Good morning colleagues. The agenda includes the informal hearing of the Chief Executive Officer of Poste Italiane S.p.A., Mr. Matteo Fante, in the context of the examination of the draft program contract between the Ministry, the companies of Medin Italy, and Poste Italiane S.p.A. for the five-year period 2026-2031. I note that the hearing, in the absence of objections from the person being heard, will be broadcast live on the web TV of the Chamber of Deputies. I thank Matteo Fante, Chief Executive Officer of Poste Italiane, and Giuseppe Lasco, Director General, accompanied by the Head of Institutional Relations, Giada Scarpini, and the Head of Relations with Central and Local Institutions, Luigi Antonio Madeo. Thank you for accepting the commission's invitation. I remind you that the intervention must be contained within a maximum time of 15 minutes. Please, Doctor Melfi.
Ok. I'll try to go very fast in the 16 minutes to then leave time for questions. I have a presentation that, while it's being loaded, starts with the illustration of our presence in Italy. In summary, our 13,000 post offices have remained substantially unchanged compared to 9 years ago, when we started managing the company. It has expanded to 49,000 third-party network points, so there are tobacco shops, bars, newsstands that mainly provide payment services for us, and above all, our interaction with citizens has expanded greatly in a digital way. We are now the first digital operator and we have 27 million daily interactions. Our territorial presence has been strengthened thanks to PNRR funds through the Polilis project. You will note that in 7,000 post offices in municipalities with fewer than 15,000 inhabitants, it has brought public administration services.
Last thing in terms of presence and, let's say, our activity in Italy, we are also the first operator of SPID with about 30 out of 33 million digital identities of the SPID system, as you know. The company is currently organized into four segments. The most important is the first. We have made almost 6 billion in investments in these years in correspondence and especially in the world of parcels with state-of-the-art sorting centers. The latest data from 2025 sees us delivering 1.9 billion letters and 350 million, sorry, parcels. We have become, net of the operator who obviously has its own specific position, Amazon, the first parcel operator in the country. Financial services, investments have been lower, 500 million, but we manage more than 600 billion in savings in various forms, including the 340 billion of Italians' postal savings, and we have 6.6 million current accounts. Insurance services, we have about 20 billion in gross premium collection per year for the life branch, but for 6 years the non-life activity has also started and we collected 1.2 billion last year. Finally, the fourth segment of the so-called Postepay services, so our leadership in Italy on the payment card side, in particular on prepaid payment cards where we have reached 95 billion in transaction value with a 20% market share. Not least in this area are the 5 million customers we have in telephony between mobile and fixed customers, including fiber, which are a total of 5 million. Great commitment was also made in the ESG area. You will find here the three pillars of sustainability.
I would start, I would perhaps give a brief mention of what we have done in the environmental area, where we have substantially installed 870 photovoltaic plants. We have 30,000 vehicles that travel around Italy every day for low-emission deliveries, of which 6,002 are totally green. Already mentioned in the social area, the Polis project, which we recall was also recognized at the European level as one of the best, if not the best, inclusion project during the use of post-Covid funds from Next Generation EU, because it is a project of great social cohesion. What has happened in the postal market? Let's get into the details. You see our position and how volumes per inhabitant have decreased, and it is obvious that the postman goes to the Italian's home with an envelope, with five letters, three letters, and one letter, the cost is substantially the same. Unfortunately, the revenue as mail decreases is lower, so we find ourselves in a situation of having to manage and maintain a capillary distribution network in a complex and complex geographical structure of the country with volumes in decline. If only we had the volumes, I don't want to get to Germany, but if only we had the per capita volumes that France has today, which are three times, our service would be widely sustainable. Then when we go to see the economic part, France has a support from the State that is a multiple of what the French post offices, of what we have.
