Parliamentary parties, government discuss postal act amendmends

The act was approved by Hungarian Parliament in an expedited procedure on March 1, but President János Áder declined to sign it and instead sent it to the Constitutional Court for review, which ruled that the law needs to be amended and harmonized with Hungaryʼs Fundamental Law, according to reports.

The talks were attended by Cabinet Chief János Lázár, who submitted the amendment, as well as representatives of the governing Fidesz and KDNP parties and the opposition Jobbik and LMP parties, while opposition Socialists did not delegate a representative, MTI reported.

Németh said one of the aims of the amendment is to allow Magyar Posta to perform its tasks with the involvement of partner financial institutions in small settlements where post offices are used very little, MTI reported. As a result, state-owned Magyar Posta could save billions while a high standard of customer service could be ensured in these settlements as well, she said, according to MTI.

The expectation is that Magyar Posta should remain a successful state-owned company, MTI reported, adding that based on international trends, the lower demand for traditional postal services needs to be counterbalanced with a new, expanded range of services, Németh added.