It is expected the income of the postal service to exceed 7 pct in 2008. It is envisaged increasing the number of the legal operators in 2008, chairperson of the State Agency for Information Technology and Communications, Plamen Vachkov said during a roundtable discussion, FOCUS News Agency reporter informed. More than 80 postal operators are on the Bulgarian market in the situation of liberalization of the postal services.
Read MoreCountry sheet: Bulgaria – Main developments in the postal sector (2006-2008)
Read MoreRomanian Post announces that this week sees the start of the ACTIN project with session communications focusing on quality of service.
ACTIN stands for Acquis Communautaire Training Initiative. The project aims to help prepare eastern european postal operators for the changes to internal markets as a result of postal liberalisation and in particular, competition. ACTIN is supported by the European Commission under its BSP2 Business Support Programme, a part of the PHARE initiative, and is coordinated by PostEurop (the Association of European Public Postal Operators), in cooperation with FEDMA and IPALMO (an Italian Research Institute).
The main beneficiaries are said to be Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Turkey. The Pro Actin goal is to help operators adapt their business practices so they can compete successfully in the enlarged Union. The project works on a “training the trainers” model; this means that the people who benefit directly from the ACTIN training sessions will be able to go back to their home countries and businesses and pass on the knowledge they have acquired.
The seminar is supported by Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal and the Slovak Republic. Romanian Post was nominated to host the ‘quality of service’ seminar.
The event runs from September 2-4, is conducted under the aegis of two major organizations: the European Commission represented by Mr. Denis Sparas, Project Manager and PostEurop Represenative Mr Ingemar Persson, general secretary of PostEurop.
Read MoreInternational courier company TNT announced intentions to station its new logistics complex for Eastern Europe in Bulgaria, TNT Airways managing director for Eastern Europe Niki Terzakis was quoted by Bulgarian daily Dnevnik as saying on June 23 2008.
Terzakis said that the need for the new depot meshed well with plans for aggressive expansion in Bulgaria, as well as with the availability of a score of high-profile clients with potential interest in using the hub.
According to Terzakis, the main predicament to the development of the transport and courier services were heavy bureaucracy, public administration’s inflexibility and the complicated regulatory regimes.
In Bulgaria, TNT is present only through its express transportation services division, its postal business yet to set foot in Bulgaria.
In related news, TNT’s international rival DHL announced it would allow Bulgaria’s Customs Agency full access for tracking parcels. The motion will be legitimised through an annex to the 2000 memorandum between DHL and the Customs Agency aimed at fighting drug trafficking.
Bulgarian Posts will be restructured into a holding of six shareholding companies, which will draw on the public private partnership model, and will appoint a second executive director to represent the interests of attracted strategic investors, a copy of the corporate restructuring strategy, leaked to Dnevnik daily reads.
The company’s executive director Entseslav Harmandzhiev has already briefed the leaders of Bulgarian trade unions about the plans.
According to the strategy, restructuring would be implemented by October 1. It will result in the formation of the companies Finance Post, Bulpost/EMS, Post Trans and Trade, Bulgarian Philately, Hybrid Post and Post Tourist. All companies will attract strategic investors and will be forming public-private partnerships.
Bulpost / EMS will take over the courier postal services business, both inbound and outbound. Finance Post will be in charge of financial services (postal cash transfers and cash collection). Hybrid Post will offer utility payments. Post Trans and Trade will tackle logistics and commercial activities, whereas Bulgarian Philately – the business with envelopes and stamps.
The sixth company, Post Tourist, will operate the vacation sites owned by Bulgarian Posts. This type of activity is an attempt to diversify the range of Bulgarian Posts services. Currently, the holding owns seven holiday sites worth a combined 20 million leva. They are located in Golden Sands, SS Konstantin and Elena, in Bankya, Pancharevo, Ravda, off Batak dam and Apriltsi village.
None of the six shareholding companies will be dealing with the universal postal service, letter distribution. According to the Postal Services Act, Bulgarian Posts EAD is obliged to offer the universal postal service nationwide at low prices. According to Harmandzhiev, it would be operated by the parent company Bulgarian Posts.
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