Polish-French talks on the need for changes to road haulage agreement between EU and Ukraine
The revision of the agreement between the European Union and Ukraine on road haulage of goods was the main topic of the conversation between the Minister of Infrastructure of Poland Dariusz Klimczak and the Minister Delegate for Transport at the Ministry of Ecological Transformation and Territorial Cohesion of France Patric Vergriet.
Poland’s Minister of Infrastructure presented to his French counterpart the arguments of the Polish side, supported by analyses and data that confirm the justification for introducing changes to the above-mentioned agreement. He noted that the main goal of liberalising road haulage conditions between the EU and Ukraine was economic support for our eastern neighbour after the military aggression from Russia. The current application of the agreement between the European Union and Ukraine on road haulage of goods from June 2022 has led to a significant imbalance in the road haulage market in the Central European region.
Minister D. Klimczak added that the issue is noticed not only by carriers from Poland, Czechia and Slovakia but also by representatives of 14 European carrier associations, including those from France, Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Greece, Sweden and Finland. Due to the negative effects of the application of the agreement in its current form on the European road haulage industry, the head of Poland’s Ministry of Infrastructure emphasised the urgent need to take all possible actions to improve the situation.
“The issue of revising the agreement between the European Union and Ukraine on road haulage of goods, while maintaining constant support for Ukraine, is a challenge for the Polish, and therefore European, road haulage market. Nevertheless, it is important and awaited by the transport community”, said the Minister of Infrastructure Dariusz Klimczak.
The minister added that the Polish side is in constant contact on this matter both with the Ukrainian side and the European Commission, which recognised, in accordance with the Polish request, the justification for revising the agreement and took into account some of the proposals that the Polish side had been seeking for a long time.
“The constructive dialogue conducted so far with the European Commission has brought results in the form of proposed changes to the agreement, including the possibility of total or partial suspension of the contract or taking other measures in the event of serious disruptions on the road haulage market”, noted the Minister of Infrastructure Dariusz Klimczak and asked the French side for support during work on amending and clarifying the contract to allow the maintenance of competitiveness on the European market for international road haulage of goods.
The Polish minister’s argumentation was met with understanding by his French counterpart and an assurance of support for Poland’s efforts to revise some of the provisions of the agreement. The ministers also discussed the possibility of cooperation in the transport area within the Weimar Triangle, i.e. between France, Germany and Poland, and the issues of the upcoming Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. They also confirmed a bilateral meeting to take place on 4 April of the current year in Brussels.