The letter monopoly is one in the Postgesetz (PostG) embodied, to at the end of of 2005 and/or 2007 limited exclusive license, which is granted to the German post office AG for the transport from letter and catalog endings to 100 gram (2005) and/or 50 gram (2007). It concerns thereby an offer monopoly.

It acts at the letter monopoly however only around a monopoly over a part of the market. The adjustment authority for telecommunications and post office (RegTP) gives already since 1998 licenses for the professional transport of Briefsendungen, to which no restriction of weight applies. However the appropriate offerers must furnish so-called services with high order, as for example express delivery on the same day or a collection of the post office with the sender. Thus additional costs, which make it impossible for the licensees i.d.R., result letters to set more favorably than the German post office AG in the "normal delivery" in the comparison to the usual letter dispatch. In practice a change is worthwhile itself to another letter delivery service financially at present only starting from a daily arising of approx. 40 Briefsendungen, there then bspw. the collection fee less important falls, and setting savings in such a way to outweigh can. Middle ones to large enterprises with 1000 or more direct customer can profit earliest.

At present 1.000 enterprises in Germany, which offer the delivery of letters - usually in a regionally limited area, exist according to to estimations -. Financial sources are among other things large publishing house houses (e.g. Springer publishing house, WAZ (West German general newspaper), publishing house company WAD bag, group of publishing houses of Holtzbrinck), foreign post office companies (e.g. Dutch post office, Swiss post office) and logistics enterprise (e.g. Fiege group). Besides many Kleinst, small and medium-size enterprises, are active which at any time however because of lack of quality the market withdrawal threatens.

Becomes long-term probably as in other countries, in which the letter market was liberalisiert and/or completely opened, which former state enterprises - here the German post office AG - can maintain a market share of over 90%. It is questionable whether itself ggfls. a close oligopoly to develop knows, to beside the DPAG still few different, sufficiently kapitalisierte enterprise is involved.

Chronological operational sequence

• In the year 2002 the Federal Government on initiative of Werner Mueller amends the Postgesetz, so that the letter monopoly runs out not at the end of of 2002, but only at the end of of 2007.
• 12. November 2003: The Federal Constitutional Court explains the letter monopoly of the German post office on condition in accordance with. Thus this remains existing in accordance with period to 2005/2007.
• 13. December 2004: The hessian minister of economics Alois Rhiel (CDU) and the minister of economics of Lower Saxony Walter Hirche (FDP) announce an Upper House of Parliament initiative to want to already abolish the letter monopoly 2006.

Related links

• Adjustment post office market - information of the federal net agency
• Excerpt from the Postgesetz
• The letter monopoly with Posttip.de

See also

• Postregal

Articles in category "Letter monopoly"

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