Councils want to give Swiss Post a shorter leash for acquisitions
Published: Tuesday, Mar 5th 2024, 12:20
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Parliament wants to give Swiss Post a shorter leash when it comes to company acquisitions. The Federal Council will have to approve acquisitions outside of Swiss Post's service mandate. In addition, Swiss Post's plans must be justified to the relevant Council committees.
On Tuesday, the Council of States passed a corresponding motion by National Councillor Thomas Rechsteiner (center/AI) by 23 votes to 17, against the proposal of the responsible committee.
A narrow majority of the Committee for Transport and Telecommunications (KVF-S) voted against the motion, with President Marianne Maret (center/VS) casting the deciding vote. The demand went too far. The Federal Council also rejected the motion, but must now get to work.
In the Council, Maret said that there are already guidelines for Swiss Post's shareholdings and acquisitions, and that the Federal Council and Parliament are already being informed about the implementation of Swiss Post's corporate strategy. Swiss Post's shareholdings and acquisitions have repeatedly triggered public debate.
The minority, on the other hand, wanted closer monitoring of the acquisition policy. Hans Wicki (FDP/NW) said that Swiss Post's duty to provide information was not enough. As the owner, the Confederation must be able to prohibit any problematic acquisitions.
Fabio Regazzi (center/TI) added that Swiss Post was increasingly penetrating private markets. This was distorting competition. SME companies are at a disadvantage.
Against separate regulations
In its rejection, the Federal Council referred to the strategic guidelines for the federally owned company and the fact that politics has no influence on Swiss Post's operational business. Federal Councillor Albert Rösti warned against a confusion of responsibilities.
Rösti also did not want any separate regulations for Swiss Post, as this would lead to unequal treatment of companies with close ties to the federal government. However, Rösti assured that the issue would be reviewed as part of the future overall strategy for Swiss Post and recalled the decline in Swiss Post's traditional business.
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