published by on Wednesday 08 Oct 2008

European Commission has ruled that Slovak Republic must adopt a legislation that would re-open the hybrid-mail market for alternative postal operators.
 

Slovenská pošta receives the decision with great disappointment and according to our opinion the European Commission has not taken all the possible consequences into account.

The decision is a result of activities of two Slovakia´s postal operators together with company TNT Post.

As a result, these companies would have an unlimited access to a lucrative business of transaction-based documents delivery ( such as invoice delivery of mobile phone oparators), without being subject to regulation or without contributing to public postal services.

Slovenská pošta, unlike the competition, has a legal obligation to deliver postal mail even in the regions where it is highly unprofitable.

According to Slovenská pošta the decision adopted by the European Commission strikes as a European precedent, meaning that the alternative postal operators would be allowed to overpass the postal exclusiveness boundary  – the zone in which it is prohibited to deliver mail by other than the national operator.
„De facto a market liberalisation comes four years earlier than the official date. The hybrid mail services market has never actually existed in Slovakia,“ said Libor Chrást, Director of Slovenská pošta.  
The measure is being adopted without the European Commission´s statement on a suggested way of financing the universal postal service. Given the fact that in Slovakia it is possible to treat 80% of mail as so called hybrid mail, the existence of postal exclusiveness has zero purpose after re-opening of that segment of the market to competitors.
It is the postal exclusiveness that granted financing of the universal postal service.
The European Commission itself has moved the postal market liberalisation through cancelling the postal exclusiveness from 2010 to 2013, in order to allow national governments and national mail services enough time to prepare in terms of legislation as well as restructuring the national mail operators.But because of the latest decision made by European Union the Slovak Republic becomes an exemption.
The damage caused to Slovenská pošta by the ruling can reach up to EUR 70 milion.It will be also reflected in raising the price for all the citizens.
The European Union´s decision provides alternative operators in Slovakia with opportunity to do business without any duties, besides their right to enter the restricted zone of postal exclusiveness.
We will therefore insist on their business being subject to regulation the same way as it is in case of Slovenská pošta. 
Besides we will call for a clear legal definition of what is understood by term hybrid mail, in order to secure the same rules and conditions to all players on the market.

About the company
Slovenská pošta was founded in January 1, 2003 and was transformed to a joint-stock company with 100% share owned by state. Since its beginning the company has been economically independent and receives no budget grants. 
The rating company Moody´s ranked Slovenská pošta for two consequent years with credit risk rating Aaa.sk, the highest rating possible. In 2008 the company also received certifications of implementing the Quality Management Systems and Environmental Management Systems, compatible with STN EN ISO 9001: 2001standards and STN EN ISO 14001:2005 standards.