The ministry wants to classify vending boxes as small structures

Prague – The Ministry for Regional Development (MMR) wants to include currently unregulated pick-up boxes among minor constructions in the amendment to the building law. This has sparked criticism from operators, merchants, and representatives of local governments. According to them, the change is unnecessary, may slow down the development of logistics services, and worsen accessibility for citizens, especially in smaller municipalities. This follows from their statements in response to inquiries from ČTK.

According to MMR, pick-up boxes operate in practice on the borderline and cannot be unequivocally considered either as constructions or as products serving the function of a construction. "The prepared amendment removes this ambiguity,” said the Ministry's spokesperson Veronika Lukášová to ČTK. In its existing methodology, however, the office states that pick-up boxes cannot be considered either as a construction or as products serving the function of a construction, and therefore do not fall under assessment according to the building law.

In the last 12 months, 83 percent of the population of the Czech Republic has used pick-up boxes, according to a survey by ResSolution, and almost 70 percent of them use the boxes at least once a month. Meanwhile, two million shipments pass through boxes in the Czech Republic every week across the entire market. Distance is considered the most important criterion by 85 percent of people.

The inclusion of pick-up boxes as minor constructions would, according to Zásilkovna's director David Soukup, definitely have a negative impact. "We repeatedly deal with situations where a specific box is at capacity and it is necessary to quickly strengthen the network in that area. If we could not respond in time, it would mean an immediate deterioration of service for customers," said Soukup.

According to him, increased bureaucracy would mean limited flexibility and ultimately that carriers would be unable to respond to real demand in specific locations. The result would be fuller boxes, longer wait times, and a worse customer experience, he added.

According to the chairman of the Association of Local Authorities of the Czech Republic, Petr Halada, regulation could slow the expansion of the network and indirectly affect rural areas. "In the case of limitations on placing boxes in cities, a decrease in network density can be expected, which will also reflect in rural areas. Operators may limit service to less busy locations,” said Halada. He reminded that it is a commercial service dependent on economic efficiency, and worse conditions could lead to a decrease in the number of boxes in less profitable areas.

The Association for Electronic Commerce considers the current proposal unnecessary and an attempt to create new barriers, according to its executive director Jan Vetyška. "The situation has improved significantly recently thanks to self-regulation and agreements with municipalities. There is a more sensitive approach to installations, and boxes fit better into public space," he added.

According to critics, including boxes among minor constructions means formal assessment in building regulations, which can prolong installations and increase costs. "Further installations will become more expensive and take longer. This may lead to boxes not being created where they would make the most sense,” said Vetyška. According to him, the change contradicts the declared goal of the building law, which is to simplify processes and reduce bureaucracy.

There are about 15,000 self-service pick-up boxes in the Czech Republic. The most are owned by Zásilkovna, with over 6,000. Other major operators include Alza, PPL, and DPD.

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