Ukraine, EU agree on final draft of special agreement on road transport liberalisation

In a key development, the European Commission has agreed on the final draft of a special agreement between Ukraine and the EU on road transport liberalisation. According to Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry, the final meetings between the delegations of Ukraine and the European Commission were held in the presence of Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry's leadership. 

Ukraine's Deputy Infrastructure Minister, Mustafa Naiem, stated that the agreement, which is due to be signed by the end of June, calls for the elimination of the permit system for Ukrainian carriers. He emphasised that the agreement will enable Ukrainian transporters to execute bilateral and transit transportation without obtaining permits.

"Ukrainian carriers have been waiting for this for almost five years. Yesterday (June 13), we agreed on the final draft of the Special Agreement on the liberalization of road transport with the delegation of the European Commission. In short, for carriers, the signing of this Agreement will be as important as the cancellation of visas with EU countries," Naiem wrote in a Facebook post. He further claimed that the EU has become Ukraine's most important trading partner over the last five years. 

The gross weight of trade with EU nations was over 41% in 2021: Ukraine

According to the Ukrainian Minister, the gross weight of trade with EU nations was more than 41% in 2021, while the volume of freight transported by road climbed by over 42%. He also claimed that the lack of foreign traffic permits has inhibited further growth, with the number of individual destinations either remaining constant or shrinking dramatically.

"In the last three months, due to the blocking of Ukrainian ports, the amount of trade with the EU by road transport has increased several times. To be clear, only car fuel was imported fifteen times more than in pre-war times," Naiem noted. 

Poland supports 'Transport Liberalization Agreement' between Ukraine & EU

Ukraine's Deputy Infrastructure Minister stressed that the problem of a lack of permits for international transportation will be permanently resolved after the ratification of the 'Transport Liberalization Agreement.'

"A couple of weeks ago, we received an official letter from the Ministry of Infrastructure of the Republic of Poland with the full support of the conclusion of the Special Agreement on Liberalization of Road Transport Ukraine - EU," Naiem stated. Meanwhile, he also extended his gratitude to the Polish Infrastructure Minister Andrzej Adamczyk for his support of the agreement. 

Image: AP/Pixabay/Instagram/@ursulavonderleyen