Spain: CNMC to register Amazon Flex service under postal company rules

The National Commission for Markets and Competition of Spain (CNMC) has ssaid it will be gathering evidence to frame the activities of online retail giant Amazon under the rules that apply to postal companies in Spain, giving greater legal certainty to the rules that govern the company´s.

The CNMC has been driven by the controversial launch of the Amazon Flex service, through which Amazon relies on independent carriers with reduced schedules in order to guarantee and expedite the delivery of parcels. However, these activities are seen as defining postal activities, as defined by the existing legislation in Spain.

“When you do postal activity, it is normal to be considered a postal company,” Said José Bernardez, director of the Transportation and Postal Sector at the CNMC. Although the difference between postal items and shipments subject to transport regulations is recognized, this difference is not adequately established in the law.

The CNMC has said that it will move prudently in hopes of building a case which could force Amazon to operate as a postal operator, subject to the corresponding legislation. This could have important effects, mainly on Amazon’s tariff policy, which would have to receive the authorization of competent authorities to justify any change, thus placing it under greater scrutiny by the CNMC in all its operations in Spain, as well as strengthening the position of clients by increasing their rights to claims and compensation.

Full Content: La Información

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