It is important to project this graph in the medium term. Here you see 2020, 2023, 2024. Consider that from January 1st, Denmark has eliminated all universal service obligations, that is, there is no longer mail, let's simplify, mail is in extinction, they had volumes, as you see, even higher than ours, but the government has taken the decision to abolish the service because the digital transition at this point, according to the opinion of the Danish government, solves the problem. The Italian postal market, as you see, has had a decline of more than 50% to date. The reduction, sorry. Yes, thank you. The reduction does not concern only volumes, but also obviously the revenues for our company. So, clearly, for us it is a challenge to continue to operate the service with revenues decreasing year by year. To give you an idea, the estimate we make every year is to lose about 100 million in revenue from mail. If I wanted to keep the accounts in order, I would have to reduce costs by 100 million and it is not possible to reduce the workforce, which is the main cost, every year by 100 million. On the contrary, our labor cost over the years has risen. You see the part, the sub-element of the correspondence service which concerns the universal service which in turn has also been significantly reduced.
The new contract, if we can then we can enter into the individual points of the new contract, but fundamentally with the new budget law, you are obviously aware, the new program contract will extend from May 1, 2026 to December 31, 2036. This is the framework assignment and within this assignment there will be five-year program contracts and therefore the first will expire on December 31, 2031. Access points will be expanded by adding to the post offices also the third-party points that I mentioned at the beginning. Priority mail exits the universal service, the services and commitments are remodulated, so the delivery times of the universal service, so there is no longer priority mail and it passes to 5 days, so this obviously gives us more flexibility in operational management and allows us, jointly, to deliver, to ensure that when we have to deliver the letter within 5 days, perhaps we wait for a parcel to go to that house in those 5 days and so we manage to make a bit of synergy, economy and consider that today we have almost reached 50% of parcels delivered by the Poste Italiane group by our postmen. We started, the percentage was practically less than 5% because the parcels were delivered by SDA, so our express courier. We are because the postmen no longer have mail to deliver and so we are transforming them from letter carriers to a parcel delivery network. The compensation fund has been abolished. This for us is clearly negative news because we would have been the eventual sole beneficiaries of the fund itself, but it had never been activated and so these are government decisions that we obviously respect. The sanctioning system has also been strengthened. Renewed commitment to the capillarity of the networks, we have reiterated it with the addition of third-party operators. Remodulation and simplification of Article 5 of the previous program contract which provided for a series of digital services that are not, let's say, that have been remodulated and let's say lightened. Confirmation of the current contractual level. In short, and as I anticipated, abolition of the compensation fund system.
Here we reiterate that our presence on the territory not only remains, but is strengthened by a possible support from part of the third network, in particular we cite in the first point the network of tobacco shops. But the requirements of capillarity and continuity will continue to be met with the sole network of post offices. Important to emphasize because it is a point that clearly also had a relevance, let's say, a certain sensitivity that the elimination of priority mail, so the one-day service, has no impact on the delivery of newspapers for which the commitment remains. The remodulation of Article 5 I mentioned to you. The financing of the State's burden remains constant at 262 million euros. We have said with the Director General over the years, so obviously the company would have the right to present a higher integration request in line with what the AGCOM establishes as our commitment and the actual cost of the service of 700 million, but being our company, let's say, a company, useless, unpleasant, useful, with the board of directors we believe it is our duty to maintain this number that was given to us, let's say, by the previous board and despite, I repeat, the losses in this space increase and are certified in increase also by the competent authorities, we remain with the support of 262 million euros. The last point is important, what allows us to remain present on the territory, continue to provide the service, not follow the Danish example which abolished it and be content, excuse the expression, of 262 million euros because we have started a path of diversification of our activities into new areas, into new products that create margins and profits that more than compensate for the difficulties of the universal service. Finally, a reminder of the next steps of the process. So arriving today, by April 30th there will be the pre-notification to the European Commission. Comparison with the offices of DG COMP, acquisition of opinions to then arrive at the entry into force on May 1st and between this year and next year obtain from the European Commission the authorization for public financing in the area of state aid. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Doctor Fante. Now the floor to the colleagues. There is the Honorable Pastorella, then Barbagallo, Pastorino and then whoever signs up. Ok. Good.
