PostNL has warned it could be forced to scale back mail delivery drastically, or even follow Denmark in ending traditional post altogether, unless the government steps in with financial support.

The company is seeking €30 million this year to maintain the universal postal service, which it says now operates at a loss. It plans to take the government to court after the economic affairs ministry rejected its request.

“We are delivering a public service at our own expense, and that is no longer sustainable,” Maurice Unck, director of mail at PostNL told the Parool in an interview. “We don’t want to end up like Denmark.” The Danish government scrapped the national delivery requirement earlier this year, and mail services will stop entirely from 2026.

PostNL has been calling for more relaxed delivery rules for years, arguing that the 24-hour legal obligation is no longer feasible. Letter volumes have dropped by 70% in two decades due to digitalisation. The cabinet only approved 48-hour delivery in June, and the change will not take effect until mid-2026.

Unck said the delay shows how politics has failed to keep pace. “This law has been sitting on the shelf since 2020. Ministers come and go, and nothing moves forward,” he said.

PostNL’s financial results, due on 4 August, are expected to confirm that its legal delivery obligation is pushing the company into deeper losses. It is also requesting €38 million in 2026.

Unck pointed to the public transport sector, where operators such as NS and Arriva receive subsidies to compensate for lower demand. “Why does that not apply to the postal sector?” he said.

PostNL has already removed half of the country’s post boxes and increased stamp prices, but says these measures are no longer enough. Under the new delivery model, households will receive post three times a week, with faster delivery available at a premium.

MPs will debate the changes in September. “We still want to deliver the post,” Unck said. “But not like this.”