Youth at Minsk's children's railway (Photo: Bolshakov)
 

Since the last decade of the 20th century, the postal sector has witnessed significant changes in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Designated operators have transformed into commercial enterprises contending with rapid changes in technology, including electronic communication tools that have affected letter-post revenues, and increasingly globalized competition.

In the Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region, the number of foreign-based and local private postal competitors increased throughout during the 1990s, as services provided by designated operators (DOs) decreased. This trend has continued in recent years, according to UPU analysis.

The Regional Commonwealth in the field of Communications (RCC) is a restricted union bringing together actors in the CIS region. Top-level regional priorities developed by the RCC for the current work cycle include improvements in quality of service and postal network efficiency. This includes achieving the international J+5 standard of delivery on the fifth working day after posting for 85 per cent of items.

The other top-level goal for the current cycle is international e-commerce development. This puts the emphasis on marketing and advertising new services, such as e-government services, and stimulating postal market growth through the use of innovative new technologies.