Szymon Syp, PhD, Senior Associate in Crido Legal co-authors “Postal Law. Commentary”

Szymon Syp, PhD, co-authors “Postal Law. Commentary”

Szymon Syp, PhD, Senior Associate in Crido Legal co-authors “Postal Law. Commentary” to be published by C.H. BECK (set publication date – September 2018).

The publication is a practical commentary (presenting and discussing provisions currently in force) on the Act of 23 November 2012 – Postal Law (uniform text: Journal of Laws of 2017, item 1481, as amended).

Szymon Syp, PhD, notes: “The total value of the Polish postal services market amounted to PLN 7,649.98 million in 2016 (according to the latest report on postal services in 2016). It is also worth noting that the year 2016 was the first one, in which the segment of courier items achieved its largest share in the overall value of the postal services market. This tendency is a proof of shifting customer preferences – from traditional postal services to courier services, which guarantee quicker delivery and comfortable form of services. Anticipated Poland’s economic growth, constant improvement of road, logistics and digital infrastructure, as well as increasing society’s preference to shop on-line are the factors which ensure that despite a decline in the number of letter items it is a sector of the economy with strong prospects for growth.”

The publication is the first of its kind in the publishing market and is aimed at discussing issues arising in the course of applying the Postal Law in practice, some of such issues being as follows:

• rules governing the postal operations;
• the scope of the license to perform postal operations;
• the scope of postal services provision;
• the scope of universal services provision;
• rules governing access to elements of the postal infrastructure;
• rules governing the appointment of a designated operator;
• obligations of a postal operator for the defense of the state and public safety and order;
• liability of a postal operator and complaint proceedings regarding non-performance or improper performance of a postal service;
• regulatory accounting, cost calculation and accounting system of the designated operator;
• the calculation of net cost and the financing of the obligation to provide universal services;
• control over the postal operations by the President of the Office of Electronic Communications;
• the portfolio of entities subject to monetary penalties.

The Postal Law constitutes the final implementation of Directive 2008/6/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 February 2008 amending Directive 97/67/EC into the Polish legal system. The new rules have been in force in Poland since 1 January 2013.

The authors place an emphasis on rules governing the functioning of the postal market, namely its opening to competition and liberalization both in the theoretical and practical aspects, and consider the postal market experience gathered from the moment the new provisions entered into force.

The commentary is intended for postal operators, recipients of postal services, and it may also be of interest to public administration bodies, including the President of the Office of Electronic Communications, the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, as well as the Inspector General for Personal Data Protection.

The book can be ordered here: www.ksiegarnia.beck.pl

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About Crido Legal

Crido Legal provides comprehensive legal advice, including in particular M&A consultancy, advice on intellectual property and personal data issues, assistance regarding credit facility agreements, real estate and complex corporate restructurings (mergers, transformations and divisions, fund formation, etc.), as well as ongoing legal advice to businesses, regarding in particular commercial companies and corporate law. We help our clients to find the optimal – legally and tax-wise – organizational structure and handle complex corporate restructurings. We act in domestic and international transactions, and offer comprehensive legal advice on the acquisition and use of public financing.

Our clients can count on us in all matters crucial for their business (including mergers and acquisitions, succession projects, financial and tax restructurings). Our team of over 30 lawyers with a wealth of expertise and experience guarantees top quality advice provided in the most complex projects from diverse industries.

We act with the utmost care and diligence to understand business conditions of our clients’ transactions and specific nature of their business sectors. We also draw from hands-on experience and know-how of other Crido Taxand’s teams, so that we can act responsively and provide instant advice to our clients that have no time to spare when it comes to decision making. Due to our cooperation with Crido Taxand and being a part of Taxand’s network, we are the one-stop shop for clients seeking comprehensive legal, tax and financial advice, and this is a unique solution in the market.

For more information visit cridolegal.pl

Media contact:

Agata Woźniak, Senior Marketing Specialist

agata.wozniak@crido.pl | + 48 532 756 164

“Poles shopping” – read a new PwC report

More and more Poles shop via their smartphones

and even more use them for payments

Traditional stores still remain the most popular sales channel in Poland, but the number of people shopping via mobile devices is growing rapidly. Already 17% of Poles make their purchases via a smartphone at least once a week, and 7% do it every day. In addition, 39% of consumers pay for their daily shopping using mobile payments – according to a report by the consulting company PwC “Poles shopping: 5 pillars of modern trade“.

