5.7.2002 Official Journal of the European Communities L176/21 DIRECTIVE 2002/39/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 10 June 2002 amending Directive 97/67/EC with regard to the further opening to competition of Community postal services THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 47(2), Article 55 and Article 95 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (%), Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (°), Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (*), Whereas: (1)  Inits Resolution of 7 February 1994 on the development of Community postal services (°), the Council identified as one of the main objectives of Community postal policy the reconciliation of the furtherance of the gradual, controlled liberalisation of the postal market and that of a durable guarantee of the provision of universal service. (2)  Directive 97/67/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 1997 on common rules for the development of the internal market of Community postal services and the improvement of quality of service (°) established a regulatory framework for the postal sector at Community level, including measures to guarantee a universal service and the setting of maximum limits for the postal services which Member States may reserve to their universal service provider(s) with a view to the maintenance of the universal service, and a timetable for decision-making on the further opening of the market to competition, for the purposes of creating a single market in postal services. (3)  Article 16 of the Treaty highlights the place occupied by services of general economic interest in the shared values of the Union as well as their role in promoting social and territorial cohesion. It goes on to state that care () O] C 337 E, 28.11.2000, p. 220 and OJ C180E, 26.6.2001, p. 291. () O] C 116, 20.4.2001, p. 99. () O] C 144, 16.5.2001, p. 20. (*) Opinion of the European Parliament of 14 December 2000 (O] C 232, 17.8.2001, p. 287), Council Common Position of 6 December 2001 (O] C 110 E, 7.5.2002, p. 37) and Decision of the European Parliament of 13 March 2002 (not yet published in the Official Journal). Council Decision of 7 May 2002. () O] C 48, 16.2.1994, p. 3. () OJL 15, 21.1.1998, p. 14. Le Ao W = should be taken that such services operate on the basis of principles and conditions which enable them to fulfil their missions. The European Parliament’s Resolutions of 14 January 1999 (") and 18 February 2000 (*) on European postal services highlight the social and economic importance of postal services and the need to maintain a high quality of universal service. The measures in this area should be designed in such a way that the social tasks of the Community pursuant to Article 2 of the Treaty, namely, a high level of employ- ment and of social protection, are also achieved as objec- tives. The rural postal network inter alia in mountain and island regions plays an essential role in integrating busi- nesses into the national/global economy and in main- taining cohesion in social and employment terms in rural mountain and island regions. Furthermore, rural post offices in mountain and island regions can provide an essential infrastructure network affording universal access to new telecommunications technologies. The European Council, meeting in Lisbon, on 23 and 24 March 2000, set out in its Presidency conclusions two decisions applying to postal services, whereby action was requested of the Commission, the Council and the Member States in accordance with their respective powers. The requested actions are: first, to set out by the end of 2000 a strategy for the removal of barriers to postal services, and secondly, to speed up liberalisation in areas such as postal services, the stated aim being to achieve a fully operational market in such services. The Lisbon European Council also considered it essential that, in the framework of the internal market and of a knowledge-based economy, full account is taken of the Treaty provisions relating to services of general economic interest and to the undertakings entrusted with operating such services. The Commission has undertaken a thorough review of the Community postal sector, including the commis- sioning of studies on the economic, social and technolo- gical developments in the sector, and has consulted extensively with interested parties. 04, 14.4.1999, p. 134. 39, 29.11.2000, p. 297.