Estonia's Eesti Post to hike postal rates

TALLINN (BNS) - The supervisory council of the state-owned postal service company AS Eesti Post adopted a decision July 27 on postage hikes that will raise the cost of an ordinary letter by 0.80 kroons ($.05).

The hike, effective from Aug. 21, will raise the cost of sending an ordinary letter to 4.4 kroons from the present 3.6 kroons.

The cost of sending an ordinary postcard within Estonia would increase by 0.50 kroons to 3.6 kroons, while international letters weighing up to 20 grams will become one kroon more expensive.

Sending a postcard to Latvia, Lithuania and the Nordic countries will cost 0.30 kroons more under the new rate. The increase for postcards to all other countries will be 0.80 kroons.

Separate postage rates for ordinary and air mail will be valid only for mail to the Baltic and Nordic countries after Aug. 21. To all other countries it will be possible to send letters and postcards by air mail only.

Eesti Post said the hike was prompted by its 37 million kroon loss from ordinary mail service last year and a rapid growth in costs since the last price change.