On June 20, 2024, the Council of the European Union approved a decision to sign and provisionally apply the revised EU-Ukraine Agreement on Road Freight Transport. This key change is the result of months of negotiations between Ukraine and the European Commission, acting under the mandate of the EU Council. Thanks to the active efforts of the Ministry of Infrastructure and the support of the Polish side, it was possible to apply changes that are expected to restore balance in the freight market between the European Union and Ukraine.
Key Changes to the Agreement
The original agreement was signed in June 2022 and was extended until the end of June 2024. It grants Ukrainian and EU carriers bilateral transport rights on the territories of both parties. The changes made in 2024 are aimed at further strengthening cooperation and ensuring greater balance and security in the road transport market. The changes to the agreement include several important issues:
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- Road carriers’ documentation: carriers must now have documents proving their authorization to carry out international transport. In addition, documentation must also confirm that unladen operations are directly related to transit or bilateral operations, according to the new provisions of the agreement.
- Vehicle marking: all trucks performing transportation under the agreement must be specially marked by a sticker on the windshield. This is intended to make it easier to identify vehicles and make transport operations more transparent.
- Compliance with obligations: road carriers must comply with contractual obligations more strictly. This is especially true for the prevention of fraud, document falsification and road safety violations.
- Safeguard clause: a safeguard clause has been introduced to allow the European Union to suspend the agreement in certain geographic areas in the case of serious disruption to the road transport market caused by the operation of the agreement.
The future of road transport between the EU and Ukraine
The changes to the EU-Ukraine transport agreement are aimed not only at improving freight transport conditions, but also at safeguarding the interests of Polish and EU carriers. The new regulations introduce greater control, transparency and security, which should help stabilize the transport market and prevent possible disruptions.
Continuous monitoring of the situation by the Ministry of Infrastructure and the possibility of introducing protective instruments gives hope for a quick response to any undesirable changes in the market. Carriers can look forward to greater stability and better conditions for doing business under the new agreement.