Extraordinary Council of EU transport ministers convened on Friday for a joint response to the war in Ukraine
Today, 8 April, Minister of Transport Marius Skuodis will participate remotely in the Extraordinary Council of transport ministers of the European Union (EU). During the meeting, the ministers will discuss the common response to the war in Ukraine, the challenges and measures required to strengthen the resilience of the European transport and logistics sector.
Oleksandr Kubrakov, Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine, will also join the remote meeting of the Council.
EU ministers will pay particular attention to continuing to support Ukraine and its people in simplifying the mobility of war refugees from Ukraine in Europe, coordinating logistics flows and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to the country.
Minister Skuodis intends to propose to the Council the establishment of international special rail freight corridors with Ukraine, which would facilitate the export of Ukrainian bulk and other freight.
According to Mr Skuodis, after the adoption of the fifth package of sanctions, the EC will also be asked to provide assistance to the Member States in connection with the consistent interpretation and enforcement of road and maritime transport sanctions.
“Uniform application and enforcement of sanctions across the EU is essential for sanctions to work effectively against the aggressors. Therefore, we ask for the maximum involvement of the European Commission in coordinating the enforcement of road and maritime transport sanctions, as it has been done with the sanctions on aviation,” said the Minister.
In February, in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the EU closed its airspace to Russian airlines indefinitely. In response to a joint call by the Baltic States and Poland, the fifth package of sanctions closes the EU’s borders to Russian and Belarusian trucks, and ships flying the Russian flag are also banned from entering EU ports.
Furthermore, Lithuania has already provided Ukrainian carriers with the opportunity to carry out bilateral and transit cargo transportation through the territory of Lithuania without road transport permits.
Last updated: 11-04-2022
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