Key Benefits:
The Electronic Communications and Postal Regulatory Authority,
As amended by Directive 97 /67/EC European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 1997 on common rules for the development of the internal market in Community postal services and the improvement of the quality of service;
In view of the postal code and the Electronic communications, in particular Articles L. 5-2 (3 °), L. 7, R. 1, R. 1-1-11, R. 1-1-13 and R. 2-2;
In view of Decision No. 2006-0576 of the Electronic Communications Regulatory Authority and of the posts as of 1 June 2006;
Vu The list of offers of La Poste under the universal postal service, as proposed as of 7 January 2007;
In view of the tariff file describing the tariff trends of the national packages marketed at the counter, received from La Poste on 24 January 2007;
In view of the addition of information to the package file package offer Metropolitan, received from La Poste on 30 January 2007;
After having deliberated on 13 February 2007,
1. Regulatory context
Article L. 5-2 of the Postal and Electronic Communications Code states: The Electronic Communications and Postal Regulatory Authority shall: [...] 3 ° Decides, after examination of the proposal of La Poste or, failing to propose, ex officio after having informed it, the multiannual framework characteristics of the Tariffs for the provision of universal service, which may, where appropriate, distinguish consignments in the number of consignments [...] ".
In accordance with this text, the Electronic Communications and Postal Regulatory Authority has thus fixed, by Decision 2006-0576 dated 1 June 2006, the modalities of the multiannual framework for universal postal service rates.
This decision limits the overall increase in the rates for the period 2006-2008 to 2.1 %. Benefits covered by the universal postal service.
Article L. 5-2 (3 °) provides that " [...] The Authority shall be informed by the universal service provider prior to their entry into force [...] of non-reserved universal service rates. It may make public its opinion ".
Article R. 1-1-13 of the Postal and Electronic Communications Code states that" The Post Office shall provide the Regulatory Authority for electronic communications and posts at least one month before the entry into force of any relevant information on the rates of non-reserved services under the universal service
. Of those provisions, La Poste submitted, on 24 January 2007, for the opinion of the Authority, its tariff file containing a description of the rate developments of the universal service provision of the metropolitan domestic package (within France) Metropolitan France and the departure of metropolitan France to Monaco, and within the overseas departments, communities of Mayotte and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and, in the future, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy), marketed at the counter, For implementation on 1 March 2007.
This file contains useful information for assessing the tariff development for non-reserved services of the universal service, namely, mail parcel services of a weight Less than 20 kg available to the public at the unit.
2. Recall of Domestic Package Product
All products of the priority metropolitan domestic package, whether or not they are offered at the wicket, are marketed under the brand name " Colissimo ".
Or La Poste explicitly limits the package offer of the universal service to two products: the Colissimo and the recommended Colissimo. In so doing, it seems to totally exclude Colissimo packaging from the scope of the universal service, whereas this product combines the provision of a package with the universal postal
. Presentation of La Poste's offer under Article R. 1-1-11 of the postal code and electronic communications which expressly provides that: " When La Poste proposes associated benefits including a provision under the universal postal service, it distinguishes in its offer, where appropriate in the contract with the user and when invoicing, which is, on the one hand, Of the universal service and, on the other hand, supplementary benefits ".
Among the products offered by La Poste for its package offer of the universal service, it distinguishes:
-the Colissimo, issued in 48 hours in the mailbox Customers, which includes a tracking system and the commitment of compensation of EUR 23 per kilogram of gross weight in the event of loss, theft or deterioration (in accordance with the new liability regime for postal operators Established by Article L. 7 of the Electronic Communications and Postal Code, " The allowances liable to [...] to be placed at the expense of postal service providers as a result of the loss or damage of the postal parcels entrusted to them shall not exceed 23 per kilogram of gross weight of missing goods Gross weight means the weight of the goods increased from the weight of their packaging " [Position and Electronic Communications Code, Article R. 2-2]);
-the recommended Colissimo, issued against signature in 48 hours, which includes a tracking system and the commitment of compensation of up to 23 EUR per kilogram of weight Gross case of loss, theft or deterioration, as well as additional compensation of EUR 31, EUR 153 or EUR 458, depending on the rate of recommendation (R1, R2 or R3) chosen; in addition, the customer may subscribe, as part of this offer, the option opinion
It should be noted that, for these two products, La Poste, which is committed to the delivery periods, compensates the customers in the event of delay in delivery, by offering them free of charge for their next shipment of a Colissimo or Colissimo recommended in the same category.
