Portugal ATMs 2012. 2012, International Year of Cooperatives

The United Nations General Assembly declared 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives, highlighting the contribution of cooperatives to socio-economic development, particularly their impact on poverty reduction, employment generation and social integration. The theme of the Year is 'Co-operative Enterprises Build a Better World'. The main objectives are to increase public awareness about cooperatives and their contributions to socio-economic development, promote the formation and growth of co-operatives, and encourage Governments to establish appropriate policies conducive to co-operative formation and growth.

The design of the issue is by António Magalhães, in the usual simple format which includes the campaign logo on the left, PORTUGAL and CORREIOS in the upper right corner, and the usual 20 black optical scanning bars on the right edge.
The logo is designed by the DPI Graphic Design Unit, New York. It features seven gender-neutral figures (representing the seven principles of the cooperative movement) who are working together to lift a large cube. The logo underscores that these seven principles work together to allow cooperative members to achieve goals and aspirations that they would not have been able to attain through their individual efforts.

The rolls of self-adhesive labels were printed, by offset, and manufactured by the Portuguese company Litho Formas Portuguesa. The Amiel, SMD and NewVision Epost vending machines use rolls of labels, size 55 x 30 mm., whilst the Crouzet distributors use more elongated rolls of labels, size 80 x 30 mm. Each label has a preprinted sequential number on the back of the waxed paper.

The first day of issue for this ATM series was March 28th 2012, although, as usual, for the latest series- very few machines offered them on that day, and the introduction was gradual over the following 2 weeks.

The 7 postage values programmed into the majority of Amiel (right image, integrated in a street postal kiosk), SMD and NewVision machines, on the date of issue, were: 0.32, 0.53, 0.57, 0.68 and 0.80 EUR, and CORREIO AZUL 0.47 and 1.85 EUR.
However, there are ATMs issued by the Amiel and SMD distributors with other values, because of a programming error, or a button with another postal rate. There are also NewVision ATMs with yet other values, arising from programming errors in E-Post 2000 machines or from the large list of possible values available from the E-Post 2000 M distributors.

The majority of ATM distributors, still in service on the date of issue, were fitted with black ink cartridges, although there are a few machines using purple-violet ink cartridges.

		ATMs with the first values of *Correio Normal* (Normal - priority mail) and Correio Azul (Express post) issued by the AMIEL vending machines, using black printing.

		ATMs with the basic values of *Correio Normal* and Correio Azul issued by the NEWVISION vending machine, black printing.

		ATMs with the basic values of *Correio Normal* and Correio Azul issued by the SMD vending machine, black printing.

The now almost non existent Crouzet distributors, in Portugal, offer the basic values for domestic normal (0.32 EUR) and express mail (CORREIO AZUL 0.47 EUR, for this issue), just by pressing a button in the main menu. The remaining values, starting from a programmed minimum value, can be obtained by keying in the amount, or by using the scales and indicating the destination and type of shipment. However, it is possible to obtain ATMs with any face value starting from EUR 0.01, when the distributor does not have the right coins for change. In this case, the machine offers the user a stamp.
If required, the machine can issue a receipt for the sale, printed on another identical self-adhesive label.


*Correio Normal* and Correio Azul ATMs sold by a CROUZET distributor, impression in black

Right picture, Official first day cover (1º dia de Circulação), with the 5-value set of *Correio Normal* issued by an SMD vending machine, and Lisboa commemorative postmark. There are first day postmarks for Lisbon and Porto.

Postal rates (EUR) programmed into the Amiel, NewVision and SMD vending machines

,	*Correio normal*						*Correio Azul*
Change of postal rates	Domestic, up to 20 g. normalized	Domestic, up to 100 g.		Spain, up to 20 g.	Europe, except Spain, up to 20 g.	Rest of the world, up to 20 g.	Domestic, up to 20 g. normalized	International up to 20 g.
1.1.2002	0.27	0.45		0.46	0.54	0.70	0.43	1.75
1.1.2003	0.30	0.46		0.47	0.55	0.70	0.43	1.75
	Domestic, up to 20 g. normalized	Domestic, from 20 to 50 g. normalized	Domestic, up to 100 g. *	Spain, up to 20 g.	Europe, except Spain, up to 20 g.	Rest of the world, up to 20 g.	Domestic, up to 20 g. normalized	International up to 20 g.
1.1.2004	0.30	0.45	0.48	0.48	0.56	0.72	0.45	1.75
1.1.2005	0.30	0.46	0.49	0.48	0.57	0.74	0.45	1.75
1.5.2006	0.30	0.48	0.50	0.52	0.60	0.75	0.45	1.80
1.1.2007	0.30	0.50	0.55	0.52	0.61	0.75	0.45	1.85
1.8.2008	0.31	0.55	0.60	0.57	0.67	0.80	0.47	1.85
1.1.2009	0.32	0.54	0.60	0.57	0.68	0.80	0.47	1.85
1.6.2010	0,32	0,53	0,60	0,57	0,68	0,80	0,47	1,85
* This value appeared from 2005, programmed into some of the Amiel, NewVision and SMD ATM vending machines, instead of the value of Domestic Correio normal (inland normal mail) between 20 and 50 g.