Italian, French Posts Partner on Express Deal

The Italian and French post offices have signed a cooperation agreement involving joint handling of express courier traffic, Poste Italiane managing director Corrado Passera told a news conference on Thursday. With immediate effect, La Poste’s Italy-bound express courier traffic will be handled in Italy by Poste Italiane’s wholly controlled express courier subsidiary SDA. Additionally, starting in autumn 2001, Poste Italiane will launch a new ex-Italy international express courier product which will use the network recently set up by La Poste and FedEx, said Passera. FedEx signed an agreement in September 2000 to cooperate in Europe from January 2001 with the French post office’s express distribution unit, Chronopost International. Ex-Italy deliveries on this network will use FedEx’s intercontinental network as well as its air capacity within Europe, while Chronopost will guarantee surface distribution in Europe, as well as distribution in Francophone Africa and Russia, a Poste Italiane statement said. A new joint venture, 51 percent controlled by Poste Italiane and 49 percent controlled by La Poste, will coordinate the courier traffic entering and leaving Italy as well as developing collaboration between the two post offices.” Reuters says
Postal Insight