The European Commission has decided to open the State aid procedure with respect to aid to the national Italian postal operator (Amministrazione delle Poste e Telecomunicazioni, later Ente Poste Italiane and, since February 1998, Ente Poste S.p.A.). Aid appears to have been granted in various forms over the past years.

Ente Poste has no analytical accounting system which would allow to separate the costs and revenues of reserved and competitive activities respectively. The Commission estimates that the amount of the resources granted by Italy to the postal operator over the last 30 years may exceed ITL 40,000 billion (ECU 20,000 million). At least part of this aid may be compatible with the common market to the extent that it either offsets genuine extra costs incurred due to the postal operator's public service obligations or was granted before the liberalisation of the postal services.

Source:
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Spokesman's midday briefing
15 / 07 / 98