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International postal charges

Recommendation 1083 (1988)

Author(s):
Parliamentary Assembly
Origin
Text adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of the Assembly, on 30 June 1988. See Doc. 5907, report of the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development, Rapporteur : Mr Gassner.
Thesaurus

The Assembly,

1. Recalling its Recommendation 9 (1951) for the establishment of a postal union between the member states of the Council of Europe, its Recommendations 102 (1956) and 143 (1957) respectively on European co-operation in the field of posts and telecommunications, and the institution of a European Conference of Ministers of Posts and Telecommunications, and also its Recommendation 379 (1964) on postage rates in member countries of the Council of Europe ;
2. Welcoming the progress made in several member countries in the application of internal postage rates to mail between these countries, but regretting that this practice has not been extended to the entire Council of Europe area ;
3. Being of the opinion that its Committee on Economic Affairs and Development should further examine the monopoly situation of the postal services in the Council of Europe member countries ;
4. Convinced of the considerable psychological impact which a harmonisation of postal rates would have on public opinion mobilisation in favour of the construction of Europe and the Council of Europe's aim ‘‘to achieve greater unity between its members'' ;
5. Approving the proposal made by the Citizens' Europe Committee, instituted at the European Council at Fontainebleau in June 1984, to issue postage stamps featuring ‘‘European themes'',
6. Recommends that the Committee of Ministers invite the governments of member states :
i to commit themselves resolutely, in co-operation with the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (ECPT), towards the creation of a ‘‘European postal space'', by extending to destinations in the entire Council of Europe area the internal tariff for postcards and standard letters ;
ii to see to the regular issue of stamps bearing identical designs marking particularly important events in the history of Europe's construction, especially on the occasion of the Council of Europe's 40th anniversary, to be celebrated on 5 May 1989 ;
iii to work for a greater harmonisation of postal rates applicable to correspondence between the Council of Europe member states, and to take due account of the specific needs of the press and publishing products, factors of the free movement of ideas, by requiring energetically that the specified international postal rate applicable to books, magazines and musical scores be maintained ;
iv to promote the modernisation of the postal administrations, in order to increase their ability to cope with new demands from users, in conditions of fair competition.