EU internal market commissioner Charlie McCreevy has put forward new proposals to fully open up EU postal services to competition by 2009.
Up to now, post under 50g weight was the monopoly of national operators such as An Post.
Under the new proposals, this monopoly would be ended and companies would now be able to compete in the domestic letter market and deliver mail directly to the public.
Mr McCreevy said that without full market opening, EU postal markets would be increasingly unable to meet the challenges of the communications revolution.
Member states will still have to ensure that the public receives a universal, minimum postal service. This means at least one delivery and collection five days a week for every EU citizen. But the new proposals will leave it up to each member state to decide how to provide a universal service.
Under a 1997 EU Directive, the commission had to say before the end of this year whether a target for full opening up of the market by 2009 should still be met.
