The "transport visa-free regime" has resulted in a more than 40% increase in the movement of goods by road from Ukraine to the EU and vice versa since the agreement on freight transport between Ukraine and the EU entered into force.

The infographic indicates that exports from Ukraine to the EU by road increased as much as 41% in 2022 compared to 2021, whereas those from Ukraine to the EU grew by 11%.

I presented key figures for implementing the Freight Transportation Agreement between 🇺🇦and 🇪🇺 during the Joint Committee established by the Agreement. The key conclusion is that the Agreement supports our economy and exports. For example, thanks to the signing of the Agreement… pic.twitter.com/IM3BAo9Z2y

— Oleksandr Kubrakov (@OlKubrakov) December 18, 2023

Overall, over the 18 months of the agreement, 47.5% more goods were transported from Ukraine to the EU by road than before the visa-free regime and 44% more from the EU to Ukraine.

"The key conclusion is that the Agreement supports our economy and exports. For example, thanks to the signing of the Agreement this year, exports by road transport increased by 30% and imports by 25%. It confirms the positive impact of the Agreement and its validityб" Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister, wrote on Twitter.

The minister also stressed the importance of fully unblocking Ukraine's border with its western neighbours.

"The prevention of further blockades in the future should become a principle of economic security for our region," Kubrakov added.

Ukraine and the European Union signed a "transport visa-free regime" agreement on 29 June 2022. In March 2023, it was extended until 30 June 2024.

The key demand of Polish and Slovak hauliers mounting blockades at the border is the reintroduction of the permit system for their Ukrainian counterparts.