

...increased packet and parcel volume
is another
56
Increase in packet and parcel volume since 2008
Parcel volume growth (2008=1) Parcel
volume per
capita
8.6
11.9
27.7
32.4
72.8
36.5
1.46
1.35
1.23
1.19
1.13
1.04
0.8
0.9
1
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
SWE
NED
UK
GER
JPN
USA

People in the UK spend the most online
57
Source: European B2C e-commerce report 2014, Ecommerce Europe
Value of B2C e-commerce per head 2013 (£)
1,968
918 909
218
1,171
844
1,356
361
743
1,060
161
363
128
£0
£500
£1,000
£1,500
£2,000
UK FRA GER ITA USA JPN AUS ESP NED SWE POL KOR RUS

And online shoppers are far more likely to
send and receive parcels
58
Proportion of respondents who have received a parcel in the past week (%)
60% 59% 61%
54%
51%
61%
57%
55%
35% 36% 34%
27% 28%
34% 33%
22%
0%
20%
40%
60%
UK FRA GER ITA USA JPN AUS ESP
Weekly online shoppers Not weekly online Shoppers
Source: Ofcom research

Consumers reliance on post remains high
59
Proportion of consumers stating reliance on post (%)
26
62
19
53
59
52
52
56
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
ESP
AUS
JPN
USA
ITA
GER
FRA
UK
Source: Ofcom research

20
3 / Recommendations
Thirteen recommendations and priorities

21
3 / Recommendations
Abolish restrictive licensing system (no.1 )
No. 1: Abolish licensing system with
restrictive obligations for universal
services and introduce general
authorisations for all postal operators,
including bpost.
What the recommendation will improve
 More choice for customers
 Competition (or threat of competition) will
provide pressure to improve services and
efficiency for all operators, including bpost
 Expectations (before 2010) that competitors
would be able to “pick cherries”, has not come
true in Belgium or in any other country, even
without restrictive licensing
 General authorisations less rigid, reduces
barriers to entry. Common in telecoms
 UK regulator Ofcom recently investigated the
impact of competition on universal service: “do
not consider that the provision of the universal
postal service is under threat”
 Eur. Commission found that “cherry picking”
did not prove a threat to universal service in
Estonia, the Netherlands, and Slovenia, three
countries found similar to Belgium
Challenge
 Current licensing system creates major
barriers to entry
 Current licensing system has effectively
prevented market entry for letters
 Obligations violate EU law according to COM
 Restriction of competition does not seem
necessary to protect universal service in light
of bpost’s strong position
Relates to Art. 148sexies of the law of
1991.

22
3 / Recommendations
Reduce USO to single piece (no. 2)
No. 2: Reduce scope of universal service
to single piece items.
 Single piece letters and parcels are the core of
universal service, socially most relevant
products, used by consumers
 Products for business senders (e.g. ‘bulk mail’,
‘direct mail’, or ‘admin mail’) not considered as
universal services in many EU Member States
 USO should include only services considered
essential by policy-makers and citizens. Limit
USO to single-piece letters and parcels (and
perhaps SME products?)
 Set targets for quality of service that reflect
public needs, not current service levels or
technical possibilities. Quality of service
targets should reflect the increased availability
of electronic communication for urgent
messages. In any case, bpost should be
allowed to develop products with lower routing
times (at lower prices)
Challenge
 Scope of the universal service obligation of
bpost is substantially larger than in most
other EU Member States
 More difficult for bpost to change products,
introduce new products, or drop products
 Higher administrative cost for BIPT
 Higher regulatory burden on bpost
 Higher risk of creating a universal service
burden (net cost)
 Larger scope of VAT exemption for postal
services, resulting in market distortions
Relates to Article 142 of the law of 1991
and Articles 4-6 of bpost management
contract.

23
3 / Recommendations
Introduce downstream access (no. 3)
No. 3: Introduce legal basis for
downstream access.
 Absent end-to-end competition, downstream
access can mitigate (partly) the effect of
competition, and create choice for customers
 Relying on the concept of ‘special tariffs’ from
Postal Directive is ineffective to create
downstream access. Specific obligations for
downstream access in other countries
 Specific legal basis for downstream access
should be introduced, and could consider
international models
 legislation for downstream access in
Germany (§ 28 of 1998 Postal Act)
 legal provisions in the UK (section 38 of
2011 PSA and USP access condition)
 legal provisions in the Netherlands (Article
13e of Postal Act 2009, and access
obligations on PostNL proposed recently
by ACM).
Challenge
 Very low level of end-to-end competition
 Unlikely that effective competition will
develop in Belgian letters market. With
declining volumes, entry becomes less
attractive to investors.
 Existing models of consolidators create
some choice for customers (in absence of
end-to-end competition) but current
legislation does not offer legal certainty
 Recent ECJ decision expected to have
negative effect on consolidators, and further
reduce competitive pressure
This recommendation proposes additions
to current legislation.

