The European Commission is preparing the EU Delivery Act, a major reform of the postal regulatory framework, aiming to modernise outdated rules and better align them with market realities. The initiative will replace both the 1997 Postal Services Directive and the 2018 Cross-border Parcels Regulation. It reflects the significant changes in the sector, including declining letter volumes, rising e-commerce deliveries, and growing concerns over consumer protection and fair competition.

The reform will focus on delivery as a service, ensuring that citizens and businesses can receive deliveries throughout the EU at affordable prices while maintaining financial sustainability. It seeks to safeguard universal service access, improve user protection, and establish a level playing field among postal and parcel operators. The Act also aims to simplify administrative burdens for regulators and providers by streamlining reporting and compliance rules.

Among the options under consideration is the merger of existing postal legislation into a single regulation with a new scope focused on the delivery of goods. This approach would ensure equal treatment for all delivery operators, harmonise consumer rights and complaint-handling systems, and improve interoperability across borders, particularly in e-commerce parcel tracking.

An impact assessment and a 12-week public consultation will support the drafting of the proposal. Stakeholders, including postal operators, Member States, regulators, businesses, and consumers, are invited to contribute their views to shape the future of postal delivery in the EU.