Riga, Feb 12 (LETA) - The Saeima on Thursday adopted amendments to the Postal Law, which provide for the extension of the universal postal service (UPS) obligations for Latvijas Pasts for two years - until December 21, 2028 - without organizing a tender procedure.

The Postal Law stipulates that the UPS provider shall be selected in a tender procedure. The Ministry of Transport explained that the Public Utilities Commission (SPRK) would thus have to organize a tender in 2026 to determine the UPS provider for five years - from January 1, 2027, to December 31, 2031.

However, discussions continue at European Union (EU) level on the need to amend postal regulation in the light of changes in the postal market. The ministry indicated that, if the amendment process is initiated, the new regulation could possibly differ from the current Postal Law.

Thus, it has been decided to extend the UPS obligations of Latvijas Pasts without a tender, but only for two years.

The ministry stressed that over the last five years, opinions have been expressed in various forums that the postal sector has undergone significant changes and that the EU Postal Directive no longer corresponds to realistic conditions. In the fourth quarter of this year, it is planned to start drafting a new regulation to replace the Postal Directive.

The UPS is a minimum set of postal services of a certain quality available to all users in Latvia at a uniform tariff, regardless of their geographical location. The UPS provider is obliged to ensure the delivery of domestic and cross-border correspondence and parcels, as well as subscription newspapers. The tariffs for the service in the postal sector are approved by the SPRK.