24
3 / Recommendations
Create separate, clearer postal law (no. 4)
No. 4: Create a separate postal law which
will codify the existing provisions in a
clearer way and present them in logical
order. As long as substance of legislations
is not touched, a postal law may be
created by Royal Decree.
 Separate postal law would be easier to
understand by all interested parties, and
provide enhanced clarity
 New postal law should have logical order, e.g.
1) definition
2) general principles and objectives
3) entry regulation
4) access regulation to ensure fair
competition
5) universal service and service of general
economic interest
6) consumer protection
 Titles of the Telecom law may be example
 As long as the substance is not touched, a new
postal law could be created by a Royal Decree
Challenge
 Current postal legislation had been
established in a legal monopoly context and
then evolved over a long time, and is not in a
logical order.
 Current postal legislation now appears
poorly structured and thus creates
complexity and legal uncertainty.
Relates to Art. 54 of the law of
13 December 2010.

25
3 / Recommendations
Give bpost more flexibility to modernise postal outlets (no. 5)
No. 5: bpost should have more flexibility in
designing its postal outlet network. The
minimum number of postal outlets should
be maintained, but all other criteria seem
unnecessarily restrictive and not needed
to ensure universal service.
 Belgium has high population density but
bpost’s postal outlet network offers relatively
low density (by international standards).
 Heavy regulation of the bpost’s postal outlets
appears to prevent changes in postal outlets,
e.g. for e-commerce customers
 Regulation of postal outlet network should
ensure universal and public services but leave
enough commercial freedom for bpost to react
to demands of users. It will be in bpost’s own
commercial interest to distribute postal outlets
reasonably across the territory even without
detailed density requirements.
 Restrictions on the number of postal agencies
(as compared to postal office with own bpost
staff) seems counterproductive. Many postal
operators across Europe successfully run
agencies to the satisfaction of customers.
Challenge
 Current regulation of the post office density
is overly restrictive on bpost
 Customers in Belgium have access too
fewer postal outlets than in other countries,
despite high population density in Belgium
Relates to Article 141, §1A of the law of
1991 and Articles 15-20 of bpost’s
management contract.

26
3 / Recommendations
Simplify price cap mechanism (no. 6)
No. 6: The price cap mechanism should be
simplified and more effective, and should
continue to control only prices for single
piece letters. The price cap should include
an efficiency factor (‘X-factor’) but quality
of service should be addressed outside
price regulation.
 bpost has achieved great efficiency
improvements but stamp prices have
increased more than inflation
 Price cap allowed large price increases due to
a quality bonus.
 Price cap regulation should be simplified to a
RPI-X system, and (continue to be) limited to
single piece items, in line with international
practice.
Challenge
 Current price cap regulation has not been
effective in limiting price increases
 Complex price cap formula and procedure
Relates to Art. 144ter of the law of 1991
and Articles 28-32 of the Royal Decree of
2006.

27
3 / Recommendations
Drop sector-specific labour rules (no. 7)
No. 7: Special labour conditions for postal
workers of bpost and its competitors do
not seem necessary. Articles 29 and
148decies should be dropped.
 Remove barrier to entry for potential
competitors, and enable new entrants to create
jobs
 Separate labour regulation from regulation of
market entry and competition
 For new jobs, it is not clear why labour rules
should be different from other economic
sectors. General labour law sufficient to protect
workers’ rights. Fight against ‘false self-
employed persons’ is not a problem specific to
the postal sector, and needs horizontal
instruments
 Special rules for employment at bpost
(obligation for statutory employment) do not
appear compatible with a competitive market.
(We do not call for ending statutory
employment at bpost, but recommend that
labour agreements should be left to social
partners.)
Challenge
 Current employment conditions for licence
holders create a barrier to entry and new
employment
 Licence conditions offer no benefits to
current postal employees
 Proportionality of conditions questionable
Relates to Articles 29 and 148decies of
the law of 1991.

