Bern wants to reduce postal services and resistance is organized

The Federal Council’s project to grant more flexibility to the Post Office is combated. For example, The criticisms aim to relax the delivery times for letters. Furthermore, packages, and the end of the obligation to distribute in isolated areas.

The partial revision of the Post Office should allow the yolk giant to save up to 45 million francs per year from 2026. Moreover, This should guarantee the financing of the universal serviceaccording to the Federal Council.

The government’s project provides in particular that La Poste will have to distribute the. Similarly, shipments in “all the inhabited areas year -round” comprising at least five houses on an area of one hectare.

On the other hand, the obligation to distribute in isolated homes, even occupied year -round, will be deleted. Similarly, The relaxation of the delivery times for letters, parcels and daily newspapers was also offered.

Peripheral regions affected – Bern wants reduce postal services

Several mountain cantons criticize this proposal. For Valais. Moreover, the savings would only be achieved by a deterioration in the quality of the services, which would first suffer from the peripheral regions.

An opinion shared by the canton of Uri. Meanwhile, In his eyes, this reform would particularly affect the side valleys. Meanwhile, As well as the elderly or reduced mobility, who would be forced to get their mail in collection points.

The Union of the Swiss communes (ACS) also rejects a measure bern wants reduce postal services which would be at the expense of a quality universal service. For example, accessible to all regions and their population. Therefore, The proposed measurement “would” disproportionately “penalize rural and peripheral regions.

Inequality of treatment Between town. countryside – Bern wants reduce postal services

The Swiss group for mountain regions (SAB) and the Swiss union union (USS) are also opposed to the proposed measure. “We could only consider such an option if there was an efficient digital service. which is not yet the case for the regions concerned “they argue.

For the two organizations. as long as the Confederation has not implemented its “Gigabit strategy”, which aims to develop access to the Internet with very high speed throughout the country, You cannot limit, and even less delete the physical distribution of mail.

Agricultural holdings located outside the agglomerations benefiting from a reliable service would be the first affected. add the Swiss Union of Peasants (USP) and the Swiss Alpine Economy Society (SAV). They denounce an inequality of treatment between city and countryside.

Elderly and reduced mobility affected

No question either to soften the home distribution times of the mail. The project provides that La Poste is required to comply with 90% the delivery time for letters, packages and daily subscriptions. Currently, these deadlines are 97%, respectively 95% for daily newspapers.

In unison. the cantons, the Union of Swiss communes, SAB, USS and Economiesuisse claim that if the newspapers are distributed later, they lose attractiveness. They recall that the Parliament decided during its March session to increase indirect press for seven bern wants reduce postal services years. which explicitly includes support for the morning distribution of newspapers.

For the Federation of Associations of Retirees. Mutual Aid in Switzerland (Fares), the two proposed measures would particularly affect the elderly and reduced mobility.

New digital services greeted

It is however an almost unanimous “yes” to the project aimed at modernizing the universal service thanks to new digital tools. USS. Fares and Sab Home development in the digital fieldwhile largely rejecting the deteriorations provided for in the non -digital field. “Traditional analog offers should absolutely continue to be part of the universal service,” they say.

The cantons also welcome new digital services. Lucerne is for example “very interested in a secure distribution platform for the electronic correspondence of the authorities. including electronic legal bern wants reduce postal services transactions”.

Possible lack of legal basis

Economiesuisse, however, regrets the absence of sufficient legal basis in the project. “There is no market failure that would justify a basic service of digital services by post. ” writes the scheme of the economy. Private companies already offer digital or hybrid distribution systems, as well as secure communications.

For the Swiss Consumer Forum, nouvvelles electronic and hybrid offers are not in accordance with the law. This does not mention neither electronic shipments nor hybrid shipments.

The revision of the postal order is only an intermediate step. The Federal Council must grant the major reform of the postal law after the summer break. Parliament will have the last word. The current law had been adopted fifteen years ago. bern wants reduce postal services (AG/ATS)

According to several Swiss companies, the customs duties that the United States has imposed on Switzerland will have only “limited effect”. In question: several manufacturers have factories on American territory.

Customs duties of 39% imposed by the United States on Switzerland did not seem bern wants reduce postal services to worry companies contacted by the AWP agency. at least immediately. Some see only a “limited impact” on their business, while others are wait -and -see.