📋 Tender Overview
The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Belgiums plans to compensate bpost for providing postal services of general economic interest between 2022 and 2026.Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager in charge of competition policy said Access to postal services continues to be important for European citizens and businesses. Todays decision confirms that the Belgian plans to compensate bpost for the provision of universal postal services are in line with EU State aid rules. This enables bpost to continue delivering postal services across Belgium at affordable prices for consumers without unduly distorting competition.In December 2021 Belgium notified the Commission of its plan to compensate bpost with 634 million for delivering certain public postal services over the period 2022-2026. Such services for example include maintaining a post office network throughout Belgium delivering pension payments providing cash at counter services as well as delivering printed material related to elections in Belgium.The Commissions assessmentThe Commission has assessed the Belgian measure under EU State aid rules and in particular under Article 1062 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union as well as the rules on public service compensation under the Service of General Economic Interest SGEI Framework.The Commission has examined whether the amount of compensation to be paid to bpost may exceed what is necessary to cover the net cost of discharging the public service obligation. The Commission concluded thatThe compensation is based on a robust and conservative methodology which ensures that it will not exceed the cost of the public service mission entrusted to bpost.The compensation mechanism includes incentives for bpost to increase the efficiency and quality of its public services.Belgium organised a public consultation which confirmed the essential social and economic role of the public services entrusted to bpost.On this basis the Commission approved the Belgian measure under EU State aid rules.
