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 items2012-2013: -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 weightof an item increases.

Letter post – international service(estimates by region, 2013)


Latin America and Caribbean0.04 billion (1.3%)Asia and Pacific

0.48 billion (13.8%)

Eastern Europe and CIS0.22 billion (6.4%)

Arab countries0.11 billion (3.1%)

Industrialized countries2.56 billion (73.1%)

Africa0.16 billion (2.8%)

Distribution of volumes (export)

Decrease of volumes in allregions except for Europe and CIS: +8.7%

Africa Latin America and Caribbean Asia and Pacific Eastern Europe and CIS Arab countries Industrialized countries

% of countriesexperiencing growth 12-13

16.3 %14.3 %45.7 %38.7 %

0.0 %14.3 %

Number of letter-post items postedper capita, 2013

18.92.0

289.2

2.0

33.9

10.2

World average in 2012: 47.7


Ordinary parcels(world estimates, 2013)

Total traffic: 6’715 million items2012-2013: +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 everywhereand probably not alwaysalong 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 increasingexcept for Africa and Asia Pacific (!)

Africa Latin America and Caribbean Asia and Pacific Eastern Europe and CIS Arab countries Industrialized countries

% of countriesexperiencing growth 12-13

72.1 %30.0 %25.7 %82.8 %54.5 %80.1 %

Latin America and Caribbean0.58 million (0.9%)

Asia and Pacific4.58 million (6.8%)

Eastern Europe and CIS2.65 million (4.0%)

Arab countries0.47 million (0.7%)

Industrialized countries58.4 million (87.1%)

Africa0.36 million (0.5%)

Distribution of volumes (export)

Number of postal parcel posted per 1’000 inhabitants, 2013

101.34.6

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 financialservices (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

Latin America and Caribbean

Asia and Pacific

Eastern Europe and CIS

Arab countries

Industrialized countries

World

Letter post Postal parcels andlogistics services

Postal financialservices

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 andlogistics services

Postal financialservices

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 staff2012-2013: -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)


Latin America and Caribbean213 235 (3.9%)

Asia and Pacific1 730 224 (32.0%)

Eastern Europe and CIS834 100 (15.4%)

Arab countries117 367 (2.2%)

Industrialized countries2 454 297 (45.4%)

Africa54 901 (1.0%)

Number of people servedby each staff member, 2013

2’86915’888

381

3’217

580

2’224

World average 2013: 1’319


Post offices(world estimates, 2013)

663’210 post offices2012-2013: -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 personsfrom outside the postal administration

32.4% of total number of offices


Distribution of post offices(estimate by region, 2013)


Latin America and Caribbean48 924 (7.4%)

Asia and Pacific305 968 (46.1%)

Eastern Europe and CIS169 872 (25.6%)

Arab countries17 855 (2.7%)

Industrialized countries169 872 (25.6%)

Africa13 891 (2.1%)

Average area covered by a permanent office (km2), 2013

4181’447

200

771

227

76

World average in 2013: 205


Inhabitants per post office, 2013

12,50562,792

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

UKNEDITAFRAUSAESPBRAPOL

...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 law Challenge

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

1SOLUTIONS NEEDED: THREE PRIORITY AREAS

Better access for consumers and businesses to digital goods and services across Europe

Simplifying VAT arrangementsTotal 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 costsMore 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 copyrightAn 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 economy72% 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 cloudDigital 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 europeadefinisce i settori d’azioneLa tecnologia digitale è oramai parte integrantedella vita quotidiana. Che si tratti di studiare,vedere un film, fare compravendite online, stare incontatto 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 consegnatransfrontaliera di pacchi ai servizi digitali non connessi. Troppo spesso i servizi digitali non oltrepassano iconfini nazionali. La Commissione Juncker si è prefissa l'obiettivo prioritario di rimuovere questi ostacoli e dicreare un mercato unico digitale. In tal modo le libertà del mercato unico dell'UE potranno essere estese alsettore digitale, incentivando la crescita e l'occupazione nel nostro continente. Il collegio dei commissari haavuto oggi una prima discussione sulla strategia per il mercato unico digitale, la cui presentazione è previstaper maggio, e definito gli ambiti principali su cui la Commissione concentrerà il proprio lavoro per mettere inmoto cambiamenti reali che incideranno su consumatori e imprese.

