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(1) The tariffs applicable to cross-border parcels and other postal items for low volume senders, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and individuals, are still relatively high. This has a direct negative impact on users seeking cross-border parcel delivery services, especially in the context of e-commerce.

(2) Article 14 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) highlights the place occupied by services of general economic interest, such as postal services, in the shared values of the Union, as well as their role in promoting social and territorial cohesion. It states that care is to be taken that such services operate on the basis of principles and conditions which enable them to fulfil their missions.

(3) Protocol No 26 on services of general interest, annexed to the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and the TFEU, further highlights that the shared values of the Union in respect of services of general economic interest within the meaning of Article 14 TFEU include the differences in the needs and preferences of users that might result from different geographical, social or cultural situations as well as a high level of quality, safety and affordability, equal treatment and the promotion of universal access and of user rights.

(4) Article 169(1) and point (a) of Article 169(2) TFEU provide that the Union is to contribute to the attainment of a high level of consumer protection through measures adopted pursuant to Article 114 thereof.

(5) There are fundamental differences between Member States when it comes to competences conferred on national regulatory authorities with regard to market monitoring and regulatory oversight of parcel delivery service providers. For example, some authorities are able to successfully require providers to supply relevant price information. The existence of such differences has been confirmed by a joint opinion of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications and the European Regulators group for Postal Services, which concluded that national regulatory authorities need the appropriate regulatory powers to intervene and that such powers do not seem to be present in all Member States. Those differences result in additional administrative burdens and compliance costs for parcel delivery service providers who operate across borders. Those differences therefore constitute an obstacle to the cross-border provision of parcel delivery services and thus have a direct effect on the functioning of the internal market.

(6) Due to the international nature of the postal and parcel sector, the further development of European and international technical standards is important in order to benefit users and the environment, and to broaden market opportunities for businesses. Furthermore, users often report quality of service issues when sending, receiving or returning cross-border parcels. There is, therefore, an equal need for further improvements in the quality of service standards and in the interoperability of cross-border parcel delivery services. Both should be prioritised further in accordance with Directive 97/67/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council , through the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and otherwise. More progress is also needed in making services more efficient, which should, in particular, take into account the interests of users.

(7) Standardisation of postal services and the improvement of quality of service in support of Directive 97/67/EC is a strategic priority of the Union, which should be further pursued. Technical standardisation is indispensable for the promotion of interoperability between national networks and for the existence of an efficient universal service. In August 2016, the Commission submitted a fourth standardisation request to CEN with the aim of establishing a work programme and providing a final report in August 2020 . That work programme should, in particular, take into account the interests of users and environmental considerations, as well as efficiency, and should contribute to promoting the creation of a Digital Single Market for the Union.

(8) The market for cross-border parcel delivery services is diverse, complex and competitive, with different providers offering different services and prices depending on weight, size and format of parcels sent, as well as on their destination, any added value features, such as traceability systems, and the number of parcels sent. In several Member States, universal service providers do not have a majority share of the parcel delivery service market. That diversity makes it hard for consumers and users to compare parcel delivery services offered by different providers, in terms of quality and price, because they are often not aware of the existence of different parcel delivery options for similar services in cross-border online trade. It should be made easier, in particular, for SMEs and individuals to access the relevant information. Moreover, small and medium-sized traders have identified delivery concerns as an obstacle when selling cross-border.

(9) In order to improve cross-border parcel delivery services, especially for individuals and micro and small businesses, including those in remote or sparsely populated areas, and for individuals with disabilities or with reduced mobility, it is necessary to improve the access to and transparency of public lists of tariffs for a limited set of cross-border parcel delivery services. Making cross-border prices more transparent and easily comparable across the Union should encourage the reduction of unreasonable differences between tariffs, including, where applicable, unjustified differences between domestic and cross-border tariffs.

(10) Single-piece parcel services are part of the universal service in every Member State and also represent the services that are most frequently used by individuals and small businesses. Improving the transparency and affordability of single-piece tariffs is necessary for the further development of e-commerce.

(11) Many companies that sell, used to sell or have tried to sell online consider high delivery costs together with expensive complaints processes and guarantees to be a problem. Further action is needed in particular to ensure that SMEs and individuals in remote areas fully benefit from seamless cross-border parcel delivery services to which they have access and to ensure that those services are reasonably priced.

(12) The term ‘universal service providers’ refers to postal operators that provide a universal postal service or parts thereof within a specific Member State. Universal service providers who operate in more than one Member State should be classified as a universal service provider only in the Member State or States in which they provide a universal postal service.

(13) Currently, postal services are regulated by Directive 97/67/EC. That Directive establishes common rules governing the provision of postal services and the universal postal service within the Union. It focuses primarily, but not exclusively, on national universal services and does not address regulatory oversight of parcel delivery service providers. Compliance with the minimum universal service requirements laid down in that Directive is ensured by national regulatory authorities designated by Member States. This Regulation therefore complements, insofar as cross-border parcel delivery services are concerned, the rules set out in Directive 97/67/EC. This Regulation is without prejudice to the rights and guarantees set out in Directive 97/67/EC, including in particular the continued provision of a universal postal service to users.

(14) This Regulation does not alter the definition of postal item in point 6 of Article 2 of Directive 97/67/EC or national law definitions based thereon.

(15) An estimated 80 % of addressed parcels generated by e-commerce today weigh less than two kilograms, and they are often processed in the letter-post mail stream. There is a lack of information on the weight of parcels delivered by other means. It is important that those lighter items are subject to this Regulation.

(16) For the purpose of implementing this Regulation, it is important to provide clear definitions of parcels, parcel delivery services and parcel delivery service providers and to specify which postal items are covered by those definitions. It is assumed that postal items which are over 20 mm thick contain goods other than items of correspondence, whether handled or not by the universal service provider. Postal items consisting only of correspondence should not fall within the scope of parcel delivery services. This Regulation should therefore, in line with consistent practice, cover parcels containing goods with or without commercial value weighing up to 31,5 kg, since heavier items cannot be handled by a single average individual without mechanical aids and this activity is part of the freight transport and logistics sector.