Ukraine, Moldova cancel international road haulage permits

From September 1, 2022, Ukrainian transport companies will be able to enter the Republic of Moldova under the new simplified rules.

The relevant statement was made by the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry on Facebook.

"From September 1, 2022, Ukrainian carriers will be able to enter the Republic of Moldova under the new simplified rules. The team of the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry and our colleagues from Chișinău agreed on this on the eve of Moldova's Independence Day, which is marked today, August 27," the report states.

According to the ministry, as the 'transport visa-free regime' was introduced with EU countries, Moldova remained the only neighboring country, which had not fully cancelled permits for Ukrainian carriers. Considering the large cargo volumes, which are now being transported towards Moldova, a bilateral protocol signed between the two countries would remove the risk of disrupting Ukraine's exports.

"The international road haulage permits cancelled on a bilateral basis and the Berezyne- Basarabeasca railroad section opened several days ago, which had been inactive for over 20 years, are the excellent examples of cooperation in the transport sector, enhanced interaction between Ukraine and Moldova. Now, our task is to make the most of the new opportunities in order to strengthen the economies of our countries in the face of the threats posed by the Russian armed aggression and the Russian politics as a whole," Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov noted.

The permit regime will remain in effect for non-regular passenger services (next year the parties will exchange 2,200 permits), as well as transport services to/from third countries (Ukraine will receive 10,000 permits for 2023).