“The Skewed Relationship between Politics and Bpost: A Call for Change”

The minister acknowledges that the relationship between politics – and by extension the entire government – and Bpost is skewed. “The guardianship minister of Bpost is authorized for nothing, but liable for everything,” she described her own authority, which she also called “a construction error”. She claims she does not have the necessary tools to properly perform her task.

Since the privatization of the postal company, nothing has changed in the relationship between the government and Bpost. The contacts and contracts have not changed, although Bpost is now a listed company that is only 51 percent owned by the government. In this, De Sutter sees the origin of the problems that are now emerging: “We have opened the lid and now see what is emerging. We now have to look forward to a different future.”

The government is therefore working on an action plan, De Sutter announced. In the first place, there must be its own postal experts within the government administration, so that the government does not have to call on Bpost itself for expertise through secondment. She also advocates, among other things, the establishment of an independent cell that monitors the contracts between the government and Bpost, something that is not happening at the moment. In addition, watchdog BIPT is being strengthened and it is the intention to transfer all shares of Bpost to the federal investment company FPIM.