Designation of a Universal Service Provider in the EU: Should One Size Fit All?

Universal service providers (USPs) play an essential role in the European Union (EU) postal regulatory framework. They are obligated to provide the universal service obligation (USO). The procedure for the designation of USP in the EU regulatory framework specifies the conditions under which the designation should be made: transparency, non-discrimination, and proportionality. The EU model proposes various approaches to designate a USP. In the chapter, the designation of a USP procedure in selected EU Member States has been presented. The chapter discusses if one model of a standardized designation process is needed and possible in the EU.