site.btaParliament Amends Postal Services Act At First Reading

Parliament on Thursday adopted at first reading, 87-16,with 42 abstentions, amendments to the Postal Services Act, proposed by the Council of Ministers (MoM).

A bill, sponsored by Kostadin Kostadinov from Vazrahdane was rejected, by 46 votes in favour, 36 against and 80 abstentions.

In its reasoning, the Council of Ministers recalled that in order to rehabilitate and shore up the Bulgarian Posts, a restructuring plan for the company had been prepared. One of the main requirements of the EC is that the Bulgarian state should guarantee the implementation of the universal postal service at least for the restructuring period.

In October 2024 the company's capital was increased by BGN 50 million.

In connection with the restructuring plan, the National Assembly voted to extend the term of the universal postal service obligation by 5 years, starting from 30 December 2025. The extension is justified by the need to guarantee its provision by the state, thus, according to the petitioner, ensuring access to postal services for people in the most remote, hard-to-reach populated areas.

The explanatory memorandum to the bill stresses that the provision of the service represents an unfair financial burden for Bulgarian Posts EAD, for which the company is compensated by the State. At present, the compensation is granted in line with a European decision according to which the amount the company is entitled to receive is limited to EUR 15 million. The current bill provides that the company is entitled to receive the full amount of compensation (including where the net cost of providing the service exceeds EUR 15 million), again subject to State aid rules.