The Act of 26 January 2018 on postal services and the Royal Decree of 20 December 2018 on the calculation of the net cost (hereinafter, “the RD”) provide the current legal framework under which bpost has been required, since 1 January 2019 (since the calculation for 2018), to calculate the net cost of universal service obligations on an annual basis. Based on that same legal framework, the BIPT has been mandated to check this calculation.
The RD also lays down that not only must the (costs and revenues of the) universal service (“US”) be taken into account, but also the benefits that are not directly measurable for the designated provider, referred to as “intangible and market benefits”.
In this context, the BIPT verified the calculation of the net cost of the US for the year 2018. This report constitutes a preparatory economic exercise with a view to possible future net cost calculations.