Postmen knocked
Article Abstract:
The European Community (EC) intends to introduce more competition into the delivery of mail in order to make national postal authorities (PA) more efficient. As it did with telecommunications in 1987, the European Commission wants to classify postal services into those offered to the public, to which the PAs would keep a monopoly, and those that would be open to public sector competition. Except for the UK, where many postal services have been privatized, the EC PAs are inefficient money losers. The European Commission is developing a green paper that will address four points: elimination of cross-subsidies between postal services; establishment of a narrow but absolute range of reserved services to be monopolized by the national PAs; development of criteria separating normal items from those that can be delivered by private carriers; and freedom of member states to liberalize beyond a minimum level of deregulation.
Publication Name: International Management
Subject: Business, international
ISSN: 0020-7888
Year: 1990
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Unzipping the public purse
Article Abstract:
Barriers to competition for Western European government procurement include lack of public access to government documents and the existence of a small number of big firms that have access to inside information. Small firms like Holland's Indivers N.V. are typically excluded from the market for government contracts. European Community efforts to open up public procurement processes have failed in the past because they were complicated or ignored. The European Commission is considering four new proposals to close loopholes that work against open bidding. Two proposals would modify and strengthen current directives by clarifying 'slippery' terminology. A third proposal would further limit 'excluded' business sectors, naming 1992 as a deadline for complete liberalization of rules. A final proposal calls for actual sanctions designed to foster open procurement.
Publication Name: International Management
Subject: Business, international
ISSN: 0020-7888
Year: 1988
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Brittan's new teeth
Article Abstract:
The European Community Competition Commission, headed by Sir Leon Brittan, has been given enhanced powers to regulate mergers and acquisitions, making it a factor in international deals. The Commission now has the authority to approve of large-scale cross-border mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures, and has a veto power over those deals it feels will create monopoly conditions within an industry or nation. Large-scale cross-border mergers, those involving combined sales of over 1 billion European Currency Units (Ecu), increased from 52 in 1987 to 148 in 1989. The Commission has veto power only over those deals involving a minimum of Ecu 5 billion, and in which the sales of two of the parties are over Ecu 250 million. Companies are required to notify the Commission one week before a merger is scheduled.
Publication Name: International Management
Subject: Business, international
ISSN: 0020-7888
Year: 1991
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