Thank you very much for this report. Meanwhile, I apologize because unfortunately shortly before 10:00 I will leave and but I will listen to the answer remotely. Three very quick questions, one on the use of third-party points and instrumental services. So the question is, regarding the existing use of third-party points, let's say, the delivery of parcels and letters is added, but it also appears that there is the possibility for you to carry out further instrumental services. I wondered what it was about and if it means that your other pillars, whether it be insurance, mail, etc., can also be provided in tobacco shops and what is the agreement, let's say, with these third-party points regarding the provision of these further instrumental services and naturally if this raises issues related to competition. Second question. I understand that the Polis project has been, let's say, removed from the universal service agreement in some sense. Here too the question is, since it is a service that I believe has been very useful, very appreciated, what will happen? That is, the infrastructures that you have obviously built, in particular software for integration with all the various databases for the provision of civil registry certificates, IMPS and whatever, I imagine you will not dismantle them. So the question is, will these agreements have to be redone one by one with all the 7,000, how many were they, municipalities with IMPS, that is, how will it work, what will happen and if this agreement will continue to be present, because I believe it is really very important. Finally, the theme of the potential acquisition of TIM which naturally is not the subject of this hearing, but the question is what impact it can have on your business in general, in particular the role you will play, if this goes ahead, in the national strategic pole which is, let's say, fundamental for our digital sovereignty, it seems to me that you already intend to acquire the 20% of CDP equity, if you also acquire TIM in total you will have 65%, so you will become the main actor, how this will help or not our digital sovereignty. Thank you.
Thank you Furgiuele. Then Barbagallo prepares. I remind you that then the groups have the times.
Yes, thank you president and thank you for the report. It was very clear regarding what are the intentions of this important group that we have had the opportunity to visit as a commission. And regarding the relationship with the third parties who should anyway integrate the capillary presence of post offices on the territory, I would like to ask if then in the expectation of the service, so in an excellent perspective, the intention that has been clearly expressed regarding the maintenance of post offices. If in this perspective this could instead lead to the closure of some post office and I would like to ask how you think you can then integrate and protect the usership regarding this possibility. Then in the last weeks we have read about the public offer on TIM. I would like to ask what is the strategic direction that will be followed regarding this operation.
Thank you. Obviously, like the colleague Pastorella, we are talking about the program service contract, so I imagine that your question is how the strategy of the... with... the colleague Barbagallo.
Thank you president. I greet the CEO, the director and the entire delegation. Two telegraphic questions that are a bit those that the colleagues also mentioned. The first is the one regarding the strategy with respect to the internal areas, the other the role that is to be exercised with respect to TIM also as a strategic line. And finally, we are concerned about the digital identity issue, we have repeatedly with some inspection actions supported the action of Poste in this legislature and we would like to understand in perspective how we can strengthen the presence and the service to the citizen. Thank you.
Thank you Catano. And then Pastorino prepares.
Yes, thank you. Before asking the questions I cannot emphasize, well, how much this company, a state company, in recent years has made a relaunch, a change of skin truly as an example, as a virtuous case study. Today Poste is a completely different company from 20 years ago. We heard the theme of digitalization, parcel delivery did not exist and moreover you managed to become a world leader. Other companies in the face of changing scenarios have disappeared, instead here we are talking about a success case in my opinion it deserves to be emphasized. And I also have some questions. The first is if the priority mail which should be excluded from May 1, 2026 within the universal service does not represent a setback for the company with respect to the provision of the delivery service, its role? I don't think so. I also know the aspect of territorial connection that you have always maintained and in my opinion it is a great strength also in the internal areas. Interesting the question also of the previous colleague. And finally, obviously I cannot avoid asking about the TIM operation what is the strategic rationale of the public tender offer. Also here, however, I already emphasize how I think. I think it is good news because if it is true that today the flow of data represents a strategic asset that must be protected of the country, I really believe that it can be good news to have it in hands, let's say, with public participation. It is a protection of all consumers, of all of us.