28
3 / Recommendations
Empower BIPT to control access to infrastructure ex officio (no. 8)
No. 8: BIPT should ensure access to
postal infrastructure in case competitors
require it to do so, and if preconditions for
intervention are met. Authority for BIPT to
impose access obligations ex officio
should be considered.
 Ensuring access to postal infrastructure would
be more effective if BIPT had authority to
investigate and intervene ex officio without the
requirement of evidenced failure of
negotiations
Challenge
 Access to infrastructure support creation of a
level playing field but is insufficiently realised
in practice
 Exact coverage of the access provision is
not clear enough and BIPT has difficulty to
intervene (competent only if negotiations
between operators have failed)
 No access obligations to date
Relates to Article 148ter of the law of
1991.

29
3 / Recommendations
Clarify public service obligations (no. 9)
No. 9: Clarify public service obligations.
Avoid overlaps between management
contract of bpost and postal law.
 Remove legal uncertainty and administrative
cost that results from overlaps (for bpost, for
supervisory bodies, and other market players)
 Straightforward solution would be to combine
all public service obligations (universal service
and SGEI) in one single legal instrument: in the
postal lawChallenge
 Two public service requirements for bpost,
and two mechanisms for compensation:
 universal service
 SGEI
 Substantive and formal overlaps create legal
uncertainty
 Risk of incorrect compensation for the net
cost of those public service requirements
Relates to Articles 141 to 142 of the law
of 1991 and Articles 4-51 of bpost’s
management contract 2013-2015.

30
3 / Recommendations
BIPT should control all public service obligations (no. 10)
No. 10: All mechanisms for compensating
public service obligations should be
controlled by independent regulator BIPT.
 Involving too many government offices creates
regulatory complexity. Remove complexity
 Reduce administrative cost and enhance
transparency
 Avoid risk of double compensation
 Independent regulator BIPT should be in
charge of controlling all compensations for
universal/public service obligations
Challenge
 Two mechanisms for compensating “USO
net costs” and “public services”
 Controlled by different public bodies: BIPT
for USO net cost, College of Commissioners
(appointed by bpost shareholders’ general
assembly and Court of Auditors) for the
management contract. Both subject to EU
state aid rules
 Creates administrative cost, reduces market
transparency, and involves risk for to
overcompensate bpost
Relates to Articles 141ter, 144novies-
144undecies of the law of 1991 and
bpost’s management contract.

31
3 / Recommendations
Maintain current USO funding mechanism (no. 11)
No. 11: Maintain current funding
mechanism for universal service net
costs.
 Until now, universal service net costs in
Belgium have not been claimed by bpost.
Future?
 Avoid replicating other countries’ mistakes:
Funds create substantial market distortion and
administrative burden, but do not raise
sufficient funds to compensate net costs
Challenge
 USO net cost can be funded from general
public funds in Belgium today
 As an alternative, compensation funds have
been suggested, and are mentioned in the
Postal Directive, but alternative proved
impractical in other countries
Relates to Article 144novies of the law of
1991.

32
3 / Recommendations
Analyse necessity of designating USP (no. 12)
No. 12: Analyse necessity of designating a
universal service provider, and use public
procurement for elements of universal
service only where necessary.
 Designation of a universal service provider has
a heavy impact on the market. It seems
reasonable to analyse in advance whether a
designation is needed and exactly for what
elements of universal service
 Market forces may provide adequate service,
at least in most of the country. Public
procurement should only be used to secure
universal service where market forces would
not provide it
 Market should be monitored by the BIPT in
order to identify any potential shortcomings in
time. In that case, the BIPT should have the
power to designate a universal service
provider
Challenge
 Designation restricts commercial flexibility for
the designated operators
 USO designation creates administrative
burden, and potentially causes state
subsidies
Relates to Art. 144octies of the law of
1991.

33
3 / Recommendations
Establish list of privileges and special rights (no. 13)
No. 13: Establish a list of privileges and
special rights enjoyed by public postal
operators, and suggest relevant
recommendations.
 The postal law of 1991 gives legal competence
to BIPT to consult the postal sector on the
issue of potential privileges and special rights
granted to providers of postal services, to
publish the results of this consultation, and to
give recommendations to the Ministry
responsible for the postal sector
 BIPT should develop recommendations with a
view towards improving the regulatory level
playing field and thus improving effective
competition between them
Challenge
 Postal sector had traditionally been a state
monopoly, and certain privileges were
created for bpost in postal law and other
legislations, e.g.in tax and transport laws
 These special rights seem outdated in a
competitive market, and can create
competitive advantages for bpost
Relates to Article 136 of the law of 1991.

