The Ministry of Infrastructure has prepared the basis for the law regulating the PLN 6bn (EUR 1.8bn) postal market after its liberalization. Poczta Polska (PP) is not being restructured because politicians fear its 105,000 employees.
“We want a good debate here. I hope suitable law will be approved next year”, Maciej Jankowski, deputy Minister of Infrastructure said.
This is a very short notice. The market liberalization (concerns packages up to 50g of weight) is planned in 2013. PP, however, needs at least two years to adjust to the market.
“The bill is very necessary and should be implemented before this deadline. The market should be liberalized as soon as possible, there is no reason for a monopoly”, Karol Krzywicki from the Office of Electronic Communications UKE commented.
The market is supposed to be split into many different kinds of services: accepting, conveying, sorting and delivering the packages. This will make it possible for rival companies to enter markets which so far have been monopolized by PP. The latter will be obliged to give access to the market without discrimination. Other operators will be allowed to deliver advertising packages while today PP has preferential rights.
“The ideas to split different kinds of services, and precisely defining the services, including advertisement packages, is a move in the right direction”, Rafal Brzoska, the CEO of InPost, a company owned by listed Integer commented.
The bill has several weak points, however. First of all, it recommends that PP stays the operator for the common services, i.e. the delivery of packages to every place in the country for the next five years after liberalization. This is, in a way, prolonging the monopoly.
“There is no other entity today with so well developed infrastructure to take over this business from PP”, Maciej Switkowski from the Ministry of Infrastructure explained.
In addition, PP is to remain the last-mile provider. This means that even if private company delivers a package quickly, it may lay on the post office for several days. The financing of the common service which brings losses amounting to PLN 325m annually, is supposed to be compensated by other operators although another possibility is also being considered in the bill: a mixed system.
(PLN 1 = EUR 0.293)