The Deputy Prime Minister for the restoration of Ukraine and the Minister of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure, Oleksandr Kubrakov, emphasises that it will be extremely difficult for our country to survive without extending the visa-free transport agreement with the European Union.
The EU should make a positive decision regarding Ukraine
According to Oleksandr Kubrakov, visa-free transport with the EU will be extended, as it was in June 2023.
The minister draws attention to the fact that the transport visa-free will preserve the abolition of the need for Ukrainian carriers to obtain appropriate permits for bilateral and transit transportation to EU countries.
Without it, it will be difficult for us to survive. I think everyone understands this very well. Let me remind you that the liberalization agreement signed in Ukraine is with the EU, not individual countries. And although we sometimes hear discussions about returning to the permit system, no one will go for it — neither Ukraine nor the European Union.
Oleksandr Kubrakov
The Deputy Prime Minister for the Reconstruction of Ukraine is the Minister of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure
What changes does the European Commission propose to the transport agreement:
make it mandatory to have documents that the transport operator is duly authorized to carry out international transportation and that these transportations are carried out following the Agreement;
make it mandatory to have specific documents certifying that the transportation is directly related to a transit or bilateral operation, as required by the Agreement;
strengthen compliance by road transport operators with obligations related to the fight against fraud or forgery of driver's documents and offences related to road safety (such offences may lead to license revocation);
add a new precautionary clause: if the national road transport market in a certain geographic area sees serious violations that may be related to the Agreement, its effect may be suspended in that geographic area.
