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02.04.2019
As the European Council has agreed to an extension of the UK’s withdrawal period from the European Union (EU) until the 12th of April 2019, the exchange of items with the UK will remain unchanged until the specified deadline. Since there is still uncertainty about the future political decision on the relations between the EU and the UK, the possible models of postal item traffic are also not known, but according to the information currently available, two potential scenarios are being considered as possible options for the delivery and receipt of postal items from that country: without an agreement between the UK and the EU and with the relevant agreement.
The European Council has agreed to an extension of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU until the 12th of April 2019, which means that the exchange of items with the UK will remain unchanged until the specified deadline. As there is still uncertainty about the future political decisions on the relations between the EU and the UK, postal operators in the countries concerned are currently not clearly aware of the form of their relations after the 12th of April.
Two potential scenarios are currently being considered as the possible options for the delivery and receipt of postal items from the UK: without an agreement between the UK and the European Union (EU) and with the relevant agreement.
If the agreement is not signed, the exchange of postal items with the UK will be subject to the same conditions as applied to any other country outside the EU: in regard to postcards, items in wrapper, letters and small packets to the UK, tariffs within this option would change by applying them in the same way as they are applied to postal items sent to countries outside the EU.
If the agreement is not signed, changes are also expected in regard to express mail (EMS) items to and from the UK – their delivery in both countries will be prolonged by customs checks, the term of which cannot be determined at the moment. These items will also be subject to the customs duty and VAT.
If, however, the agreement is concluded, the exchange of postal items between Latvia and the UK could take place either on the basis of the current treaties and in accordance with established procedure, or by establishing additional conditions and amendments.
As soon as the political decisions regarding the relations between the EU and the UK are known, the postal operators of the respective countries will also be able to clarify their future operations after the 12th of April 2019, and Latvijas Pasts will immediately inform its customers and the public at large.
About SJSC Latvijas Pasts
Latvijas Pasts ensures the widest availability of postal services throughout Latvia by maintaining more than 600 post offices. The primary function of the company is provision of the universal postal service; Latvijas Pasts also provides commercial transport, express mail, payment, press subscription, retail and philatelic services. Latvijas Pasts is a wholly State-owned company with around 4,000 employees. The quality measurements of Latvijas Pasts domestic mail deliveries are regularly conducted by Kantar TNS, one of the leading market, social and media research agencies in Latvia. In turn, the quality measurements of the cross-border deliveries are provided within the framework of the International Post Corporation through the intermediary of the research companies Kantar TNS, Ipsos and Quotas.
Additional information:
Vineta Danielsone | Senior Public Relations Project Manager
Phone: +371 67608504
E-mail: pr@pasts.lv; vineta.danielsone@pasts.lv
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