How universal are postage stamps bought in Scotland? Can they be used throughout the EU or UK?

&quot;<i>How universal are postage stamps bought in Scotland? Can they be used throughout the EU or UK?</i>&quot;

OK - Scotland <b>IS</b> a part of the UK. British postage is used in England/Scotland/Wales/NI

Other countries each have their own stamps. You can't use British postage in - say - France . . . . . .

Royal Mail has special regional designs for a few commonly-used stamp denominations that are sold only in the regions concerned (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). These regional stamps may be used anywhere else in the UK.

They - or any other British stamps -may not be used outside the UK. &quot;Outside the UK&quot; includes those islands in the British Isles with their own postal administrations, such as the Isle of Man or Jersey, that many people think are part of the UK.

Thanks, that is what I needed to know. Is there ever discussion on creating a EU postal system? And yes I would have thought those islnds would have been part

&gt;&gt;Is there ever discussion on creating a EU postal system&lt;&lt;

I don't know how long it took to agree that simple intra-EU mail would be charged at the same basic rate as mail internal to the country - not overnight I would guess. But the idea of creating a common postal-handling agency (which is what this would mean) doesn't sound like a starter to me. The era of privatisation has created question-marks over the viability of universal flat-rate mail as it is, and very real differences in policy between different countries.

There was an attempt around 2002 when Euro notes and coins were introduced to create common Euro stamps usable throughout Eurozone, but it was soon abandoned because of reasons Patrick London cites. So stamps remain proper to each Euro country and can only be used when posting items within the same territory.

&quot;I don't know how long it took to agree that simple intra-EU mail would be charged at the same basic rate as mail internal to the country - not overnight I would guess.&quot;

I still pay more to send post to other EU countries than I do within the Netherlands so there is no universal EU rate. I can buy stamps for within the Netherlands, within Europe or for the rest of the world.
From the UK you should be paying more than a first class stamp for postage to Europe - I have to pay the difference anytime sum fule sticks just a normal 1st class stamp on mail for me. Plus it then takes a couple of weeks to get here.

yes, another example why the sometimes articulated view here that is 'several countries all working together toward common objectives' is a joke.

and another reason why the eu is not competitive. we lack the infrastructure for open commerce across the eu.

France was one of the only countries that charged the same rate for domestic mail as the EU+Switzerland, but they ended up abandoning it about 3 years ago, as fees charged by other postal systems were becoming excessive -- especially with the expansion of the EU.

However, the rate system has been simplified: 0.55 in France, 0.65 to the EU+Switzerland, and 0.85 to the rest of the world.

&quot;Is there ever discussion on creating a EU postal system&quot;

Well, we have a system, based on national administrations cooperating with each other. And it works - bloody well, by some non-European adminstrations' standards (You know who I'm talking about, USPS)

There's quite definitely NO discussion of merging the systems into one administration, which is what I suspect Bob was really asking about.

EU policy is to encourage the entry of competitors to the state-owned monopolies in each country, which of course means a proliferation of providers, rather one pan-European monopoly. Some administrations - like the Dutch and the German - have actively bought into logistics businesses in other countries. The policy's a great deal more popular among policy-makers than among the general public or among postal workers (who practically everywhere make up remarkably powerful trade unions).

I've got absolutely no idea what &quot;we lack the infrastructure for open commerce across the eu&quot; is meant to mean, and I doubt the writer has any idea either.

flanneruk wrote: &quot;I've got absolutely no idea what &quot;we lack the infrastructure for open commerce across the eu&quot; is meant to mean, and I doubt the writer has any idea either.&quot;

Don't adopt such a naive position, flanner. It was walkinaround that posted it, so it simply means that the EU is insufficiently like the US.

Wow, that's a scary thought.

&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;
&quot;I've got absolutely no idea what &quot;we lack the infrastructure for open commerce across the eu&quot; is meant to mean, and I doubt the writer has any idea either.&quot;
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;

are you really ignorant of such things as?:
-the eu-wide payments system
-banking system across the eu (or lack of?)
-financial services across eu
-internet commerce across eu
-etc, etc

do you really talk about how efficient eu-wide commerce is with your mates in your local? or do you just put on a happy face here?