From September 9 to 11, 2026, a delegation from the Vatican Postal and Philatelic Service of the Governorate of Vatican City State, led by its Head, Fr. Felice Bruno, participated in the Interregional Postal Business Meeting in Paris, organized by PostEurop and UPAEP and hosted by La Poste Groupe. The meeting brought together approximately one hundred representatives of the postal sector from Europe and South America, providing an important opportunity to exchange views on the changes transforming the postal and logistics industries.
The discussions addressed some of the most pressing issues shaping the future of postal services: digitalization, logistics, tracking, cross-border e-commerce, customs management, and artificial intelligence. Particular attention was devoted to the need for more effective integration of the physical flow of mail and parcels with the digital flow of data, making processes more flexible, efficient, and resilient.
Artificial intelligence played a central role in the discussions. Several postal operators are already using AI to verify addresses, forecast mail and parcel volumes and delivery delays, manage irregularities, and provide customer support. The experiences presented demonstrated how data and AI tools can help optimize resource allocation and provide faster, more personalized services.
Another important topic was last-mile delivery and service diversification. International experiences highlighted the evolution of postal operators from traditional mail carriers into coordinators of a broader range of services, including logistics, warehousing, specialized deliveries, scheduled pickups, and reverse logistics.
For Vatican Post, the meeting provided practical insights into potential improvements, as well as a valuable opportunity to expand the Service’s network of institutional contacts and gain firsthand knowledge of the solutions and operating models adopted by postal operators in different countries.