Postal services in the EU

Postal & Delivery

30 Nov

Postal services in the EU

The postal and delivery sector is generating revenue of EUR 79 billion per year and employing around 1.7 million people across the EU.

At the same time, the postal industry is being disrupted by technological developments. Digital transformation is affecting the postal sector on two fronts. On one side, digital means of communication are replacing paper-based ones, decreasing the demand for letters. On the other side, the possibility of shopping online and getting goods delivered is increasing the demand for parcels and packets.

These contrasting pressures underpin different challenges for all stakeholders in the postal sector. Whereas letter volume decline has created challenges for the postal sector and continues to drive changes, the growing e-commerce industry creates new opportunities and demands for the postal sector to respond to and to minimise the negative impact of letter volume decline.

These are some of the topics discussed in our recent study prepared for the European Parliament’s TRAN Committee, Postal Service in the EU.

The study aims at providing the TRAN Committee with an overview of the EU postal services sector, including recent developments, and recommendations for EU policy makers on how to further stimulate growth and competitiveness of the sector.

The report is structured around four chapters, providing an overview of (1) main developments in the EU postal sector, and (2) EU postal sector policy debates and responses, summarising (3) challenges and opportunities for the EU postal sector, and finally providing (4) recommendations for EU postal policy makers.

The study was commissioned by the European Parliament.

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