3. Description of the tariff decision of La Poste
La Poste decided to increase the rates of its product Colissimo by a weighted average of 2.01 % of the 2005 traffic. This tariff increase will be carried out in a way that is far from uniform or progressive according to weight ranges:
You can consult the table in OJ
No 102 of 02/05/2007 text number 120
The high concentration of traffic on the first three weight slices (...) (1) limits the extent of the increase that is also divided between two blocks consisting of, on the one hand, weight ranges between 500 g and 3 Kg, on the other hand, weight slices between 5 kg and 20 kg. It should be noted that the first weight range (...) does not have a fare increase.
The increase on Colissimo's tariff directly affects the recommended Colissimo fare. The recommended Colissimo tariff consists of three components: the Colissimo tariff, the additional rate corresponding to the rate of recommendation (" Right of recommendation ") And possibly the rate associated with the Notice of Receipt. There is no increase in the latter. Therefore, the Colissimo recommended rates of R1, R2 and R3 are obtained by adding, at the base rate of the Colissimo, respectively EUR 2.50, EUR 3.10 and EUR 4.00; and the Colissimo rate recommended with notice of receipt is obtained by adding to the Colissimo rate recommended R1, R2, or R3 the single rate of EUR 1.30.
However, to the extent that the first component, Colissimo's tariff, represents, on average, the 2005 traffic, 70.6 % of the Colissimo rate recommended without charge of Receipt, but also because of a different traffic structure generating a higher average weight (...), the average tariff increase on the recommended Colissimo is equal to 2.04 %.
All of these tariff increases are considered by La Position on March 1, 2007.
4. Economic Analysis
The recommended Colissimo and Colissimo products contribute only a small part (...) to the revenue of the universal postal service and are in the minority (...) in the revenue package of The public institution (EUR 1 155 million) (2). In terms of traffic, they represent together ... % of the volume of the objects of the universal service in 2005 and ... % of the volume of parcels of the public establishment (260 million objects) (3). However, according to La Poste's forecasts, their traffic is expected to increase sharply between 2005 and 2007 (in the order of 56 %); two reasons explain this expected evolution:
-a transfer of the range linked to the removal of the offer Coliéco (economic package, without follow-up or signature), operated by La Poste in March 2006, which would result in a postponement to the product Colissimo (+ 50 %);
-the development of electronic commerce, which promotes the growth of parcel traffic (+ 7 %).
The rate increases on the Colissimo and the recommended Colissimo (2.01 % and 2.04 %, respectively) are approximately equal to and equal to 2.01 % weighted average. They follow a tariff change that took place on 1 March 2006, + 3.58 % on average weighted (+ 3.56 % on Colissimo and + 3.65 % on the recommended Colissimo), amplified, in fact, by the elimination of the Colieco offer.
Rate review Margin on cost, extracts from the refunds made by La Poste of its regulatory analytical accounting, highlights a convergence (the ratio between the two margin rates is reduced by more than a quarter after the increase) which manifests a Reconciliation of the fee structure and cost structure.
5. Respect for the multiannual framework for tariffs
The decision which is the subject of this opinion is compatible with the level adopted by the Authority for the multiannual framework for the rates of the universal service In its decision No. 2006-0576 of 1 June 2006 (2.10 % annual average). Indeed, the tariff movements decided in 2006 have already led to an increase in the rates of universal service by 1.38 % in 2006 and, by extension, by 2.38 % in 2007.
The evolution of the prices of the universal service provision of the domestic package The metropolitan area marketed at the counter translates into an estimated increase of 3.0 MEUR on turnover in the full year and thus contributes about 0.035 % to the increase in universal service rates on the reference perimeter.
6. Conclusion
In the light of the above analyses, the Authority issues a favourable opinion on the rates of the universal service offer of the metropolitan domestic package marketed at the counter, as contained in the document Annexed to this opinion.
The Authority observes that the evolution of the tariff schedule for the products of domestic mail belonging to the non-reserved area of the universal postal service is compatible with the level set for the multiannual framework of the Rates for the provision of universal postal service in its Decision No. 2006-0576 dated 1 June 2006.
This opinion will be made public and published on the website of the Authority and in the Official Journal of the French
. Paris, February 13, 2007.
A N N E X E
Colissimo
You can view the table in the OJ
n ° 102 of 02/05/2007 text number 120
Colissimo recommended rate R1
You can view the table in OJ
No 102 of 02/05/2007 text number 120
Colissimo recommended R2 rate
You can view the table in OJ
No 102, 02/05/2007 text number 120
Colissimo recommended rate R3
You can Consult the table in OJ
No. 102 of 02/05/2007 text number 120
For the Chair:
The college member chairing the session,
E. Bridoux
