Access to Network

Under the Postal Services Act (Article 32), the providers of interchangeable postal services may access the universal postal service provider’s network.

The universal postal service provider (Pošta Slovenije d.o.o.) must conclude an agreement on access with providers of interchangeable postal services at their request, regulating the manner and conditions of accessing the postal network, cost-oriented price of the access, charging and invoicing, and other issues related to access.

The universal postal service provider must publish transparent and non-discriminatory terms and conditions of access together with the prices and means of access, which are based on general terms and conditions for providing postal services and prices.

Access to Postal Infrastructure

Access to the network in practice means that the provider of interchangeable postal services delivers its sorted mail to an access point and is granted a certain discount based on the access point type (regional or delivery post office) and the level to which the mail is sorted (delivery post office or delivery district).
 
The points for accessing the infrastructure are:

• 8 regional clearance post offices: 1102 Ljubljana, 2102 Maribor, 3102 Celje, 4101 Kranj, 5102 Nova Gorica, 6104 Koper, 8101 Novo mesto, and 9101 Murska Sobota,

• all delivery post offices.

In regard to infrastructure access, further access levels are defined as:

• mail for addressees at all post offices around Slovenia, sorted to the level of delivery post office,

• mail for addressees at all post offices around Slovenia, sorted to the level of delivery district (in the framework of the delivery post office level; handed over at a regional or delivery post office, where the provider submits the mail).

The universal service provider currently provides access for the following services: standard letters, postal cards, ordinary letters, printed papers of up to 2 kg in domestic and international traffic, registered letters, insured letters, ordinary parcels of up to 10 kg, and parcels of up to 10 kg in domestic postal traffic.

Access Prices

The price of access to the postal network of Pošta Slovenije, d.o.o. is calculated by evaluating the costs of all the activities performed by the provider of interchangeable services (transporting sorted mail to the access point i.e. performing part of the activities) and subtracting them from the valid retail price. Pošta Slovenije must subtract the calculated share of activities it has avoided from valid retail prices at the percentage defined by the Agency.
 
The Agency issued two decisions:

• Decision on access to the postal network of Pošta Slovenije, d. o. o. for postal items of over 50 g (Slovene version)

• Decision on changes to prices in the General terms and conditions of access to the postal network of Pošta Slovenije, d. o. o. for postal items of over 50 g (Slovene version)

General Terms and Conditions of Access

When setting the prices and determining terms and conditions of access, the universal postal service provider must not discriminate between different providers of interchangeable postal services.

General terms and conditions for access are published on the website of Pošta Slovenije, d.o.o.

Regulatory Intervention

The Agency’s measures for fulfilling the obligation of access for providers of interchangeable postal services must be transparent, proportionate, and non-discriminatory.

Directive on Postal Services

The Directive 2008/6/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (the so called Directive on postal services) adopted by the EU envisages the option of access. The Directive on postal services allows members states to regulate access to infrastructure or services as the universal postal service provider’s obligation according to the situation in the market and with the purpose of developing competition and/or protecting users’ interests. Two approaches are possible:

• access to postal infrastructure (network)

• access to postal infrastructure elements or services.

The image shows access to the postal network based on a simplified value chain, i.e. sequence of basic work procedures in transporting a postal item (collection, sorting, transport and delivery).

The elements of a postal network and services are listed in the Directive on postal services. These elements and services comprise the postcode system, address database, post office boxes, delivery boxes, information on change of address, re-direction service, and return to sender service.
 
The directive also states that whenever universal service providers apply special tariffs (for example for services for businesses, bulk mailers or consolidators of mail from different users) they must apply the principles of transparency and non-discrimination with regard both to the tariffs and to the associated conditions. The tariffs, together with the associated conditions, shall apply equally between different third parties as between third parties and universal service providers supplying equivalent services. Any such tariffs shall also be available to users, in particular individual users and small and medium-sized enterprises, who send post under similar conditions.