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The European Parliament launches a written declaration for the future of post



Tuesday, 30 November, 2010, in the premises of the European Parliament in Brussels, the official launch of the written declaration for the future of post took place.



The declaration is supported and signed by representatives of the 5 big political groups in the European Parliament EPP, S&D, ALDE, Greens and GUE/NGL. Dennis de Jong, GUE/NGL and initiator of the written declaration stressed in his speech the importance to safeguard postal services for the future to avoid the negative consequences now seen in the Netherlands.



The declaration demands a clear impact assessment of the negative consequences of postal liberalisation. Maria Harkin, ALDE summarised the intention of this joint activity guaranteeing secure and good universal services and avoiding social dumping in the sector. She also suggests a coordinated and joint approach to ensure to have the 50% signatures of the MEPs in the European Parliament and making this initiative to a success.



UNI Europa supports this initiative and is very thankful for the activities to raise the attention of postal liberalisation in the European Institutions. “We have only 1 month left until the Directive will come into force and the European postal market has to be liberalised, it is our last chance to fight against the negative social consequences and to avoid a development we have seen in the Netherlands. Therefore the national postal Unions are ready to support this initiative and to start lobby, we will get in contact from tomorrow with MEPs and ask them to sign this declaration to support the future of postal services in Europe”, says Cornelia Berger from UNI Europa Post & Logistics in her speech.



Dennis de Jong (GUE/NGL), Georges Bach (EPP), Maria Harkin (ALDE), Said El Kahdouri (S&D) and Isabelle Durant (Greens) are the initiators of the declaration and will present it in the next plenary session 13-16 December 2010 of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. From this date on, the declaration has 3 months (until March 2011) to gain the sufficient signatures of MEPs in the European Parliament (50% of the MEP’s must sign) to get the declaration on the agenda of the European Parliament.



The declaration will be available in all official European languages on the web page of the European Parliament. “We are already preparing a European wide campaign on the acceptance of this declaration together with our friends in the European parliament”, says Cornelia Berger, “and we are confident we will achieve together the 50% of MEP’s support in the 3 months needed to make this activity a success.”



For more information on the Written declaration launch go to; http://www.sp.nl/nieuwsberichten/8181/tw