Thank you. Now we pass to the colleague Longi for no, excuse me, Pastorino and then Longi.
Thank you president. I also thank you for the hearing. I apologize for not being present, I had already wanted to talk a bit with your precious Ms. Scarpini, but my question will not be on TIM, this has been asked by everyone, but I wanted to return for a moment on how the remodulation and simplification of Article 5 was defined, that is, services to the citizen, the enterprise to public administrations, because then it is very clear to me that the opinion of AGCOM has gone in the direction of having to distinguish the financing of the universal service from this type of support which, however, as was said to my colleagues, is an important support and that was presented. I, as more or less everyone knows, am also, I also have the honor of being a mayor of a small municipality, so I also participated a lot in the presentation events, but I wanted to understand and anyway I also make compliments as colleague Cattani for the diversification activity that has been carried out over the years. These important numbers also in relation to the terms of savings collection, well, are all pieces of a strategy that will allow to suffer, let's say, the reduction of the traditional universal service numbers. But returning to Article 5, I wanted to understand, since we are talking about agreements, as my colleague Pastorella said, so it means that the agreements must be made with the individual entities, one, if they are agreements for a fee, two. And the third thing is if beyond the valuable services that were already provided last Sunday, it seems to me that on a Ligurian newspaper, I come from Liguria, there was a very detailed article on the services that were not, let's say, installed on a complicated territory, I speak from the hinterland of the province of Genoa, in this case, with the satisfaction of local administrators. Well, I wondered if this type of approach will be maintained and if it could be, let's say, provided besides the issue of passports which is already active, for example, in my municipality, also the implementation with general services with the insertion of electronic identity cards. I say this because as you will know from August onwards paper cards will no longer have value, so well, some municipalities, especially the less structured ones, are a bit in difficulty in reaching this goal with total or partial coverage of their citizens through the issuance of this electronic identity card. Thank you.
Thank you. So Longi, then we have Iaria by chance.
Yes, thank you president. I wanted to understand regarding the four blocks of services offered today which is the most profitable that allows to balance the provision of those more traditional services in loss and therefore which is the one among the four blocks on which Poste is focusing more? It is always in the perspective of a new future program contract that could concern the acquisition of TIM, if this concerns only the services part or also all that part that remained in TIM of infrastructure and therefore let's say pursuing what is the objective of national sovereignty on the infrastructure part. Thank you.
Colleague Ieria.
Yes, thank you. Thank you the CEO for your report. You said an interesting thing that France gives, that is, the French nation gives more support to guarantee the postal service, its postal company, but don't you think that this guarantee is also due to the fact that the French post offices have a guarantee of remaining public. So I connect to the first question I ask you on the privatization theme, which now is a further 14% that is being privatized, don't you think this is a problem of losing from the point of view of the State a whole series of dividends, advantages from having Poste as a great reality as it is now. And second question, you spoke about the compensation fund and it seems to me there was a slight complaint about the fact that it was abolished, but from what I read from AGCOM it is not that it was really abolished, but the public compensation remains and there is the theme of how this universal service burden will be calculated, what guarantees for citizens. So the compensation fund remains and will be calculated in another way. So it is not really true that it was abolished and so on this you can tell me something. And the other theme on the reorganization of Poste. You have made important cuts, about 3300 delivery zones. You have also closed a whole series of local offices. Clearly this has brought both from your side a rationalization, but also brought a whole series of inconveniences for citizens and this also on the fact of having a company that should clearly be a service, but also a representation of the State. I think that the balance between service and economy of the company can clearly also be modified a bit so as not to create these disservices. Besides, there was also a severe mission that 30% of the sites chosen for the courier network is not adequate for spaces, parking and safety names, since you focus a lot on the logistics part and if this news is true, if it is true that you admitted it and therefore I do not ask the question about the TIM OPA, also because the whole theme of telecommunications is in constant ferment at the moment what worries us effectively if we associate the discourse that there is a possible privatization to the clearly enormous market position on the data, data center, networks that you would have with the acquisition of TIM if these things then do not go into conflict. Thank you.
