European carriers will feel the consequences of Ukrainian competition

The extension of the Transport Visa Waiver with Ukraine will mean that hauliers from other European countries, including Poland, will also start to feel the impact of Ukrainian competition, which, according to Jan Buczek, president of the Association of International Road Carriers of Poland (ZMPD), is "undermining the Polish transport industry". Commenting on the decision of European parliamentarians to extend the EU-Ukraine Road Transport Agreement in a new version, Buczek said that the protective mechanisms for European Union players were less strong than expected.

"We are frustrated by the passive attitude of representatives of member states who do not take seriously our arguments and conclusions formulated on the basis of the Polish experience of Ukrainian competition and its free access to the EU transport market" - Jan Buczek

He noted that hauliers from other European countries will also feel the impact of competition from Ukraine, which negatively affects the Polish transport industry. To identify road hauliers not complying with the agreement, member states have set up a working group to develop a harmonized form.

"I hope that the negotiations on the revised agreement with the Ukrainian side, based on the mandate that the EU Council has given to the European Commission, will contribute to restoring the balance on the freight transport market between the European Union and Ukraine and will meet the expectations of Polish entrepreneurs operating on the road freight transport market" - Dariusz Klimczak, Polish Minister of Infrastructure

The publication notes that the EC initially envisaged certain changes to the Agreement, including the introduction of an obligation to have documents confirming that the carrier is duly authorised to carry out international transport or the introduction of safeguard clauses in response to growing concerns in some neighbouring countries about the liberalisation of the international transport market between EU and Ukrainian carriers. The European Commission now believes that, in the absence of contraindications, the Agreement should be automatically extended for 6 months beyond 2025.