The Internet sales market is a segment which is developing dynamically in Poland. According to forecasts, it will reach the value of about PLN 45 billion in 2018, and it may exceed PLN 60 billion in 2020.The share of e-commerce in total retail trade is around 5%, but it will catch up to the global average of 10% in the near future.

“The trade sector is growing dynamically before our very eyes. The change in consumer habits plays an important role in the ongoing revolution. The pattern, which has been repeated for decades, whereby customers have been purchasing their favourite brands in nearby shops, is now becoming a thing of the past. The digital transformation has changed shopping habits, distance has lost meaning, and brand loyalty has declined,” says Krzysztof Badowski, partner at PwC, head of consumer goods and retail for Central and Eastern Europe.

According to the PwC report, the number of consumers making their purchases on desktops has decreased in recent years. While in 2013, a total of 27% of survey participants worldwide used them (at least once a week), in this year’s edition it was only 20%. In Poland, this ratio amounted to 23% in 2018. Computers are increasingly being replaced by mobile devices. In Poland, 17% of respondents shop with their smartphones at least once a week (9% last year), and 7% of consumers do so on a daily basis.

The most popular goods purchased online in Poland include clothes and shoes (79% of consumers have bought them online at least once a year), cosmetics (75%), books, music, films and video games (73%), furniture and home furnishings (62%), and computers and electronics (61%). Respondents are the least inclined to purchase food products via this channel (47%).

According to data collected in the PwC report, mobile payments are also growing rapidly. Currently, 39% of Polish consumers eagerly pay for their daily shopping using mobile payments.

Social media turned out to be the most frequently used source of shopping inspiration. They are used by 58% of Polish consumers. Price comparison engines are also ranked high on this list. They are currently visited by 43% of Internet users, although their popularity has significantly decreased in comparison with the previous year (at that time it was 60%).

“Today, brands cease to be just sales entities, and become actors in social life – both creators and symbols of culture simultaneously. Brands that are aware of this are building their position based on the mission they want to achieve, and the social media space gives them the opportunity to manifest these views. Through social media, brands are moving away from being just messengers and become partners in the dialogue with consumers, making themselves rich in content to the extent they have never done so before,” points out Marta Marczak, director for brand strategy at PwC.

Experiences are more important than things, renting is becoming more and more popular

The survey conducted for the purposes of the report also shows that more and more people prefer to spend their resources on intangible goods. Thirty-three per cent of respondents said they started spending more on experiences such as travel, training, eating out, and cultural events. Slightly less, 30%, spend larger amounts on buying new items. The desire to spend time with family and friends (this is what 48% of respondents indicated), change their life priorities (41%), the period of life they’re at (39%) and eagerness to invest in themselves (38%) all have an impact on changing Poles’ consumer behaviours.

PwC experts emphasize that the willingness to rent goods and have access to selected services as an alternative to owning things is an increasingly important trend that’s visible among Polish consumers. Poles are most likely to rent: cars (44%), other means of transport such as bicycles and scooters (39%), sports and tourist equipment (39%), DIY and power tools (35%). Twenty-three per cent of respondents said they would not want to rent anything.

How AI is changing the trade sector

There are three areas where artificial intelligence implementations can be seen in trade. First of all, it’s increasingly precise, self-learning algorithms responsible for personalising, segmenting, and matching ads to groups of recipients as well as product and service recommendations. Secondly, there are solutions responsible for consumer communication and care. Thirdly – artificial intelligence in trade is the entire area of optimising packaging, order processing, storage, and logistics through the use of appropriate algorithms and robots.

It is also worth looking at the use of AI devices by consumers themselves. Worldwide, 10% of respondents state they own AI-based devices, such as robots or personal assistants. In turn, almost every third respondent admitted they plan to purchase such a device. Interestingly, in Poland 13% of the respondents declared that they have artificial intelligence-powered devices and 40% expressed their intention to buy them. What impact can they have on consumer behaviour? When asked about this, respondents from Poland declare that they spend as much money on shopping as they did before owning them (49%), and a much smaller group (18%) admits that they spend more.

