State and major postal firms will split the universal postal service's losses evenly
The losses incurred by the universal postal service will be evenly shared between the state budget and contributions from major market operators. On Wednesday, August 12, the Government approved a draft amendment to the Postal Communications Law addressing this issue.
The need for changes is primarily due to the losses incurred by unprofitable post offices, many of which are situated in rural areas.
According to the document, in 2024, there were 500 unprofitable offices, and by the first nine months of 2025, that number had increased to 609.
During the same period, losses rose from approximately 16.7 million lei in 2024 to around 17.8 million lei in the first nine months of 2025. Unprofitable offices accounted for about 54% of the total number of post offices.
Currently, these losses are covered by the revenue generated by the State Enterprise "Poșta Moldovei" from other commercial activities, through a mechanism known as "cross-subsidization."
The project's authors caution that maintaining this system may put pressure on tariffs and affect the competitiveness of the national operator compared to private providers.
How the mechanism will work
According to the project, 50% of the compensation costs will be covered by the state budget, while the remaining half will be funded by the largest postal service providers—those with a turnover of at least 10 million lei. Each private provider's contribution will be determined in proportion to its market share. Additionally, "Poșta Moldovei," as the provider of the universal postal service, will contribute to the compensation using revenue from postal services that are not part of the universal service.
Based on the data provided by "Poșta Moldovei," the estimated net cost for 2024 is 8.35 million lei. The exact calculation of the amount necessary to compensate for the net cost of providing the universal service can only be done after implementing the methodology for calculating the respective cost, as stated in the project approved by the Government.
Not all losses will be compensated; the mechanism will include only eligible costs established according to methodology approved by the Government and verified by the regulatory authority. Furthermore, the compensation mechanism will not take effect immediately after the law is adopted but will commence on the date of the Republic of Moldova's accession to the European Union.
Postal market based on e-commerce
Deputy Prime Minister Eugen Osmochescu, the Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization, announced that the project aims to establish common rules for all operators in the postal market, not just for "Poșta Moldovei."
"We are aligning everything related to mail and postal services in the Republic of Moldova because we are addressing all operators in the market, not just the state enterprise," Osmochescu stated during a Government meeting.
The legislative adjustments are necessary due to the reconfiguration of the postal market: traditional services are declining, while e-commerce is on the rise. Data for 2024 indicate an 11.5% decrease in domestic traffic and a reduction of over 60% in international shipments. However, the industry's lifeline remains the packages received from abroad, which contribute 47.1% of total revenues.
The document notes that the market has gradually transformed "from a communication-based service to a logistics one, focused on e-commerce." Parcels and small packages have become the primary engine of growth for the sector.
"The services already provided by postal institutions are related to parcels, purchases on platforms, and, of course, delivery through postal services," Osmochescu emphasized.
The project also aims to clarify concepts such as "collection" and "distribution," modify the definition of a postal parcel, and establish rules regarding quality standards, parcel tracking, tariff transparency, and consumer information.
According to the draft, a postal parcel is defined as “a postal item containing goods with or without commercial value, other than correspondence items, with a weight not exceeding 31.5 kg.”
The authors argue that these changes are essential to ensure access to universal postal services for the population across the country and to create a "functional, transparent, competitive, and non-discriminatory" postal market.
