EU orders Belgium to scrap restrictive postal licence terms

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission ordered Belgium on Thursday to end restrictive conditions for postal licences and open up its postal market, dominated by state-owned BPost , or face court action. The conditions include that postal operators should deliver mail twice a week and companies should extend to cover the whole of the country within five years at a uniform tariff. These conditions hinder the entry of rival postal companies and are in breach of the 28-country European Union rules, the EU executive said in a statement. Belgium has two months to comply with the order or could then be taken to court. (Reporting by Alastair Macdonald, writing by Foo Yun Chee; editing by Philip Blenkinsop)