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Transparent dialogue with Authorities The role and nature of Poste Italiane’s activities require constant dialogue with national and international institutions, as well as with the Regions and local authorities.

Poste Italiane is committed to positive and constant dialogue with public authorities, taking into account the Group’s mission, its widespread network and the context in which it operates. The purposeful and appropriate cooperation that the Group uses with all institutions underlies that dialogue, which creates systemic benefits which also impact the community and are not circumscribed to the company. 

Dialogue with central institutions, such as the government and Parliament, is done through continuous and transparent involvement, with a positive and proactive approach implemented by 9 resources selected by the Company, chosen to represent the company’s interests and promote shared social/economic development projects in the interest of the wider
community.
This legislative relationship makes it possible to assess the impact and possible consequences of a given law, providing useful insights for decision-making. Another goal of legislative activity is to make clear the Group’s position in relation to issues of interest to the authorities.

These activities, which among other things is intended to obtain prior warning about the laws of the greatest interest to the Group, allowing it to identify opportunities and risks, in 2021 was for the most part dedicated to examining the provisions adopted at various institutional levels to deal with the Covid-19 emergency, with an eye to supporting the relevant functions in implementing measures to support business activities and protect employee, customer and community health, and relative to the reform programme to support the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP).

Strategic agreements and partnerships in favour of the community are established thanks to the synergy between Poste Italiane’s mission and that of institutions. This leads to the possibility for investments and initiatives to offer integrated and innovative services, promote the extension of the postal network for prompt sharing of scheduling plans and to establish local teams focussed on specific issues83. Meetings are formalised in the reports prepared on a monthly basis. 

Poste Italiane interacts with the main central regulatory and supervisory institutions and bodies, including the Italian Communications Authority (Autorità per le Garanzie delle Comunicazioni - AGCom), the Ministry of Economic Development (Ministero per lo Sviluppo Economico - MISE), the Ministry of Economy and Finance (Ministero dell’Economica e delle Finanze - MEF), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (Ministero per gli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale - MAE) and the European Policies Department of the Cabinet Office.
In this regard, as part of its relations with the MEF, on 20 February 2020, Poste Italiane’s Board of Directors approved the renewal of the three-year agreement for 2020-2022, which aims to regulate treasury services and the movement of funds on behalf of the State.

At the European and international level, the Poste Italiane also maintains relations with the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Universal Postal Union (UPU), PostEurope, the European Centre of Employers and Enterprises providing Public services (CEEP), the International Post Corporation (IPC) and other institutions and associations in the sectors in which the Company operates. This latter is involved in coordination, representation and monitoring activities in terms of the political agenda, both at the European and international level and within the bodies mentioned above. The Group is also committed to issuing information for regulatory purposes at the national, European and international level, as well as preparing proposed amendments and additions to relevant regulatory structures.

 
DIALOGUE AND COLLABORATION WITH INSTITUTIONS DURING THE EMERGENCY

In relation to developments in the Covid-19 pandemic, 2021 was a year of instability and uncertainty that forced the entire world to adjust to new ways of living, further reinforcing the importance of solidarity and proximity to the local area and citizens. Continually considering epidemiological developments during the year, Poste Italiane continued to engage in constant dialogue with institutions, seeking shared solutions to meet the social needs of the community. Demonstrating this, the Company participated in the placement of the third and fourth issues of the Future BTP, a government security intended entirely for the retail market and linked to GDP performance, with returns supporting the post-Covid-19 economic recovery. The Future BTP falls within the spectrum of measures adopted by the government to deal with the health emergency, as well as supporting the vaccine programme, in which Poste Italiane played a leading role.   

On 29 September 2021 the Group signed a new version of the “Memorandum of agreement on operational continuity in the distribution of Euro banknotes”, with the same signatories of the agreement on the establishment of the COBAN Committee in 2015. The new version takes into account the experience the Committee has acquired over the years, while also including critical events like the pandemic and providing greater clarity on certain aspects involving the activities and operating methods of COBAN itself. Throughout the emergency, Poste Italiane maintained constant dialogue with COBAN, as well as with Civil Protection, the Prefectures, the police and CODISE, to ensure dialogue with actors potentially involved and appointed to manage the health crisis.

During 2021, the Company made its technological and logistics infrastructure available for the service of the country. In this way, the investments made in the cloud and to train people, combined with a spirit of sacrifice became an immense asset for all of Italy. Since the beginning of the health emergency, Poste Italiane has distributed more than 1.5 billion pieces of personal protective equipment, has taken action to deliver pensions in advance and guaranteed continuity of service, keeping at least one Post Office open in every small community. To that end, the agreement between Poste Italiane and the Carabinieri for the provision and home delivery of pensions for citizens over 75 years of age was confirmed. Staggered payment of pensions began in April 2020, following agreements with the MEF, Civil Protection, the Ministry of Labour, INPS and the Bank of Italy. It continued through the first quarter of 2021. At the same time, the Group signed agreements with more than 500 surveillance organisations and contacted all the Prefects, the Postal Police, the Carabinieri and Civil Protection to request collaboration in the management of possible gatherings outside Post Offices. Additionally, the Group has ensured the safety of its employees and customers by making use of remote work, which involved 85% of the company workforce, while also offering free Covid tests to all employees, as well as various protective devices including masks, plexiglass panels and thermoscanners.