New Postal Services Act: greater focus on customer needs
Swiss Post stands for a strong, nationwide public service, and therefore supports the postal reform proposed by the Federal Council. This reform ensures a sustainable and high-quality universal service. Its scope will evolve in line with customer requirements in the future. This will enable Swiss Post to enhance its services and combine physical and digital services. For Swiss Post, its ongoing ability to act entrepreneurially remains crucial, allowing the company to remain innovative and continue its self-financed provision of the universal service.
Federal Council’s proposal: demand determines supply, minimum scope is guaranteed
A modern public service is important for Switzerland. The Federal Council’s bill creates the flexibility required to adapt the legally enshrined universal service more quickly to changing customer requirements. At the same time, it ensures a reliable public service for businesses and the general public. “The Federal Council’s bill creates a clear framework. If customers' habits change significantly, Swiss Post can work with politicians to make the necessary adjustments,” explains CEO Pascal Grieder. Everyday life has changed for people, and Swiss Post needs a regulatory framework that is changed and adapted accordingly: the number of letters sent is declining every year. Customers are also paying their bills less and less frequently at Swiss Post branches. “That’s precisely why reform is essential to ensure that Swiss Post will stay relevant to its customers and future generations – in all parts of the country and at fair prices,” underlines the CEO.
Federal Council’s proposal: demand determines supply, minimum scope is guaranteed
The Federal Council’s bill is based on dynamic regulation. This means demand from the general public and businesses is the decisive factor when it comes to adjusting the requirements for the universal service. For example, if the volume of inpayments at the counter falls sharply, Swiss Post can ask the Federal Council for an amendment to the legal provisions. “Or if we only have barely two letters per person per week in our letter boxes, then we should talk about whether the mail carrier should actually come round every day,” explains the CEO. The changes will not be made abruptly, but gradually and within clear limits. A minimum range of postal services remains guaranteed, regardless of how demand develops. This will ensure a high-quality public service throughout Switzerland. One key factor is that when the reform takes effect, the current services within the universal service will remain unchanged, probably until 2030 at least.
Comprehensive modernization of the Swiss Post system strengthens public service
Alongside the universal service requirements, the Federal Council is also renewing the Postal Services Organization Act. This governs how Swiss Post can develop commercially. To put this into context: Swiss Post's provision of the universal service is self-sustaining, and it currently costs around 360 million francs per year. Pascal Grieder emphasizes: “90 percent of our income is earned on the free market. This is channelled directly into the public service. To ensure that this remains successful in the future, Swiss Post needs sufficient entrepreneurial freedom. This is precisely why it’s right to modernize postal legislation holistically. However, selective regulatory interventions, such as those called for by the Grossen parliamentary initiative, jeopardize the balance of the successful model. With this comprehensive revision, the Federal Council is creating a balanced model that strengthens the public service, enables innovation, and safeguards the future of Swiss Post.
