67As is apparent from the case-law of the Court, Member States do not have the option of extending the services reserved for the universal postal service provider pursuant to Article 7 of Directive 97/67, as such extension goes against the purpose of the Directive, which, according to recital 8, aims to establish gradual and controlled liberalisation in the postal sector (Case C-240/02 Asempre and Asociación Nacional de Empresas de Externalización y Gestión de Envíos y Pequeña Paquetería [2004] ECR I-2461, paragraph 24).
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