FULL MARKET OPENING IN THE POSTAL SERVICES FACING THE SOCIAL AND TERRITORIAL COHESION GOAL IN FRANCE

The paper focuses on the impact of the Full Market Opening in postal services on the territorial cohesion. In the first section the paper recalls the specificities of the sector and the distance so far covered by deregulation. It underlines the reasons that raise worries. In the second section the paper analyses the territorial stake in France. Actual outlet network is notably extended and actively supports rural cohesion. It has been mostly preserved since WWII. A special law has introduced specific territorial obligations; however their funding is not entirely set.