Postal service market

Postal services include acceptance, routing, transportation, and delivery of post. The postal services market is shared by providers listed in the Agency's official registry.

The Agency's activities related to postal services are defined in the Postal Services Act (ZPSto-2). The Act specifies that the Agency must act transparently and ensure that there is no discrimination between the providers and users of postal services under similar circumstances. The Agency strives to operate in such a way as to provide its users with high-quality, reliable, and affordable postal services, and its authority includes monitoring the quality and the method of providing the universal postal service and adopting appropriate measures if the postal service is not provided.

Market liberalization

The market liberalization of postal service in Slovenia has been gradually ongoing since 1997. Since 3 August 2009 the Postal Services Act has been in effect, following the principles from the Postal Directive 2008/6/ES, and ensuring full liberalization of the postal industry. The Act has removed the exclusive right of providing reserved postal services (transfer of letters and postal cards under 50 g), as since 1 January 2011 they can also be performed by other postal service providers, including the providers of interchangeable postal services who are entitled to the access to the network.

Providers of interchangeable postal services

Providers of interchangeable postal services provide services, which, from the users’ perspective, might be deemed as services from the segment of universal service, as they are sufficiently interchangeable with universal service. If the Agency establishes that this is the case after receiving a notification, it issues a declaratory order.

Providers of interchangeable postal services are obligated to:

• contribute to the compensation fund for covering net costs of the universal posal service,
• pay an annual fee to the Agency and
• adhere to all the provisions related to postal service providers, as defined in ZPSto-2 or executive acts issued based on this Act.

Confidentiality of letter mail

Postal service providers may not obtain any information related to the content of letter mail, nor data on the facts and circumstances related to the postal traffic. If this is required for the provision of postal services and resolving complaints, they may only obtain such data in the scope and for the duration of the provision of postal services or resolving complaints.

Letter mail confidentiality is described in detail in Article 53 of ZPSto-2.