The Hellenic Post (ELTA) is moving ahead with plans to close dozens of post offices across Greece, despite widespread opposition from local authorities, unions, opposition parties, and even lawmakers from the ruling party.
Initially, ELTA had announced the closure of 204 branches, but under mounting pressure, the company confirmed on Sunday evening that only 46 will suspend operations starting Monday, in what it described as a “first phase” of its restructuring plan.
Dozens of branches to close in major cities
According to the company’s announcement, 33 post offices in the wider Athens area (Attica) will close, including branches in Galatsi, Metamorfosi, Ano Liosia, and Vrilissia—densely populated municipalities that currently rely on these local services.
Another eight offices will shut in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, while one branch each will close in Patras, Rhodes, Ioannina, Ierapetra, and Chania.
“A necessary transformation” says management
In its statement, the ELTA management, led by CEO Grigoris Sklikas, described the restructuring as “the greatest challenge in the company’s history.”
It said that, under European Union competition rules, Greece can no longer provide state subsidies to the postal service, making restructuring and cost rationalization essential to ensure long-term viability.
“For over three decades, ELTA has been recording losses in an environment that is changing rapidly and fundamentally,” the statement said. “Without decisive action now, the consequences within the next six to nine months will be irreversible.”
Urban focus first, rural changes later
For now, the closures focus on urban centers and regional capitals where alternative branches exist nearby.
ELTA says that changes in smaller towns and rural areas will follow within three months, allowing time to explain the necessity of the reforms and explore the creation of agency partnerships with local communities.
Digital services to replace physical branches
The company stressed that the move does not signal a retreat from its social role but rather a shift to modern service delivery.
Through initiatives like the “ELTA at Home” program and a new “digital postman” service equipped with tablets and portable payment systems, ELTA says it can now provide secure, fast, door-to-door service, even in remote regions.
Most postal transactions — including mailing, parcel delivery, and bill payments — now take place outside physical branches, the statement added, making some local offices redundant.
“Rebirth, not downsizing”
ELTA’s leadership insists the transformation aims to “save and rejuvenate” the national postal service rather than shrink it.
Long-standing issues of inefficiency are being addressed, management says, with staff redeployed to frontline delivery and customer service roles “where reliability and reputation are built daily.”
“ELTA is changing its operating model to guarantee continuous nationwide service and the best possible delivery experience at every citizen’s doorstep,” the company concluded.
