EC approves state support to Czech Post for USO provision
The European Commission has concluded that the state support given to Czech Post for the provision of the universal service in the Czech Republic in 2013-2017 is in line with EU State aid rules.
In a statement sent to Post&Parcel today (6 March), Czech Post said: “The European Commission has thus confirmed that the Czech Post can be compensated in form of direct subsidies from the state budget of up to CZK 2.6bn for the whole period.”
The EC has also approved public compensation for Czech Post’s electronic data boxes service for the period 2018 to 2022, which will exceed €15m annually. The service is an advanced electronic communication channel for internal communication within the public administration, and for secured guaranteed communication between the public administration and citizens and companies. The use of the data boxes service will be free for users.
Meanwhile, Czech Post has also announced that it increased its prices for domestic services at the start of February. The price of an ordinary domestic letter rose from CZK 16 to CZK 19 (€0.74), and a registered letter costs €1.72 (raise from CZK 38 to CZK 44). The price hike was necessary to ensure quality and accessibility of service. The cost of basic parcel services remains unchanged.