Incident bulletins are sent weekly with information about situations that affect postal distribution.
This week’s bulletin contains updates about: France, Iceland, Italy, Philippines, Canada,Israel, China, Australia, India, Mauritius, Russia, Norway.
France
Start date: 24th January
End date: 25th January
Strike to disrupt air traffic: On January 22, the USAC-CGT union responsible for air traffic controllers and other technical personnel has called for a strike on January 24. The union previously called for strikes between January 13 and 17, which resulted in the cancellation of 20 to 25 percent of flights. Disruptions are to be expected for inbound and outbound flights.
Iceland
Start date: 23rd January
Expected end date: 24th January
Due to a storm in Iceland international flights have been cancelled to and from Iceland yesterday, 23rd of January.
It was expected that flights will resume today morning, 24th of January.
Domestically transport to the northern and north-western part of the country was cancelled but it is also expected to resume tomorrow.
Italy
Start date: 15th January
End date: 23rd January
Poste Italiane informs all members that, due to the temporary closure of the airport in Bari from January 15th to January 22nd for extraordinary maintenance works, delays may occur in the operations of the following postal flows to/from the regions of Molise, Puglia (Apulia) and Basilicata:
registered and non registered mail items
outbound volumes
inbound expres items
parcels
Please be informed Poste Italiane has taken all the possible measures to minimize impact to customers and apologies for any inconvenience which may occur, beyond its control.
Philippines
Start date: 20st January
End date: Ongoing
Philippine Postal Corporation asks us to inform other Union member countries and their designated operators that, since Sunday, 12 January 2020, it has experienced severe ashfall in the areas of Batangas, Laguna and Tagaytay City in the province of Cavite owing to the activity of Taal Volcano. As a result, some international incoming and outgoing flights were cancelled, leading to delays in the processing of international mail (letter-post, parcel-post and EMS items).
As of Tuesday, 14 January 2020, normal operations were resumed with regard to all outgoing and incoming international flights carrying mail dispatches. Nevertheless, delays are still to be expected in the processing and delivery of international incoming and outgoing mail, as Taal Volcano’s activity has not yet ceased. Alert level 4 remains in place, indicating intense unrest characterized by earthquake swarms and volcanic tremors, ash explosions, fluctuating emission levels, ground deformation, lava flow and/or rockfalls. Similarly, hazardous eruptions are still possible within the coming days.
Canada
Start date: 17th January
End date: Ongoing
Canada Post would like to inform other Union member countries and their designated operators that, owing to heavy snowfall, the city of St. John’s, Newfoundland has declared a state of emergency, with all businesses to remain closed and all residents to stay at home. The St. John’s mail processing plant, letter carrier depots and retail offices in the St. John’s metro and Eastern Avalon area have been closed since the morning of Friday, 17 January 2020, and collection and distribution of letter-post, parcel-post and EMS items in the affected areas is currently suspended.
Designated operators are therefore advised that mail services to and from these areas are liable to suffer delays until further notice.
Israel
Start date: 22nd January
End date: 25th January
Israel Postal Company would like to inform other Union member countries and their designated operators that events are being held in Jerusalem from 22 to 24 January 2020 to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, which may cause delays in the transport and delivery of all mail types (letter-post, parcel-post and EMS items), as well as to flights and mail handling at the airport.
China
Start date: 23rd January
Expected end date: 3rd February
Due to reduced Customs operations over the Chinese New Year period, some gateways into China will not be conducting clearance work for international letters and parcels on 25, 26, 28 & 30 January 2020.
As a result, deliveries into China may experience delays during and immediately after this period, due to the possible build-up of mail & parcels waiting to clear customs.
Start date: 21st January
End date: Ongoing
Coronavirus impacts postal operations: the Chinese State Post Office has announced that an emergency response and control plan has been deployed as of January 21 for parcels that are sent from Hubei Province as a result of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. The measures are to ensure the prevention of the spread of the virus during the Lunar New Year celebration period.
Australia
Start date: 11th November 2019
End date: 23rd January
Australia Post would like to inform other Union member countries and their designated operators that the severe weather event, resulting in bushfires in regional areas of Australia, has ended and that the collection and delivery of all mail products are back to normal.
India
Start date: 20th January
End date: 27th January
Temporary airspace closure to affect flights: On January 20, it has been reported that flight operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, India, are expected to be impacted between January 20 – 26 due to temporary city’s airspace closure. Landings and take offs scheduled between 10:35 am and 12:15 pm local time will be particularly affected.
Mauritius
Start date: 21st January
End date: Ongoing
Heavy rainfall affects postal services: Sources reported on January 22 that postal services in parts of Mauritius may be disrupted due to heavy rain on the island since January 21. Many roads are reportedly inaccessible, causing heavy traffic in many areas and delays in the pick-up and delivery of postal items. Further disruptions should be expected until the weather situation normalizes.
Russia
Start date: 1st January
The designated operator of the RUSSIAN FEDERATION, JSC Russian
Post, would like to inform the designated operators of other Union member countries that, following a Eurasian Economic Union customs
legislation change, it has introduced new limits, as of 1 January 2020, for the duty-free import of goods sent to the Russian Federation in international postal items addressed to private persons. Specifically, for items sent to private persons for personal use:
– If the value of the international postal item does not exceed 200 euros (EUR) and (or) the weight of the international postal item does not exceed 31 kilograms, customs duties will not be collected;
– If the value of the international postal item exceeds 200 EUR or if the weight exceeds 31 kilograms, customs duties will be calculated as follows: at a rate of 15% for the value exceeding 200 EUR, but at a minimum rate of 2 EUR per kilogram of the weight of the international postal item.
Norway
Start date: 1st January
The designated operator of NORWAY, Posten Norge AS, wishes to inform Union member countries and their designated operators of changes to the rules governing VAT and other indirect taxes on the import of low-value goods to Norway, which will come into effect in two stages, on 1 January and, tentatively, on 1 April 2020. The changes to the indirect tax rules governing the import of low-value goods, decided by the Norwegian Parliament on 13 December 2019, are as follows:
– As of 1 January 2020, exemptions from VAT and other indirect taxes for goods defined as foodstuffs, goods with import restrictions, and goods that are subject to excise duty will be abolished. Examples of foodstuffs are food, candy, soft drinks, health foods, food supplements, protein powder, spices and tea;
– To ensure that the requirements are met, Union member countries and their designated operators may wish to refer to the Norwegian Tax Administration website, which has published further guidance on this matter:
www.skatteetaten.no/en/person/duties/purchases-from-abroad
www.skatteetaten.no/en/business-and-organisation/vat-andduties/vat/foreign/exporting-goods-to-consumers-in-norway–important-changes
– Additional guidance has also been published by Posten Norge AS at www.posten.no/en/customs-2020;
– For other low-value goods under the current exemption, at the intended date of entry into force of 1 April 2020, the exemption from VAT and other indirect taxes will also be abolished. Under this new legislation, sellers and online marketplaces (deemed suppliers) will be liable for VAT on cross-border sales of low-value goods (3,000 NOK and below) to final consumers in Norway. A simplified scheme – called VOEC (VAT on e commerce) – will then be established for sellers and online marketplaces to register, declare and pay VAT on supplies of low-value goods for consumers in Norway. The customs duty threshold will be raised from 350 to 3,000 NOK for goods for which the obligation to collect Norwegian VAT is handled through the VOEC scheme.
