Ukraine stands for liberalization of transportation market with EU – Kubrakov

The Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine stands for the liberalization of the transportation market with the European Union.

In an interview with Interfax-Ukraine, Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov noted that in the near future a new package of rules for carriers will work in the EU, which will significantly increase the cost of freight for residents of EU countries.

"We are still working in our legislative field and are ready to fill the shortage of carriers in the EU. Now this is hampered by only one factor – the licensing system with neighboring countries, which actually creates an artificial trade barrier for our market. We consider this a violation of our rights under the Association Agreement with the EU," he said.

According to Kubrakov, the Ministry of Infrastructure has already initiated a dialogue at the level of the European Commission on the liberalization of transit freight transportations, and the corresponding official steps are expected soon from the Ministry of Economy.

"The West is actively investing in export-oriented enterprises, building factories here, because there is still a cheaper labor force in Ukraine, it is profitable. They open here the production of goods intended for Western markets. But at the same time, all these companies are constantly faced with a problem movement of goods across the border," said the minister.

Kubrakov also recalled that when Ukraine signed the Association Agreement with the EU, the quota of road haulage permits from Poland was 200,000 per year.

"In recent years, this quota has been reduced to 160,000, despite the fact that the trade turnover between our countries has doubled since that moment, and our exports to the EU have also grown significantly. I don't want to say that, but most of all it resembles some kind of artificial limitation for our economy. And we have already started talking about the liberalization of the transportation market as a whole," the minister emphasized.

He also believes that Europe should look at relations with Ukraine in a more global dimension, since this is no longer a question of some individual carriers, but, among other things, the issue of European investments in Ukraine, which are suffering.

Source: www.en.interfax.com.ua