Efficient Dutch postal services TNT ready to deliver abroad

LUXEMBOURG – Postal services such as TNT (the Netherlands), Deutsche Post (Germany) and La Poste (France) are eagerly awaiting the challenge of delivering regular mail in a much larger territory than their current home base. These companies already courier parcels and deliver express mail in many other jurisdictions, often through subsidiaries or international alliances. The EU, which is dismantling monopolies in many economic sectors, has decided that mail delivery will be open to competition by January 2011. A few countries may receive an additional two years to prepare for the switch. The EC had targeted the change over for 2009. The U.K., Sweden and Finland already have opened up their markets and the Netherlands will follow as of January 1. TNT, the former PTT, is seen as an efficient operator, ready to expand beyond its borders and meet also competition at home.