CEN/TS 17073:2020

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-april-2020
Nadomešča:
SIST-TS CEN/TS 17073:2017
Poštne storitve - Vmesniki za pakete v čezmejnem prometu
Postal services - Interfaces for cross border parcels
Postalische Dienstleistungen - Schnittstellen für grenzüberschreitende Pakete
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: CEN/TS 17073:2020
ICS:
03.240 Poštne storitve Postal services
35.240.69 Uporabniške rešitve IT pri IT applications in postal
poštnih storitvah services
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

CEN/TS 17073
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
SPÉCIFICATION TECHNIQUE
February 2020
TECHNISCHE SPEZIFIKATION
ICS 03.240; 35.240.69 Supersedes CEN/TS 17073:2017
English Version
Postal services - Interfaces for cross border parcels
Postalische Dienstleistungen - Schnittstellen für
grenzüberschreitende Pakete
This Technical Specification (CEN/TS) was approved by CEN on 26 November 2019 for provisional application.

The period of validity of this CEN/TS is limited initially to three years. After two years the members of CEN will be requested to
submit their comments, particularly on the question whether the CEN/TS can be converted into a European Standard.

CEN members are required to announce the existence of this CEN/TS in the same way as for an EN and to make the CEN/TS
available promptly at national level in an appropriate form. It is permissible to keep conflicting national standards in force (in
parallel to the CEN/TS) until the final decision about the possible conversion of the CEN/TS into an EN is reached.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and
United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2020 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. CEN/TS 17073:2020 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
European foreword . 3
Introduction . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 6
4 The physical parcel label . 6
4.1 Contents in the label. 6
4.2 Label dimensions . 8
4.3 General display rules . 8
4.4 Header zone . 10
4.5 Sender zone . 11
4.6 Addressee zone . 13
4.7 Instruction zone . 15
4.8 Item-identifier zone – Zone E . 16
4.9 Label examples . 19
4.10 Address printed quality . 22
4.11 Icons . 22
4.12 Label materials . 22
Annex A (informative) Electronic exchange connected to the parcel and the label . 23
Annex B (informative) Description of the data to be transmitted to the logistic operator
(case with S10 identifier) . 24
Annex C (informative) Instruction symbols . 26
Annex D (informative) Guideline for the Utilization of GS1 Standards in the CEP industry . 28
Annex E (informative) IFTMIN - The necessary specification . 31
Bibliography . 32

European foreword
This document (CEN/TS 17073:2020) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 331 “Postal
services”, the secretariat of which is held by NEN.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This document supersedes CEN/TS 17073:2017.
In comparison with the previous edition, the most significant technical modifications are new
descriptions of the item identifier barcodes and their location in the item-identifier zone (Zone E).
Updates are also made for the layout, dimensions and content of the parcel label as well as new
requirements added for label materials. Informative Annex A has been removed since requirements for
addresses can be found in EN ISO 19160-4, and informative Annex E Data capture at source (EDI) has
been removed since it was considered out of scope.
According to the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organisations of the
following countries are bound to announce this Technical Specification: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of
North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United
Kingdom.
Introduction
Using new communication and information technologies, postal operators move beyond what is
traditionally regarded their core postal business. They are meeting higher customer expectations,
expanding the range of products and value-added services and use electronic advanced data for
interconnecting global networks.
Standardized processes in operations and communication are the foundation for effective postal
operations. The Technical Committee CEN/TC 331 “Postal Services” maintains and develops a growing
number of standards to improve the exchange of Postal item related information between postal
operators. One of the leading aims is to promote the compatibility of CEN/TC331 standardization efforts
with those of the Universal Postal Union and its international initiatives and standardization undertaken
by the wider postal service stakeholders.
The European Commission has identified the completion of the Digital Single Market (DSM) as one of its
10 political priorities, which was adopted on the 6 May 2015, with 16 initiatives to be delivered by the
end of 2016.
The Digital Single Market Strategy is built on three pillars which the first goal is to improve the access for
consumers and businesses to digital goods and services across Europe, including e-commerce selling
channel. E-commerce has significant potential for contributing to economic growth and employment.
Through this Roadmap, the Commission aimed to ensure quick improvements in parcel delivery.
The Commission's Communication on e-commerce and online services identifies the delivery of goods
purchased online as one of the top five priorities to boost e-commerce and its importance has been
reiterated by the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament. Delivery is indeed critical
as it has a substantial impact on facilitating e-commerce trade and is a key element for building trust
between sellers and buyers.
Under the framework of the Union Work program for European standardization for 2015, requesting for
a focus on the cross border parcel services to emphasize the development of this market with a specific
focus on the small and medium size e-merchants by easing the use of cross border shipments by
simplifying the initial interface, improving the track and trace event management if different logistics
operators involved in the delivery chain, improving the integration with software solutions commonly
used by e-merchant.
In response to the ever-growing need for more effective and integrated cross-border e-commerce
solutions, designated Postal Operators in Europe have developed “E-Commerce Interconnect” using
proprietary specifications and standards, such as a UPU Standard, adopted in February 2016 on “Postal-
item label”.
E-commerce associations, courier-, express- and postal services in Europe came together to bridge
between proprietary specifications and non-for-profit solutions, already used by the wider European e-
commerce community for supply chain management, to standardize delivery chain management, so that
all (including the UPU designated operators representing the UPU member states) can use the same
standard.
1 Scope
This document will specify the interface between the e-merchant (any commercial customer sending
parcels) and the first logistic operator, including both public and private carriers. For the application of
this document, a cross border parcel is a parcel crossing a border into and within Europe.
The interface is composed of two items:
— the physical label attached on the parcel: contents, sizes, minimum requirements to guarantee the
quality and efficiency of the logistic process (sorting, delivery).
— the electronic exchanges between the sender and the logistic operator with the description of the
data to be provided, the format of the exchanges.
While designated operators of UPU have drawn up business requirements using proprietary standards
and related data components, online merchants have developed open, not-for-profit standards for final
delivery which are integrated into their existing supply chain management environment.
NOTE 1 The data element enables the growth of integrated, data-driven systems which support highly efficient
and customer-driven cross-border ecommerce. This reflects the current trend to B-to-B-to-C delivery solutions in
the European and international cross border e-commerce markets. Delivery from original source to final consumer
can be split over more than one service provider.
NOTE 2 C-to-B-to-B-to-C solutions will be an extension, in particular when returns are specified. The “first C”
would indicate that consumers wishing to return items, or induct items themselves, will be able to print labels
following the fundamentals specified in this standard.
E-merchants exchange data with logistic operators (i.e. the postal operators, but not limited to those
designated to fulfil the rights and obligations of UPU member countries) to help, simplify and enable the
consequential logistic and transactional tasks. The establishment of common definitions and electronic
formats safeguards the reliability and decreases the overall costs by avoiding software development
costs, multiple printing equipment, over-labelling during the process, and the manual sorting.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
EN ISO 19160-4, Addressing - Part 4: International postal address components and template language (ISO
19160-4)
ISO/IEC 15459-1, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques —
Unique identification — Part 1: Individual transport units
ISO/IEC 15415, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques — Bar
code symbol print quality test specification — Two-dimensional symbols
EN ISO/IEC 15416, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques — Bar
code print quality test specification — Linear symbols (ISO/IEC 15416)
ISO 15394, Packaging — Bar code and two-dimensional symbols for shipping, transport and receiving labels
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and
...