European Commission proposes to extend the “transport visa-free regime” with Ukraine, but with new requirements

This is stated on the website of the European Commission.

The highest executive body of the European Union explained that they propose to make changes to the “transport visa-free regime” with Ukraine, taking into account the “lessons” learned in implementing the current agreement. The European Commission also seeks to “facilitate” the implementation of the agreement by member states.

In particular, the new proposal would:

• make obligatory the carrying of documents showing that a transport operator is duly authorised to perform international carriage, and that the transport is being carried out under the Agreement;
• make obligatory the carrying of specific documents certifying that an unladen operation is directly linked to a transit or bilateral operation, as required under the Agreement;
• strengthen compliance by road haulage operatorswith obligations relating to operations authorised under the Agreement, fighting fraud or forgery of driver documents and road safety-related traffic offences: such offences may lead to the withdrawal of the licence;
• add a new safeguard clause: in case the national road transport market in a specific geographical area sees a major disturbance that can be attributed to the Agreement, the agreement could be suspended in that geographical area.

The European Commission is confident that these measures will “reinforce the implementation of the agreement, without compromising mutual benefits”.

European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean noted that temporary transport agreements with Ukraine and Moldova boosted the two countries' exports and imports after they lost important transport routes due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But at the same time, she said, the “transport visa-free regime” may affect differently road transport operators across the EU.

“This is why, with today’s proposal on the agreement with Ukraine, we have also looked at how we can improve the agreement further, by making its implementation and enforcement easier and introducing a safeguard clause in case of negative impacts on regional markets in the EU,” the Commissioner explained.

It should be noted that earlier the European Union promised to intensify checks of compliance with agreements on the part of carriers exporting Ukrainian grain. Thus, the EU is trying to solve the problems of protesting farmers.

More context

In June 2022, Ukraine signed an agreement with the EU on road freight transport, also known as a “transport visa-free” agreement.

“Paths of Solidarity” between Ukraine and the EU were created as an alternative to the Black Sea ports, which were blocked by Russia. The agreement allowed vital supplies to be transported into Ukraine, such as fuel and humanitarian aid, while helping Ukrainian goods such as grain, ore, steel and related goods reach the EU and the rest of the world.

In practice, the agreement meant that the EU would recognize Ukrainian driving licenses and Ukrainian carriers would no longer require permits to enter the bloc. This problem previously hampered Ukrainian export opportunities.

Together with the abolition of customs duties and tariffs on Ukrainian goods, the agreement provided Ukrainian businesses with savings of tens of millions of dollars and opened up new opportunities for Ukrainian products in European markets.

However, the “transport visa-free regime” led to protests from Polish carriers in November 2023. Ultimately, Poland wanted to make changes to the agreement between Ukraine and the EU.