Brussels, 29/05/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission announced the opening of an investigative procedure against Deutsche Post following several complaints, notably by the British Post Office, to determine if the German Post office infringed competition rules by abusing its dominant position in Germany concerning "re-mailing". Feeling let down by this practice, (frequently used by large companies who, to reduce the costs of their post, transit their letters, either physically or electronically, through another country who applies more favourable rates) Deutsche Post had the habit of applying to these letters an additional tax. It referred to, in this case, a ruling by the Court of Justice made last February stipulating that internal taxes hitting these letters in large quantities entering into a Member States by re-mailing was not against, in certain limits, competition law (see EUROPE of 12 February, p.11). According to the spokesperson, the plaintiffs feel that Deutsche Post was doubly abusing its dominant position by applying to re-mailed letters the full rate, while it can only ask the senders for a minor compensation; b) in granting itself an additional delay before delivering the post having benefited from this practice.