Slovak Postal services receive EIB funding in digitalization rush

Slovenská pošta continues to play a key role in the country’s economy, but the role of postal services is rapidly evolving

We might not always notice them, but postal services are a continuous and ever-present part of our daily lives. Yet while they, in essence, might have remained unchanged during the years, digitalisation and the need for it has slowly crept up on these essential services.

Slovakia is no exception, as Slovenská pošta, the country’s national postal service, remains a key part of its economy – but needs to quickly upgrade its services in order to remain in touch with the times.

The EIB supporting digitalisation

While the delivery of mail has quickly fallen out of fashion, parcel deliveries have only grown in importance – especially over the last few months when online shopping became the norm for many citizens.

In order to meet the demand for better digital services, the EIB and Slovenská pošta have signed an agreement for a 32-million-euro loan, that will aid the Slovak postal services to innovate and digitize its services. Thanks to the funding, SP will be able to purchase and integrate new software and hardware into its services, thus quickly bringing the entire company into 2020.

The loan is part of Slovenská pošta’s 2018-2021 investment programme that places digitalisation at the top of the list of priorities. Through said programme, the company wants to offer a better quality of postal services and to remain competitive in an increasingly high-tech market.

Upon signing the agreement, EIB Vice-President Lilyana Pavlova stated that “The ambitious investment programme deployed by Slovenská pošta demonstrates its constant efforts to maintain high quality services for its customers and to adapt to the changes fostered by the digital economy. The modernisation of SP will support innovation and competitiveness in Slovakia and enable the e-economy and the integration of domestic and international supply chains, thus playing a key role in strengthening the EU Single Market. It will benefit citizens and businesses across the country, and thus enhance the cohesion of the territory. I am very proud that the EIB is part of it.”