The German government and opposition parties have finally succeeded in reaching a compromise agreement on plans for postal reform, clearing the way for introduction of privatisation legislation to parliament next week: the compromise stipulates that the legislation to be presented to parliament next week would only remain in effect until the end of 1997, and new legislation will be prepared for 1998, when telephone services in most European Community countries are opened for competition, which would allow setting the date for further liberalisation; Germany will ask Brussels to abolish monopolies on operation of telephone lines and mail services by 2000 when it takes over the presidency of the European Union in July.
