The e-Delivery service launches on October 5th. What should you know about it?
On June 22, 2021, President Andrzej Duda signed an amendment to the Electronic Delivery Act, according to which Poczta Polska will launch a registered electronic delivery service for correspondence between state administration units and citizens on October 5 of this year. The implementation of e-Delivery will be phased in. Government administration and institutions such as the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS), the Agricultural Social Insurance Fund (KRUS), and the National Health Fund (NFZ) will begin using this form of communication on July 5, 2022. Local government units will join e-Delivery slightly later – the deadline specified in the act is January 1, 2024.
What is e-Delivery in short?
e-Delivery is a convenient and voluntary service in state-to-citizen communication, enabling citizens to electronically receive correspondence from public administration bodies. This means that instead of traditional paper official letters, the letter will be sent electronically to an individual mailbox for electronic delivery, managed by Poczta Polska as the designated digital operator. This solution is more beneficial from the citizen's perspective. e-Delivery is incomparably faster than conventional letter service. Correspondence sent this way can be viewed at any time and anywhere, without having to leave home. The service also benefits the environment, thanks to the savings in paper and other raw materials used in shipment logistics.
For those who, for various reasons, do not choose the electronic service, the Polish Post Office will provide a hybrid service consisting in printing parcels sent electronically by public entities and delivering them to citizens in a traditional form.
In implementing the project, Poczta Polska is working closely with: the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Development, Labour and Technology, the Central Information Technology Centre and the Podlaskie Voivodeship Office.
Features of electronic delivery
e-Delivery is not a service as we know it from email; it would be a mistake to call it a regular email. The differences are vast and stem from the regulations governing e-Delivery. Trust services (e-services) are based on the requirements of Regulation (EC)
No. 910/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market, known as eIDAS, which establishes a legal framework for, among other things, registered electronic delivery services. Trust services are also subject to strict technical standards of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), which regulate the security of their provision.
By meeting the conditions specified in external regulations, the registered electronic delivery service guarantees, above all:
- integrity of the shipment, i.e. maintaining its confidentiality from sending to receipt and its immutability, i.e. guaranteeing the receipt of the unchanged and intact content of the shipment that came from the sender (encrypted messages),
- identification of the sender and recipient – a clear indication of the identity of the process participants,
- time stamping using a qualified trust service – confirmation of the exact time of each event in the process,
- evidence of events – including confirmation of who and when received the shipment, which may be used as evidence in proceedings, e.g. in court,
- the service is provided by a so-called trusted third party, i.e. the Designated Operator, who does not have access to the content of the electronic shipment during its delivery,
- verification of compliance with the standards and requirements of the eIDAS regulation by an independent external auditor.
The e-Delivery service will generate proof of sending and receiving messages, just like with traditional registered mail. This proof will be available and stored by the designated operator for 36 months, even if the citizen deletes the message from their dedicated, individual mailbox.
How is e-Delivery different from an email box?
The key element distinguishing e-Delivery from regular email is the inability to exploit another user's identity, thanks to the unambiguous verification of the participants' identities. Nowadays, when we receive a message from an unknown address, we are not certain whether it was actually sent by the person or institution signing it. Cybercriminals take advantage of this, impersonating well-known companies, including Poczta Polska. Such emails are often aimed at extorting data that can be used to steal bank accounts and the funds stored therein. Messages received and sent via an electronic delivery address are secured against readability and inaccessible to external individuals or so-called robots, as is the case with private email. Furthermore, commercial email providers, based on their terms and conditions, can use messages for purposes such as advertising profiling.
A key issue from the perspective of correspondence security is the fact that in the case of e-Delivery, an electronic delivery address (ADE) must be established by the Minister responsible for computerization to send correspondence, based on an application confirmed by an electronic identification measure, such as a trusted profile. The Electronic Delivery Address is entered into the Electronic Address Database, which also prevents impersonation.
The post office doesn't "read" letters. The process of printing and enveloping correspondence is automated.
The previously mentioned hybrid service enables the conversion of electronic correspondence into paper correspondence, traditionally delivered by a postman. Digital shipments are printed automatically, as are envelopes placed before dispatch. Specialized devices at Poczta Polska's disposal are located in the printing center, a dedicated area with limited access.
It should be emphasized that people who, for various reasons, decide not to set up an e-Delivery box will receive correspondence according to the rules currently in force.
The Polish Post Office meets security requirements and ensures conditions for maintaining postal secrecy
As part of an external verification, Poczta Polska meets security requirements for printing, packaging, scanning, and document processing services (Information Security Management System compliant with the ISO/IEC 27001 standard), as well as conditions concerning, among other things, the ability to perform tasks for state security and public order, the availability of services to all citizens regardless of their geographical location, and enables equal access through the provision of services throughout the country. Furthermore, Poczta Polska ensures the conditions for maintaining postal secrecy specified in the Postal Law, in accordance with Article 41 of the Act. Postal secrecy covers information transmitted in shipments, information regarding executed postal orders, data regarding entities using postal services, and data regarding the fact and circumstances of providing postal services or using these services. In accordance with the aforementioned Act, Poczta Polska ensures the technical and organizational conditions for the provision of postal services necessary to maintain the security of postal traffic. Both the infrastructure and the human resources of Poczta Polska guarantee support for the digital transformation of the state and society, as has been the case in other EU countries, including Poland. Denmark, the Czech Republic, France, Estonia, where designated operators provide electronic delivery services.
Price of the e-Delivery service for citizens
The e-Delivery service is to be free for all citizens. The regulations stipulate fees for public institutions participating in the system. As with any business, fees should cover, among other things, the costs of maintaining and operating the system and providing services.
e-Delivery in other EU countries
National post offices are the state's natural partners in implementing digital correspondence. This solution is supported not only by experience but also by postal infrastructure, correspondence security, and confidentiality.
The Belgian operator's price list for nationwide electronic delivery ranges from €0.97 to €2.54 per shipment for individuals and from €0.80 to €2.10 per shipment for legal entities. The French operator charges approximately €3 for nationwide services, while the Spanish operator charges €2.49 for electronic delivery.
Under current regulations, the e-Delivery service will be provided by Poczta Polska from October 5, 2021, to 2025, for a period of four years. For the next period, 2026-2035, a competition will be announced by the President of the Office of Electronic Communications.