Thank you, deputy by chance.
Thank you president. I emphasize the importance of this hearing, of this path. We have strongly wanted, we will also meet the unions in the afternoon the government, so some of the questions, I realize are not directed at you, but are to better frame the time and stay right on today's topic. The first question is relative, I saw very important numbers, a net profit equal to 2.3 billion net of the TIM participation. Let's remember in this context that it was important the parliamentary battle also to prevent the further sale of TIM shares and the shares of Poste Italiane. The question is if all the operations we are talking about would have been possible if instead we had proceeded to sell a further part of the shares in public hands. If instead this represents a fundamental strategic asset as strongly wanted. I share the concerns. It is important to build European champions of services, but also of...
Infrastructure. We'll have other opportunities to discuss. On the merits, I heard about a 50% reduction in volumes — is that net of the Nexi acquisition, meaning are volumes growing or declining relative to the companies being acquired? There's the issue of how to protect editorial products, as was mentioned. Clearly, newspapers cannot be delivered every 5 days. The question is whether this aspect can be better clarified, including through our reports. Then there's a passage on third-party networks, and we haven't quite understood which entities are being referred to. There's the issue of basic articulation. Cost-effectiveness is an important criterion, but for us, the democratic oversight and the social territorial function that Poste Italiane represents is also fundamental. Page 9 on accessibility for disabled people. And one last consideration regarding the Polilce project. If, as we understand, this now targets municipalities up to 15,000 inhabitants, how can this transition ensure a new planning capacity for a project we consider absolutely fundamental? One last consideration is not for you. It's clear that if the universal service is fundamental and is a national cohesion safeguard, the maximum amount provided for the universal service is probably not adequate to guarantee this service. We will also raise this with the government, but we think it's important to understand whether we as parliament can also do something for this — for maintaining employment levels throughout the five-year period, for guaranteeing a mandatory prior consultation obligation with the government and trade unions before any reorganization plan affecting staff and networks, and for extending postal workers' contract standards to all personnel employed through the third-party network. We are very interested in understanding how this third-party network, amid the changes taking place, can in some way represent an enriching element in terms of absolute numbers, but without diminishing the guarantees for workers.
Thank you, President. I too want to join in the satisfaction for the truly brilliant results achieved by the company and for the transformation you have managed to carry out over these years. You know, I come from a region — we've known each other for years — which is Piedmont, with many municipalities under 1,000 inhabitants, so our concern essentially concerns the network. We know that whatever decision you take on the territory is usually coordinated with local authorities. But I wanted to understand what criteria you are using in the rationalization of the network, which is right, of course, while obviously safeguarding services, and I recommend great attention especially for small municipalities where, as you know, it's useless to reiterate because it has been your policy for years — the postal service represents something more than just a postal service. Thank you.
Thank you. If there are no other interventions, I'll also ask one last question, in addition to congratulating you because I must say that over these years you have demonstrated how a state-owned company can operate in the market in an excellent manner. I also recall that when we met for the last hearing here, this committee demonstrated its belief in you, including with a parliamentary opinion where it was emphasized the desire to maintain public ownership in your company — so no privatization. We dismissed all hypotheses of any privatizations, so much so that even a delegation from Great Britain came to take the Poste model as an example to import. Shortly I also met with the European postal and services union, which was truly amazed at how you managed to maintain a positive position in the market, but also without sacrifices on personnel and other matters. But the question I wanted to ask you was, for example, whether it's possible — if those shares that you might want to leave in the market, as the Prime Minister also said — whether it would be possible to do a pilot project, perhaps hypothesizing, since you are a family that for years has represented a family and not just a company, perhaps dedicating them to postal employees, so it could be a commitment to continue maintaining that worker participation in the company. Please, Dr. Fante.
