Bulgaria Former Deputy Foreign Minister Heads Postal Monopoly

Former deputy foreign minister Milen Keremedchiev has previous experience in companies dealing with air traffic of cargo and passengers and freight-forwarding services. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's former deputy foreign minister Milen Keremedchiev will head the state postal monopoly, it emerged on Friday, a day after the government took the first steps in mail service liberalization.

Keremedchiev, who was deputy minister in the previous Socialist-led government, will replace Alexander Tsvetkov, who was fired.

Milen Keremedchiev has previous experience in companies dealing with air traffic of cargo and passengers and freight-forwarding services.

Earlier in the week the new government announced it will create five new subsidiaries of the state postal monopoly as part of plans to liberalize the mail market.

The state will hold a 51% stake in the subsidiaries, which will deal with door-to-door shipping, payment transfer, hybrid mail, catalogue and IT services.

The mail service overhaul is expected to rake in BGN 4,8 M. The minister said that its 28 territorial units will be reduced to seven, while its regional head office – from 126 to 96. There are no plans for lay-offs.

The state postal monopoly posted losses of BGN 1,8 M at the end of September.

Under European regulations Bulgaria should open its postal market, now monopolised by the state company, to competition on Jan. 1, 2011.

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