International Cooperation

In the field of postal services, the Agency collaborates with different international organizations and institutions. It participates in professional conferences on postal matters and works together with European regulators. Its experts are actively engaged in numerous international bodies and participate in discussions. Below is the list of the most important international institutions.

EGRP

The European Regulators Group for Postal Services (EGRP) was established by the European Commission at the end of 2010. It is a collective body of European postal service regulators. Its inaugural meeting took place on 1 December 2010.

The Decision of the European Commission on establishing EGRP was published in the Official Journal of the European Union – 2010/C217/07.

The legal ground for establishing this body is stated in the Postal Directive 97/67/EC, which requires member states to appoint one or several independent regulators for postal services. These regulators must work towards developing a single market for postal services, which however requires collaboration, and as a result the organization of a common working body. The EGRP has 5 project teams, in which the Agency is actively participating:

• Cost allocation/price regulation,

• Net costs of USO and VAT exemption,

• End user satisfaction/market monitoring,

• Cross-border products and services,

• Access.

CERP

The European Committee for Postal Regulation (CERP) was reorganized into two working groups after ERGP was established:

• Universal Postal Union (UPU),

• Policy.

UPU

The Universal Postal Union (UPU) is the global postal organization. The Agency participates in the activities of the union’s International Bureau by filling out questionnaires and providing opinions on future postal sector reform, and actively partakes in the discussions on the future of this sector on the international level. The Agency is an observer in the union’s Council of Administration.

The Agency’s representatives also actively participate in the Universal Postal Union’s congress, which takes place every four years.

CEN

The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) comprises over 300 technical committees, including TC331, whose function is preparing standardization documentation for postal services.

The Agency is actively involved in the work of the WG1 working group, which is working on standards of postal service quality.