Ukraine and the EU have updated the "transport visa-free"

On June 20, in Brussels, Deputy Minister of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Serhiy Derkach and EU Commissioner for Transport Adina Velyan signed the extension of the Agreement on Liberalization of Freight Transportation between Ukraine and the European Union.

It is about the so-called "transport visa-free". It will make it possible to carry out bilateral and transit cargo transportation without the need to obtain permits. In addition to prolonging the Agreement, the updated document includes a number of obligations for both Ukrainian and European carriers.

In particular, all drivers will have to have documents confirming the availability of a license for transportation. In addition, all trucks carrying out transportation in accordance with the terms of the Agreement must be specially marked.

It should be noted that this Agreement is needed not only for Ukraine, because it also has a positive impact on the EU market. For example, if we compare 2023 with 2021, imports from the European Union to Ukraine increased by more than 45%. And it was possible to increase the export of domestic goods by 45% by road. Also, one of the innovations is the availability of supporting documents for trucks leaving Ukraine empty of goods to EU countries. It is also about creating a special working group to analyze the impact of "visa-free" on the market. It will include representatives of Ukraine and Europe.

At the same time, according to the European side, the signing of the Agreement is an important step for strengthening cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union and accelerating Ukraine's integration into the European transport environment.