25-05-2016
“When people think of the Digital Single Market, postal services are probably not the first idea that comes into their heads. But maybe they should, with so many people buying and selling online today. While parcel delivery is a physical thing, it is the last link in the e-commerce chain”, said Andrus Ansip, European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, in his address to postal CEOs at the IPC 2016 Annual Conference on Friday 20 May.
The Vice-President recognised the contribution of posts through the INTERCONNECT programme to “making the cross-border delivery less burdensome for retailers and consumers, whether choosing where to collect your parcel from or making returning products easier”.
“On the Commission's side we want now to make sure that Europe's economy and consumers get the most out of the Digital Single Market. For the DSM to work properly, barriers to cross-border online activity have to be removed. That will lead to more e-commerce”, he added.
Vice-President Ansip concluded: “building consumer trust in cross-border online sales requires affordable and high-quality cross-border parcel delivery services. This would allow e-commerce to grow much faster. Consumers and retailers would benefit. Customers would get a better service, more choice – and probably buy more too”.
To access the full speech, please consult: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/2014-2019/ansip/announcements/speech-vice-president-ansip-international-post-corporation-annual-conference_en
For more information on the 2016 IPC Annual Conference, click here.
Please find the video of the interview with Vice-President Ansip below.