Mailbox changes in Poland

Private building owners have until August 24, 2008 to replace mailboxes at their own expense with new units meeting new EU-mandated technical specifications. The Polish Post, which owns existing mailboxes, must remove them by this deadline. These requirements stem from an Infrastructure Minister directive that recently entered into force. It accommodates Polish regulations to liberalization of the postal delivery market within the EU. Various operators competing in this sector must all have access to mailboxes without the need for a key, as is presently the case. Also, the directive adapts technical standards to the needs of blind and disabled persons. Whereas private home owners remain unaffected by this directive, housing cooperatives have already announced that tenants will have to pay for this modification themselves. Free market principles will apply to the selection of sale of new mailboxes.