New postal law planned
Can letters soon arrive later?
08/11/2023, 11:55 am
Letters may not cost more for the time being. But the planned amendment to the postal law could bring about another change: the period in which letters should normally arrive could be extended, according to a media report.
After the postage increase was rejected, the federal government could take a step towards Deutsche Post in another area and extend the delivery time for letters. The Federal Ministry of Economics wants to make a proposal for a revision of the postal law after the parliamentary summer break, reported the “Business Insider”. Accordingly, letters should in future be allowed to arrive at least three days after they have been posted.
Officially, the ministry did not want to comment on the portal. A spokeswoman only said that in January 2023 the ministry presented the key points to amend the postal law and thus make it future-proof. On this basis, it will probably present a draft bill at the end of the summer.
Until now, letters and postcards should arrive at the recipient on the following working day (“E+1”). Swiss Post has been trying to extend this transit time for a long time. In times of e-mails and digital communication, fewer and fewer letters are being sent, is the reasoning.
On Monday, the Federal Network Agency rejected Deutsche Post’s application for an early increase in letter postage for 2024. The company had cited “drastically increased costs due to inflation, higher energy prices and the very high wage agreement for 2023 as well as a significantly greater decrease in letter volumes” as reasons for the application.