Digital Single
Market
Why we need a
Digital Single Market
315 million
Europeans
use the
Internet
every day
A Digital Single Market
can create up to
€340 billion in additional growth,
hundreds of thousands of new jobs,
and a vibrant knowledge-based society
But obstacles remain to unlock this potential…
The Digital Market
today is made up
by national online services (39%)
and US-based online services (57%)
EU cross-border online services represent only 4%
39%
4%
57%

Unlocking e-commerce potential
15% of consumers bought online from other EU countries in 2014,
while 44% did so domestically
1
SOLUTIONS NEEDED: THREE PRIORITY AREAS
Better access for consumers and businesses
to digital goods and services across Europe
Simplifying VAT arrangements
Total VAT costs due to different requirements have been estimated at €80 billion
 EU consumers could save €11.7 billion each year if they could choose
from a full range of EU goods and services when shopping online
Only 7% of SMEs in the EU sell cross-border
Small online businesses wishing to trade in another EU country face around
€9,000 extra costs for having to adapt to national laws
 If the same rules for e-commerce were applied in all EU Member States, 57%
of companies would either start or increase their online sales to other EU countries
Affordable parcel
delivery costs
More than 85% of e-shoppers say
delivery price is the most important
factor when buying online
62% of companies that are willing
to sell online say that too high delivery
costs are a problem
Tackling geo-blocking
In 52% of all attempts at cross-
border orders the seller does not serve
the country of the consumer
 less clients,
less revenues
for companies
Modernising copyright
 An opportunity not to
be missed: Images, films
or music and games are
the most popular online
activities and digital spending
on entertainment and media
has double digit growth rates
(around 12%) for the next
five years
1 in 5 Europeans is
interested in watching or
listening to content from
other EU countries
1 in 3 Europeans is interested
in watching or listening to
content from their home
country when abroad
GEO
BLOCKED

2 Shaping the right environment for
digital networks and services to flourish
Strong European data protection rules to boost the digital economy
72% of Internet users in Europe still worry that they are being asked for
too much personal data online
Only 25% of Europeans can access
4G in their hometowns, dropping to 4%
for the rural population. But over
90% of US citizens have 4G access
Big data and cloud
Digital data stored in cloud:
2013: 20% - 2020: 40%
3 Creating a European Digital Economy
and society with growth potential
Rolling out fast broadband for all
Spectrum reforms can decrease
prices of mobile services and
boost productivity over time
(estimated EU-wide GDP
increase between 0.11% and
0.16% over 5 years)
Take-up of fast broadband is low: only
21.8% of all subscriptions are fast
ones (above 30Mbps) and Europe has
witnessed significant time lags in the roll-
out of the latest 4G technology due to
the non-availability of suitable spectrum
An inclusive e-society
The use of big data by the top 100 EU manufacturers could lead to
savings worth €425 billion
Studies estimate that, by 2020, big data analytics could boost EU economic growth by an
additional 1.9%, equalling a GDP increase of €206 billion
Almost half the EU population
(47%) is not properly digitally
skilled, yet in the near future,
90% of jobs will require
some level of digital skills
A strategy of ‘digital
by default’ in the
public sector could
result in around €10
billion of annual savings
25%
90%

