Brussels, 10/09/2008 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission announced on Wednesday 10 September that it will not allow Slovakia to extend the monopoly enjoyed by the state postal service, thus preventing Slovak authorities from granting the hybrid mail monopoly to Slovenska Posta. These “provisional measures” by the Commission is a rare application of Article 86 of the Treaty. “Hybrid” mail is mail sent electronically to the service provider which prints the message and sends it by ordinary post. The spokesman for Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said that the decision would become binding as soon as it was approved by the Commission. This should happen “as soon as possible in the coming weeks”. Competitors who believe they have been adversely affected by the national postal service monopoly will then be able to bring an action before the Slovakian courts. (C.D./transl.rt)