BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Mail delivery in Germany will not slow down as much at the beginning of next year as an amendment to the law would allow, according to Post CEO Tobias Meyer. The delivery time of letters - i.e. the time it takes for them to reach the recipient - will not change "abruptly" in January, but there will be a gradual transition, he said, referring to the amendment to the Postal Act, which the Bundesrat had recently adopted.

When asked how long this transition would take, he said: "one to two years". This means that letters will still be delivered quite quickly in some regions in 2026.

Currently, 80 percent of letters posted today must be delivered on the next working day and 95 percent on the second working day. In January 2025, the first volume target will no longer apply and the second target will be postponed to the third working day. As a result, she could postpone the delivery of 80 percent of the letter volume by two days in accordance with the government regulation.

Meyer emphasized that this was a minimum target and that the actual average could be higher. "It doesn't do us any good to sit around on a pile of letters and wait until the time is up." Because the volume of letters is decreasing in the digital age, it is possible to work faster. "If we have fewer letters, we can also sort some of them faster." Most of the network will be converted in the course of 2025 and the rest in 2026./wdw/DP/jha