Mercato unico digitale: la Commissione europea
definisce i settori d’azione
La tecnologia digitale è oramai parte integrante
della vita quotidiana. Che si tratti di studiare,
vedere un film, fare compravendite online, stare in
contatto con gli amici o consultare un medico,
internet è una miniera di opportunità digitali.
2015/03/25
Ogni giorno tuttavia cittadini e imprese dell'UE si scontrano con numerose barriere, che vanno dal geoblocco
(l’impossibilità di utilizzare i servizi online disponibili in altri paesi UE ) o dalle inefficienze nella consegna
transfrontaliera di pacchi ai servizi digitali non connessi. Troppo spesso i servizi digitali non oltrepassano i
confini nazionali. La Commissione Juncker si è prefissa l'obiettivo prioritario di rimuovere questi ostacoli e di
creare un mercato unico digitale. In tal modo le libertà del mercato unico dell'UE potranno essere estese al
settore digitale, incentivando la crescita e l'occupazione nel nostro continente. Il collegio dei commissari ha
avuto oggi una prima discussione sulla strategia per il mercato unico digitale, la cui presentazione è prevista
per maggio, e definito gli ambiti principali su cui la Commissione concentrerà il proprio lavoro per mettere in
moto cambiamenti reali che incideranno su consumatori e imprese.
Andrus Ansip, Vicepresidente responsabile per il Mercato unico digitale, ha affermato: "Sbarazziamoci di
tutte le barriere che ci bloccano. Le persone devono poter attraversare liberamente i confini quando sono
online, come già avviene offline. Bisogna aiutare le imprese innovative a crescere in tutta l'UE, per evitare
che restino confinate al loro mercato nazionale. Il percorso non sarà privo di ostacoli, ma abbiamo bisogno
di un inizio ambizioso. L'Europa dovrebbe sfruttare pienamente i vantaggi dell'era digitale: servizi migliori,
maggiore partecipazione e nuovi posti di lavoro."
Günther H. Oettinger, Commissario responsabile per l'Economia e la società digitali, ha dichiarato:
"L'Europa non può essere all'avanguardia della rivoluzione digitale con un mosaico di 28 normative diverse
per i servizi di telecomunicazione, il diritto d'autore, la sicurezza informatica e la protezione dei dati.
Abbiamo bisogno di un mercato europeo, che consenta il fiorire di nuovi modelli di business e permetta alle
start-up di crescere e all'industria di sfruttare l'internet delle cose. Anche le persone devono investire,
migliorando le proprie competenze informatiche, in relazione sia al lavoro che al tempo libero."
Il dibattito orientativo odierno ha definito tre ambiti principali su cui si concentrerà l'azione della
Commissione durante il suo mandato:
1. Migliore accesso ai beni e ai servizi digitali da parte di consumatori e imprese
Semplificazione del commercio elettronico transfrontaliero,soprattutto per le PMI, grazie a norme
armonizzate in materia di contratti e consumatori e a una consegna dei pacchi più efficiente ed
economicamente accessibile. Oggi solo il 15% dei consumatori fa acquisti online da altri Stati membri,
unknown label

il che non dovrebbe sorprenderci, visto che le spese di consegna finiscono per essere superiori al
prezzo effettivo del prodotto (ulteriori dati sono riportati nella scheda informativa).
Lotta al geoblocco: troppi europei non possono utilizzare i servizi online disponibili in altri paesi
dell'UE, spesso senza alcuna giustificazione, o sono reindirizzati verso un negozio locale con prezzi
diversi. Una tale discriminazione non è concepibile in un mercato unico.
Modernizzazione delle norme in materia di diritto d'autore per garantire il giusto equilibrio tra
interessi degli autori e interessi degli utenti o dei consumatori. Tale intervento migliorerà l'accesso alla
cultura, sostenendo così la diversità culturale, e allo stesso tempo sbloccherà nuove opportunità per
artisti e creatori di contenuti e garantirà una maggiore tutela dei diritti.
Semplificazione del regime IVA, fattore importante per incentivare le attività transfrontaliere delle
imprese, soprattutto le PMI. I costi e la complessità derivanti dal fatto di dover interagire con le norme
tributarie di altri paesi rappresentano un grosso problema per le PMI. Secondo le stime, i costi legati
all'IVA derivanti dall'applicazione di disposizioni diverse ammontano a 80 miliardi di euro.
Contributi principali:
Andrus Ansip, Vicepresidente responsabile per il Mercato unico digitale
Günther Oettinger, Economia e società digitali
Elżbieta Bieńkowska, Mercato interno, industria, imprenditoria e PMI
Věra Jourová, Giustizia, consumatori e parità di genere
Tibor Navracsics, Istruzione, cultura, giovani e sport
Carlos Moedas, Ricerca, scienza e innovazione
Pierre Moscovici, Affari economici e finanziari, fiscalità e dogane
Margrethe Vestager, Concorrenza
2. Creazione di un ambiente propizio che favorisca la diffusione delle reti e dei servizi digitali
Tutti i servizi, le applicazioni e i contenuti digitali dipendono da connessioni internet ad alta velocità e
reti sicure: la linfa vitale dei nuovi servizi digitali innovativi. Al fine di incoraggiare gli investimenti
nelle infrastrutture, la Commissione rivedrà quindi le attuali norme in materia di
telecomunicazioni e media, perché siano più adatte a far fronte alle nuove sfide, in particolar modo
per quanto riguarda i servizi utilizzati dai consumatori (ad esempio, il numero crescente di chiamate
vocali via internet) e i nuovi attori del settore.
Lo spettro è ossigeno per internet. Migliorare il coordinamento tra gli Stati membri è essenziale.
L'Europa ha registrato forti ritardi nell'introduzione dell'ultima tecnologia 4G a causa
dell'indisponibilità di spettro idoneo. Lo spettro non si ferma ai confini nazionali e va gestito secondo un
approccio europeo per promuovere un vero mercato unico con servizi paneuropei.
La Commissione valuterà la crescente importanza delle piattaforme online (motori di ricerca, social
media, app store, ecc.) per una florida economia di internet, esaminando in che modo rafforzare la
fiducia nei servizi online attraverso una maggiore trasparenza, come inserirli nella catena del valore
online e come agevolare la rapida rimozione dei contenutiillegali.
Oggi il 72% degli internauti europei è diffidente nei confronti dei servizi online perché teme di dover
rivelare troppi dati personali. La rapida adozione del regolamento sulla protezione dei dati è
fondamentale per rafforzare la fiducia.