Andrus Ansip, Vicepresidente responsabile per il Mercato unico digitale, ha affermato: "Sbarazziamoci ditutte le barriere che ci bloccano. Le persone devono poter attraversare liberamente i confini quando sonoonline, come già avviene offline. Bisogna aiutare le imprese innovative a crescere in tutta l'UE, per evitareche restino confinate al loro mercato nazionale. Il percorso non sarà privo di ostacoli, ma abbiamo bisognodi 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 diverseper 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 allestart-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 dellaCommissione 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 normearmonizzate in materia di contratti e consumatori e a una consegna dei pacchi più efficiente edeconomicamente accessibile. Oggi solo il 15% dei consumatori fa acquisti online da altri Stati membri,

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http://ec.europa.eu/priorities/docs/pg_it.pdf#page=6

http://ec.europa.eu/priorities/digital-single-market/index_it.htm

il che non dovrebbe sorprenderci, visto che le spese di consegna finiscono per essere superiori alprezzo effettivo del prodotto (ulteriori dati sono riportati nella scheda informativa).

Lotta al geoblocco: troppi europei non possono utilizzare i servizi online disponibili in altri paesidell'UE, spesso senza alcuna giustificazione, o sono reindirizzati verso un negozio locale con prezzidiversi. Una tale discriminazione non è concepibile in un mercato unico.

Modernizzazione delle norme in materia di diritto d'autore per garantire il giusto equilibrio trainteressi degli autori e interessi degli utenti o dei consumatori. Tale intervento migliorerà l'accesso allacultura, sostenendo così la diversità culturale, e allo stesso tempo sbloccherà nuove opportunità perartisti e creatori di contenuti e garantirà una maggiore tutela dei diritti.

Semplificazione del regime IVA, fattore importante per incentivare le attività transfrontaliere delleimprese, soprattutto le PMI. I costi e la complessità derivanti dal fatto di dover interagire con le normetributarie di altri paesi rappresentano un grosso problema per le PMI. Secondo le stime, i costi legatiall'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 ereti sicure: la linfa vitale dei nuovi servizi digitali innovativi. Al fine di incoraggiare gli investimentinelle infrastrutture, la Commissione rivedrà quindi le attuali norme in materia ditelecomunicazioni e media, perché siano più adatte a far fronte alle nuove sfide, in particolar modoper quanto riguarda i servizi utilizzati dai consumatori (ad esempio, il numero crescente di chiamatevocali 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 causadell'indisponibilità di spettro idoneo. Lo spettro non si ferma ai confini nazionali e va gestito secondo unapproccio europeo per promuovere un vero mercato unico con servizi paneuropei.

La Commissione valuterà la crescente importanza delle piattaforme online (motori di ricerca, socialmedia, app store, ecc.) per una florida economia di internet, esaminando in che modo rafforzare lafiducia nei servizi online attraverso una maggiore trasparenza, come inserirli nella catena del valoreonline e come agevolare la rapida rimozione dei contenutiillegali.

Oggi il 72% degli internauti europei è diffidente nei confronti dei servizi online perché teme di doverrivelare troppi dati personali. La rapida adozione del regolamento sulla protezione dei dati èfondamentale per rafforzare la fiducia.



http://europa.eu/rapid/attachment/IP-15-4653/en/Digital_Single_Market_Factsheet_20150325.pdf


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 lungotermine

L'industria è un asse portante dell'economia europea: nel settore manifatturiero dell'UE si contano 2milioni di aziende e 33 milioni di posti di lavoro. La Commissione intende aiutare tutti i settoriindustriali 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 competitivitàdell'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 isensori che raccolgono le informazioni sul clima, le immagini satellitari, le foto e i video digitali, leregistrazioni 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 datie 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 didati digitali memorizzati nella "nuvola informatica" sia destinata a passare dal 20% (2013) al 40% nel2020. Le reti e le risorse condivise possono dare impulso alla nostra economia, ma hanno bisogno di uncontesto adeguato che ne favorisca la diffusione e l'utilizzo da parte di persone, aziende, organizzazionie 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 opportunitàofferte 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 nellapreparazione 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 partecipanoattivamente alle attività. Nella fase preparatoria della strategia la Commissione interagisce inoltre con unavasta 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

https://ec.europa.eu/futurium/digital4eu

https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/22010

https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/digital-single-market

https://twitter.com/goettingereu

http://ec.europa.eu/priorities/docs/pg_it.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/about/structure/index_it.htm#td

http://ec.europa.eu/commission/2014-2019/oettinger_en

http://ec.europa.eu/commission/2014-2019/ansip_en

http://ec.europa.eu/priorities/work-programme/index_it.htm

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-4475_it.htm

https://twitter.com/Ansip_EU?original_referer=https://ec.europa.eu/futurium/digital4eu&query=#DigitalSingleMarket&tw_i=577129266556592128&tw_p=embeddedtimeline&tw_w=569894158979330048

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