The Postal Users’ Group (PUG) hasrepublished its manifesto on the futureof the EU mailing services market. TheManifesto sets out PUG’s vision for thefuture of the European mailing market– a vision based on principles of partnership,growth and innovation.

PUG, an alliance of the major postalusers representing 15 trade associationsand businesses, emphasize that thepostal services cover a very wide rangeof businesses and systems. The lettermail business of Europe’s postal operatorsrepresents about 1 million jobs andrevenues of 47 billion euros.

However, PUG shows that the widersector accounts for an additional 4 millionjobs and over 150 billion euros ofrevenues.

Business mailers, which PUG represents,generate about 90 percentof postal volumes including parcels,packages, express mail and courier, aswell as letter mail. Getting the futurevision right is essential for this vast sector.The manifesto identifies the principles,which should guide the postalsector and help it re-invent itself in thefast moving environment of changingcustomer needs, new technologies, theshareholders’ pressures, etc.

Vice-chairman of PUG and themanifesto’s author, Dr Tim Walsh, said: ‘Effective regulation is important where posts retain a dominant position. The purpose of ex ante regulation is to set the rules ahead of time rather than reacting to problems after they have occurred. ‘