𝗨𝗣𝗨 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗶𝘆𝗮𝗱𝗵 (𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟯)

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟰𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗶𝘆𝗮𝗱𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗣𝗨’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

The UPU #Congress is the supreme authority of the Universal Postal Union (#UPU) and meets every four years. At the last, 27th Congress in 2021, it was decided to host an extraordinary Congress mid-term.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰: “𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁 – 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱/𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀”

Due to pressing #developments concerning #customs and #security, the designated postal operators (#DOs) propose amendments to the UPU #treaties on #electronicadvanceddata for transit and transhipment. The proposals reflect the growing requirements of member countries and their competent (customs) authorities, and bring to an end the preferential treatment of DOs and postal items in the EU due to the entry into force of new #regulations (i.e., #ICS2).

DOs are struggling to meet #requirements to digitally interconnect with public authorities’ #IT systems and workflows. This, along with factors such as the high #fees charged by DOs for import #customsclearance and increasing #competition from the #commercial sector, have made postal items shipped within the UPU channel (especially DDU) significantly less competitive. The result has been UPU postal volumes being siphoned off to commercial players and some of the major DOs who have successfully adapted to these framework conditions.

𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘭: “Special agreements entered into by member countries or designated operators with a view to establishing between themselves common customs and/or #securitymeasures for the transit of #postal items shall, in so far as the territory covered by the aforementioned #measures is concerned, be deemed as having observed the relevant provisions regarding freedom of transit…”

This is a first step towards overcoming the #challenges of #transit/transhipment. It remains to be seen to what extent this #solution (which by its very nature is primarily beneficial for the large #transit countries and their DOs) will be able to solve both the current problems of #market #segmentation, and the increasing number of requirements and special solutions which are already overwhelming many small and medium-sized DOs. Here, the UPU is already working intensively on additional solution #models.

𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗶𝘆𝗮𝗱𝗵 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗣𝗨 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲.