Poland enters a fresh era of digitisation of public services, and Polish Post is at the center of this transformation. From 1 January 2025 conventional paper aviso will be replaced with an e-Service system. This amendment aims to simplify communication between citizens and public institutions, but besides introduces fresh challenges for digital exclusion and adaptation of society to digital tools.
What is an e-Service system?
e-Service is an electronic paper transportation strategy that operates in a manner akin to an e-mail, but with full procedural validity. Thanks to it, Poles will be able to receive and send authoritative writings without leaving home, which will importantly reduce the time of paper handling. Each shipment is automatically confirmed in the system, which eliminates the request for manual signing of receipt confirmations.
The Ministry of Digital Affairs has reported that by now more than 3 million e-service boxes, which shows the increasing popularity of this solution.
What will change for citizens?
From 2025, any citizen who establishes an account in the e-Service strategy will be able to handle authoritative matters entirely online. This solution is peculiarly beneficial for agrarian residents and smaller towns, where access to postal facilities is restricted.
However, not everyone is ready for these changes. According to the GUS survey of 2024, 15% of Poles over 60 does not regularly usage the Internet, which means that this group may have difficulty adapting to fresh solutions.
However, the Polish Post Office introduced Public Hybrid Service, which allows the sending of electronic papers which are then printed and supplied in a conventional way to those who do not have access to the Internet. In October 2024 alone, more than 11 million pages of documents.
Impact on entrepreneurs and public institutions
For companies and public institutions, the transition to e-Service is both an chance and a challenge. Entrepreneurs will gotta invest in staff training and introducing fresh procedures for handling electronic documentation.
For the legal sector, including lawyers and legal advisers, the fresh solution needs to be adapted to electronic correspondence systems. Many of them already usage ePUAP, but e-Services are to be even more technologically advanced.
In turn, public institutions, specified as offices, can benefit importantly from this change by optimising their resources. According to the study of the Ministry of Digital Affairs, the introduction of e-Services will save the order PLN 50 million per year by reducing printing and logistics costs.
Concerns about digital exclusion
Despite the many advantages of the e-Service system, experts inform against the problem of digital exclusion. Older people, who frequently do not usage modern technologies, and agrarian residents, where access to the net is restricted, are peculiarly at risk.
To address these problems, the Polish Post Office plans an information run and free training for seniors. In large cities specified as Warsaw, Kraków and Wrocław, peculiar consultation points will besides be launched, where citizens will be able to get assistance in establishing and operating an account in the e-Service system.
Statistics and figures
- Number of e-Service boxes established: 3 million.
- Number of pages printed as part of the Public Hybrid Service in October 2024: 11 million.
- Expected savings in public administration: PLN 50 million per year.
- Percentage of Poles over the age of 60 who do not usage the Internet: 15%.
Digital future of Polish Post
The digital transformation witnessed by Poland is simply a step towards expanding efficiency and convenience in communication with public institutions. However, the success of this change will depend on the effectiveness of educational activities and investments in digital infrastructure.
Continued here:
Revolution in Polish Post: from January 2025 only e-Service
