87 operators offer postal services in a €500m market, the press office of the Ministry of Transport and Communications says. Minister Georgi Peev sent greetings to postal workers on World Post Day, which is today.

Peev said: "Behind these figures there is not just a market and statistics. There are people." He said parcels reach their recipients thanks to counter clerks, sorting centre staff, drivers, couriers and dispatchers. He called the day a chance to talk about how the sector is developing and to thank postal workers.

This year's motto is "One postal network, endless possibilities". Peev said courier deliveries, online shopping and parcel tracking now sit alongside letters and stamps. He added: "This changes the work. It also changes the sector itself."

At the start of the month, Peev presented the results of an audit of Bulgarian Posts to the relevant parliamentary committee in a snap oversight hearing. He said the audit found weak management. Apart from spending its state subsidy, he said, the company does no real business, relies on outside services and signs consultancy contracts with no clear purpose. Peev also said Bulgarian Posts paid for legal and consultancy services under public procurement contracts, although it should do this work itself.

The ministry says Bulgarian Posts must find a balance between modernising and its duty to the people and towns that rely on the postal network. It expects private operators and courier firms to keep investing in technology, organisation and working conditions. The state wants the changes to bring better services, a better working environment and access to postal services across Bulgaria, the ministry said.