“The new generation of voice interfaces is an extremely interesting area of AI, which are storming into customers’ homes and smartphones. Computers finally understand what we are saying to them and respond to our commands. For example, you can use your voice to order an Uber, “put” products into your shopping cart, buy digital goods, make a bank transfer, and even control smart home solutions. Other applications include AI-powered image recognition and analysis (computer vision), which is used both to identify people and goods in offline stores, to find similar products to those photographed with a smartphone, and even to showcase product-related inspirations,” says Michał Kreczmar, director for digital transformation at PwC.

Delivery – the faster, the better

Thirty-six per cent of surveyed Poles expect delivery the next day after placing an order, while 35% of respondents would like to have the purchased goods in their hands within two days after the transaction. Eleven per cent of respondents would like to receive their purchase on the same day.

PwC experts emphasize that many consumers are ready to pay additional costs to receive their parcels faster. Twenty-three per cent of Polish respondents are willing to pay extra for delivery within 3 hours (it is possible e.g. in large urban agglomerations), and 40% of respondents would pay an additional fee for same-day delivery. Twenty-five per cent of customers will pay more for next-day delivery.

Interestingly, 17% of Polish respondents declared that they would trust drones and agree to have all types of goods delivered with their use. Twenty-six per cent stated they would go for drone delivery only in the case of less valuable products.

More information: pwc.pl/handel2018

Trade Mission to Portugal (Lisbon)

We would like to inform you, that the Polish-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce (PPCC) is organizing a multi-sector trade mission to Portugal, that will take place on 24^th-28^th September 2018.

This trade mission is a great opportunity to get to know the business environment in Portugal, and accurately assess business opportunities in that market. The mission will be particularly focused on B2B meetings with pre-selected companies and key players in each participant’s activity sector.

We would like to encourage all the companies interested in exporting to-, importing from- , or investing in Portugal to take part in this trade mission.

Please find the detailed offer of the Mission attached. We would like to encourage all the potentially interested companies to fill out the registration form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSddW-PJt-E1zgWKB4V5z6QYE5cjYISPiFMwpDl1aTJv8NbE2w/viewform

PPCC will contact all the companies that express their initial interest in the Trade Mission to Portugal.

The registration is open until 16^th July 2018.

For more information, please contact: Mr. Wojciech Baczyński, PPCC Secretary-General – wb@ppcc.pl, +48 696 760 925

Offer in PDF

TAP CORPORATE PROGRAM

TAP Air Portugal has introduced a new program aimed at companies that want to save money on their business trips.

TAP CORPORATE is a program where you can earn while flying.

Did you know your company can save on business travel while having a better flying experience?

Please, check all the details at tapcorporate.com or watch a short film about the program.

Register for the TAP CORPORATE and discover a world of benefits.

There is no charge and registration is simple at tapcorporate.com

Seminar Doing Business with Brazil

The Embassy of Brazil in Warsaw and the Polish-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce have the honor to invite your company to participate in the Seminar on Doing Business with Brazil.

The Seminar will feature presentations by experts on investment opportunities in the Brazilian market, as well as on the practical and legal aspects of doing business with Brazil. Information shall also be provided on the Brazilian macroeconomic environment. The event should be useful to representatives of companies from all sectors and industries that may be interested in exploring business opportunities and partnerships in the Brazilian market, especially (though not exclusively) as potential investors.

The Seminar will take place on May 17 at 3.00 p.m. in the Relation Center of BZ WBK, 17 Jana Pawła II Avenue, Warsaw.

The event will be held in English, with no translation provided. Please find attached the Agenda of the Seminar. A dinner buffet with Brazilian specialties will be served after the Seminar.

The entrance is free of charge, but registration is necessary.
Please register directly through the link until 8 May 2018.

Due to a limited number of seats, applications are accepted on a first come first served basis. In case the number of registrations exceeds the available places, confirmation of participation will be subject to the organizers’ decision. Seminar ‘Doing Business with Brazil

Agenda of the Seminar

TAP Air Portugal 10% Discount

TAP Air Portugal is offering the new special discount to the Members and Friends of the Polish-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce.

From April 12th until April 19th 2018, you will have the opportunity to benefit from a special 10% discount on TAP Air Portugal flights from Warsaw and Prague.