German regulator sets stamp price guidelines, shrugging off DHL protest

Published On : 11/11/2024

DUESSELDORF (Reuters) – Germany’s network regulator confirmed its guidelines for the pricing of postage stamps on Monday, refusing to go beyond its proposed ranges despite protest by the national operator Deutsche Post, owned by logistics group DHL.

“I cannot understand Post’s demand for an even greater increase. The costs that Post has presented to us do not allow for this. If we were to follow the demands, consumers and companies would be doubly burdened,” regulator president Klaus Mueller said in a statement.

Under the guidelines, which are to apply from the start of 2025 until the end of 2026, stamp prices for private customers and business mail are to rise by an average of 10.48%, while private customers sending parcels would see a 7.21% increase, the regulator said.

DHL has criticised the regulator, which first proposed the pricing guidelines in September, for not giving the postal system enough leeway to respond to rising inflation and falling letter volumes.

(Reporting by Matthias Inverardi, Writing by Rachel More, Editing by Miranda Murray)

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