Mirror measures are a worthy response to foreign sanctions against Ukrainian carriers

At a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on April 15, representatives of the state authorities decided to apply mirror measures against cargo carriers of those states that have already adopted strict restrictions for representatives of the transport industry of our country. 

Vladislav Krikli emphasized that Ukraine is a supporter of maintaining the previous level of freight traffic between the countries. As for the measures taken, restrictions are imposed only in one direction. He also clarified that the economy should not suffer because of the coronavirus epidemic. But, in response to those countries that have introduced measures against Ukrainian carriers, the government of our country is forced to maintain mirror restrictions. 

The Minister of Infrastructure also clarified that mirror measures will be applied to the following persons with foreign citizenship:

• Drivers of vehicles engaged in cargo transportation.
• Truck drivers and freight forwarders.
• Teams of air and sea crews.
• Teams of river vessels.
• Train crews.

If we talk about carriers of those states that did not impose restrictions on Ukrainian vehicles, no sanctions will be adopted here. Such persons will be able to freely cross the borders of our country without fear of any restrictions.

Earlier, the Ministry of Infrastructure stated that despite the rapid spread of coronavirus infection and the closure of borders, cargo transportation will function at the same level. In other words, the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic will not affect the work of the cargo transportation industry in any way. But, as you can see, not all countries are ready to cooperate in this direction. Consequently, our country's economy is under threat. Mirror measures in this case are really the right decision on the way to restoring the economic situation in the country and resuming the functioning of the freight transportation industry.

If mirror measures are not introduced, the situation that occurred in February 2020 may repeat. Recall that Ukrainian carriers blocked the entrances to Kiev and other regions of the country with the requirement to cancel the new permit system. According to carriers, this significantly increases the waiting time at customs before crossing the state border.