SDSS deputy Volf prepares revision to law on postal services

BRATISLAVA, November 19, (SITA) — Deputy Jaroslav Volf (the Slovak Social-Democratic Party) is already preparing a revision to the law on postal services, although parliament passed the law only at its last session. “The revision should exclude express services from the category of the universal postal service and shorten the period of Slovenska Posta’s (Slovak Post Office) monopoly in delivery of consignment up to 1 kg until the end of 2002,” informed Volf. Parliament approved Slovenska Posta’s right to a so-called reserved service until the end of 2003. According to Volf, it discriminates private carrier companies and endangers harmonization of the law with the European Union (EU).

The law obliges Slovenska Posta to provide the so-called universal service, i.e. provide postal services also at places that are loss making. The so-called reserved service, or monopoly in carrying consignments up to 1 kg was to compensate for this.

The new law forms the market and secures its regulation so that competition in unregulated postal services is preserved. Along with Slovenska Posta, private shipping companies, the national railway company, Zeleznice Slovenskej Republiky (ZSR), air carriers and other organizations provide such postal services. The postal market will be subordinated to an independent regulatory office to be established as of January 1, 2002. Moreover, at least one company will provide universal postal services for prices regulated by the state.

The law was criticized for its vague definition of terms, such as postal service, universal service, and parcel. According to this law, also the ZSR, road and air carriers might be identified as providers of postal services. Service providers claim the law might force them to abandon some segments of the market and cancel some of their services