91998E0973

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0973/98

by Gerardo Fernández-Albor (PPE) to the Commission

(30 March 1998)

Subject: Stamp issues in Euros

Of particular interest amongst the measures which will accompany the entry into force of the Euro is the issuing of postage stamps which, in all Member States, will replace current stamp issues.

Both users and collectors would like to know what the entry into force of the Euro will mean in this area.

Can the Commission tell me what is planned? Who will be responsible for issuing postage stamps, a task currently carried out at national level? What European proposals will there be in this area with a view to standardizing the designs featured in each issue?

Answer given by Mr de Silguy on behalf of the Commission

(15 May 1998)

The introduction of the euro will necessitate a great many changes as the new currency is integrated quickly and efficiently into the economies of the participating Member States. Although the changeover will affect all areas of the economy, special care will be needed where services are offered to the general public. It is likely that postal services will also be affected. The national postal services will need to consider the consequences of the introduction of the euro for their sector and take strategic decisions as soon as possible to prepare for the changeover.

Postage stamps, whether they are regarded as a receipt for a pre-paid service, or hold fiduciary value like notes and coins, will need to be adapted to the euro. Where stamps currently carry a monetary value in a national currency, then it is clear that they will need to be replaced by stamps denominated in euro, at the latest by the end of the transition period (i.e. by the end of 2001). On the other hand, stamps that do not mention a monetary value (e.g. those labelled first or second class) should not need to be replaced.

These changes will have a number of implications. For example, the conversion of prices from the national currency to euro - as set out in the legal regulations and using the official conversion rate - is unlikely to give "sensible" or rounded prices. Postal operators will need to consider carefully the structure of their pricing policies in euro, to take account of these new "odd" prices. Moreover, the euro will bring a high degree of transparency to the pricing structures of different national - and cross-border - postal systems and expose services between Member States to more direct public scrutiny. This may lead to calls for greater efficiency.

While the introduction of the euro may have important implications for price transparency and require a number of other changes, there is no suggestion that the different national postal operators should or need to harmonise the design or presentation of stamps or seek to issue a single "European" stamp. The euro will not, in itself, affect the current arrangements under which the national operators make available stamps and operate postal services.