Polis, Poste Italiane’s project to transform post offices into a digital House of Services, a one-stop shop that will allow access to Public Administration services quick and easy in 7,000 communities with less than 15,000 inhabitants, is ready to get underway.
The project was presented to the 7,000 mayors of the municipalities involved today in Rome by the President of Poste Italiane, Maria Bianca Farina, and the CEO, Matteo Del Fante, in the presence of the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and numerous government and institutional representatives. The event was attended by the Ministers of Economy and Finance, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Enterprise and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, Public Administration, Paolo Zangrillo, and the President of Anci, Antonio De Caro. Also present were the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, the Minister of Justice, Carlo Nordio, the Minister of Defence, Guido Crosetto, the Minister of Labour and Social Policies, Marina Calderone, the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi, the Minister for Family, Natality and Equal Opportunities, Eugenia Maria Roccella, and the Minister for European Affairs, Raffaele Fitto.
Thanks to Polis, which was approved by Decree Law 59/2021 and funded with 800 million euros from the National Plan for Complementary Investments to the National National Reform Programme, Poste Italiane is transforming 7,000 post offices in small towns into digital one-stop proximity shops open 24 hours a day.
In addition to postal, banking, logistical, insurance, and telecommunications services, citizens will be able to request registry and civil status certificates, electronic identity cards, passports, tax codes for births, social security and judicial certificates, and a variety of other services.
The renovation and technological upgrading of Post Offices began immediately after the European Commission gave its approval at the end of October 2022. In only a few months, Poste Italiane has completed 40 Post Offices, and has opened 230 work sites. By the end of the year, it is expected that renovation works will commence on 1,500 new Polis offices.
Maria Bianca Farina, the President of Poste Italiane, stated: “With Polis, we want to continue to offer support to Italy by accompanying its transformation. Nobody understands and lives the country like we do at Poste Italiane, bolstered by our century-long experience and optimism for the future. Polis is aimed at communities that represent most of the national territory, full of life, of excellence, but which over time have lost population, strength, and wealth. Poste Italiane will help to bridge the significant infrastructure gap between cities and small towns by providing necessary services with the goal of increasing citizen’s quality of life”.
Matteo Del Fante, the CEO of Poste Italiane, explained: “The Polis project was developed to ensure that 16 million Italians living in communities with fewer than 15,000 inhabitants have equal access to the many services provided by the Public Administration, bringing them closer to the State. Polis aims to simplify the lives of those citizens, minimising their inconvenience thanks to Poste Italiane’s digital solutions available in post offices. Its implementation also helps to accelerate the country’s digital transformation. Poste Italiane has been able to create value in recent years through an inclusive approach that has delivered increasingly advanced services to a growing number of people, and Polis is its inevitable continuation”.
Giuseppe Lasco, the Co-General Manager of Poste Italiane, said: “Polis is the tool with which Poste Italiane may confirm its mission as a system company supporting the economic development, cohesion, and social solidarity of the country. I would like to express my gratitude for a project that is now fully operational as a result of recent initiatives. Polis is a project for the country, which is becoming a reality thanks to the commitment of all Poste Italiane employees and the project’s virtuous collaboration with the involved institutions.”
With Polis, citizens will be able to request certificates at the counter, use totems and ATMs operating 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Polis will also contribute to increased energy efficiency and green mobility by installing 5,000 electric vehicle charging stations and 1,000 photovoltaic installations.
Poste Italiane will also launch the ‘Spaces for Italy’ initiative, which will result in the establishment of 250 smart, interconnected sites generated from the valorization of company-owned buildings.
