BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - The reform of the outdated Postal Act is a done deal. After the Bundestag had already given the green light in June, the Bundesrat also voted in favor of the first comprehensive amendment to the law since 1997. Back then, letters were much more important than in today's digital age, in which people rely on emails and chats for everyday communication.

The law is adapting to the changed demand for letters. It stipulates that Deutsche Post will have significantly less time pressure to deliver letters in future. Until now, 80 percent of items posted today had to reach the recipient on the next working day. Instead, a mandatory value will only apply on the third working day after posting, after which 95% must have arrived and 99% on the fourth working day.

For consumers, this means that they will have to wait longer on average for a standard letter from 2025. The Bonn-based company can reduce costs thanks to the new requirements. It has already discontinued its decades-long night flights to deliver letters.

It will also be possible to install vending machines instead of post offices. However, there are strict limits to this - ultimately, vending machines can only be counted towards the continuing obligation to have a branch network if Swiss Post cannot find a retailer who will also install a post office counter in their store. This is likely to be the case in some villages where the last supermarket or kiosk has closed down. Local authority representatives will be involved in the issue of vending machines, with the Federal Network Agency having the final say. There is also a new requirement for parcels weighing 10 kilos or more to be labeled so that delivery staff do not get injured and suffer back problems.

The ban on subcontractors in the parcel sector originally demanded by the Federal Council has been dropped, but relatively strict monitoring obligations are to apply to the use of these contractors. For the trade union Verdi and some politicians, subcontractors are a red rag, as they consider the working conditions there to be poor. During raids, the customs authorities repeatedly come across cases of illegal employment and other breaches of the law. The main parts of the law will come into force in January 2025./wdw/DP/mis