Ukraine, EU extend transport visa-free regime for another year – Deputy PM

The agreement between Ukraine and the EU on the liberalization of freight traffic has been extended until June 30, 2024, the document, signed in June 2022, abolished the need for Ukrainian carriers to obtain appropriate permits for bilateral and transit transportation to the EU states.

Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Restoration Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Facebook the corresponding agreement was reached at the first meeting of the joint committee of the agreement on freight transportation by road.

"Over the first year, the agreement has proved its practical effectiveness. During the period of its validity, the volume of bilateral and transit road cargo transportation has grown by more than 50%," he said.

Since the signing of the agreement on June 29, 2022, the number of carriers crossing the border towards the EU has increased by 53% compared to the same period in 2021, while the number of crossings itself has increased by 43%.

The official noted the potential for further growth, in particular, through joint development of the necessary logistics infrastructure at the border with European partners. He recalled that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, two new checkpoints on the border with Romania were opened, as well as a checkpoint on temporary infrastructure for the passage of empty trucks on the border with Poland.

"The effective implementation of the transport visa-free regime brings us closer to our main foreign policy goal – gaining EU membership," Kubrakov stressed.

Source: www.en.interfax.com.ua