The agreement between Ukraine and the EU on the liberalization of cargo transportation has been prolonged until 30 June 2024. The document, signed in June 2022, removes the need for Ukrainian carriers to obtain permits for bilateral and transit traffic to EU countries.
According to Deputy Prime Minister – the head of the Ministry of Transport Oleksandr Kubrakov in Facebook, the relevant agreement was reached at the first meeting of the joint committee of the Agreement on freight transport by road.
“During the first year the agreement has proved its practical effectiveness. For the period of its validity, the volume of bilateral and transit road freight traffic has increased by more than 50%,” he noted.
After the agreement was signed on June 29, 2022, the number of carriers crossing the border toward the EU increased by 53% compared to the same period in 2021, and the number of crossings itself increased by 43%.
The Deputy Prime Minister noted the potential for further growth, in particular through the joint development with European partners of the necessary logistical infrastructure at the border. He reminded that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, two new checkpoints have been opened on the Romanian border, as well as a control point on the temporary infrastructure for empty trucks at the border with Poland. In addition, the capacity of the Krakivets-Korcheva checkpoint was expanded and the operation of the Jagodin-Dorogusk checkpoint on the border with Poland was streamlined.
“The effective implementation of the “transport visa-free” brings us closer to our main foreign policy goal – gaining EU membership,” Kubrakov stressed.
Deputy Prime Minister reminded that the agreement also simplifies the procedure of recognition of driving documents: Ukraine and the EU have exempted holders of driving licenses issued by one of the parties from the requirement to have an international driving license.