Margrethe Vestager, Concorrenza
Pierre Moscovici, Affari economici e finanziari, fiscalità e dogane
Phil Hogan, Agricoltura e sviluppo rurale
Corina Crețu, Politica regionale
3. Creazione di un'economia e una società digitali europee con potenzialità di crescita a lungo
termine
L'industria è un asse portante dell'economia europea: nel settore manifatturiero dell'UE si contano 2
milioni di aziende e 33 milioni di posti di lavoro. La Commissione intende aiutare tutti i settori
industriali a integrare nuove tecnologie e gestire la transizione verso un sistema industriale intelligente
("Industria 4.0").
Standard: garantire l'interoperabilità per le nuove tecnologie è essenziale per la competitività
dell'Europa ed è pertanto necessario svilupparli in fretta.
La Commissione desidera inoltre che l'industria e la società sfruttino al massimo l'economia dei dati.
Ogni secondo vengono prodotte grandi quantità di dati, dalle persone o dalle macchine, ad esempio i
sensori che raccolgono le informazioni sul clima, le immagini satellitari, le foto e i video digitali, le
registrazioni delle operazioni di acquisto o i segnali GPS. I big data (megadati) sono una miniera d'oro,
ma pongono anche importanti sfide, che riguardano ad esempio la proprietà, la protezione dei dati
e gli standard,che vanno affrontate per sbloccarne il potenziale.
Lo stesso vale per il cloud computing, il cui utilizzo è in rapido aumento: pare che la percentuale di
dati digitali memorizzati nella "nuvola informatica" sia destinata a passare dal 20% (2013) al 40% nel
2020. Le reti e le risorse condivise possono dare impulso alla nostra economia, ma hanno bisogno di un
contesto adeguato che ne favorisca la diffusione e l'utilizzo da parte di persone, aziende, organizzazioni
e servizi pubblici in tutta Europa.
Gli europei dovrebbero inoltre poter beneficiare pienamente di servizi elettronici interoperabili, dall'e-
government all'e-health, e sviluppare le proprie competenze digitali per cogliere le opportunità
offerte da internet e aumentare le probabilità di successo nella ricerca di un lavoro.
Vytenis Andriukaitis, Salute e sicurezza alimentare
Marianne Thyssen, Occupazione, affari sociali, competenze e mobilità dei lavoratori
Violeta Bulc, Trasporti
Carlos Moedas, Ricerca, scienza e occupazione

Prossime tappe
Le discussioni odierne hanno definito gli ambiti di intervento prioritari su cui concentrare l'attenzione nella
preparazione della strategia globale relativa al mercato unico digitale, che verrà presentata a maggio.
Contesto
Diversi commissari fanno parte del team incaricato del progetto sul mercato unico digitale e partecipano
attivamente alle attività. Nella fase preparatoria della strategia la Commissione interagisce inoltre con una
vasta gamma di parti interessate (cfr. la relazione – partecipa al dibattito su "Digital4EU").
Allegato I: Scheda informativa - Perché abbiamo bisogno di un mercato unico digitale
Allegato II: Il team incaricato del progetto sul mercato unico digitale
Per ulteriori informazioni
Quanto è digitale il vostro paese? Nuovi dati indicano i progressi necessari verso un'Europa digitale
Homepage di Andrus Ansip, Vicepresidente responsabile per il Mercato unico digitale (@Ansip_EU)
Homepage di Günther H. Oettinger, Commissario per l'economia e la società digitali (@GOettingerEU)
Sito web dell'Agenda digitale europea
Orientamenti politici del presidente Juncker
Programma di lavoro della Commissione per il 2015
Allegato II: Il team incaricato del progetto sul mercato unico digitale

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