On Mar. 5, the European Commission officially proposed extending the agreement on road transport with Ukraine but plans to change it.
The "road transport visa-free" mechanism may change
According to the latest data, new EU proposals are aimed at updating the agreement with Ukraine to improve its practical implementation and enforcement.
It is essential to understand that the agreement was signed in June 2022 and extended until June 2024. Another participant in the deal is Moldova.
The agreements grant bilateral transport rights to Ukrainian, Moldovan and European carriers on each other's territory.
With traditional transport routes in the region disrupted or closed due to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and the inaccessibility of the Black Sea as a traditional trade route for the two countries, extending the agreement until at least the end of 2025 will help secure supply chains, the EC said in a statement.
According to representatives of the European Commission, they decided to change the agreement with Ukraine "based on an exchange of views with the member states, Ukraine and interested parties."
What are the changes in question:
Make it mandatory to have documents that confirm that the transport operator is duly authorized to carry out international transportation and that the agreement carries out the transportation;
make it mandatory to have particular documents certifying that the operation without cargo is directly related to the transit or bilateral operation, as required by the agreement;
strengthen control over compliance by motor carriers with obligations related to the operations permitted by the agreement, the fight against fraud and forgery of driver's documents, as well as offences related to road traffic safety: such offences may lead to license revocation;
Add a new safeguard clause: If a significant disruption in the national road transport market in a specific geographic region related to the agreement, the agreement may be suspended in that geographic region.
The EU is convinced that the agreement was very positive for both the EU and Ukraine, as it will provide an opportunity to increase their exports to each other's markets significantly.
More on the topic
- Category
- World
- Publication date
- Додати до обраного
