Ukraine and Poland are getting ready to compromise that will lead to unblocking the border.

The Polish hauliers have been blocking the border for more than two months, causing billions in losses to Ukraine. However, Kyiv is strongly against their key demand to returning cargo transportation permits.

Instead, the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine is trying to eliminate unfair competition with European hauliers, a matter also complained about in Poland.

Read more in the column by Iryna Kosse, a Leading Research Fellow at the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting – Unblocking Border: What Changes Ukraine is Prepared to Implement.

As the author writes, there is a proposal to update the licensing conditions for hauliers. These steps are important not only in the context of the border blockade but are also intended to contribute to the creation of a more transparent and efficient market for transportation services.

"One of the key initiatives is the cancellation of the simplified procedure for issuing licenses, introduced during the full-scale invasion by Russia. The simplified regime did not provide for the requirement to confirm three years of work experience for conducting international passenger transport by buses and the transport of dangerous goods by freight vehicles," the expert notes.

She points out that licenses issued during a state of war will continue to be valid during the state of war, provided the license conditions are met.

Another change, warned by Iryna Kosse, is that driver training will be exclusively in accordance with European standards. This means that the educational institution, when issuing a certificate of professional competence, must register the driver in the Register of Professional Drivers.

"Additional innovations include requirements for the education of personnel responsible for the technical condition of vehicles, as well as the obligation of the licensee to maintain a list of drivers hired in the Unified Information System of Transport Security," adds the senior researcher at the Institute of Economic Research and Political Consultations.

According to her, the changes are also about liability and life insurance for drivers, as well as the requirement for vehicles to comply with environmental standards.

Such changes are being coordinated with European standards, in particular with Directive 2008/68/EC, which regulates the transport of dangerous goods.

European legislation requires special training for personnel involved in the transport of dangerous goods.

"Although the Ukrainian programme of professional competence meets the EU standards, not all drivers pass it," the author emphasises.

Hauliers point to a shortage of drivers due to mobilisation and long queues at borders, which block vehicles for a long time, forcing owners of transport companies to take the wheel themselves.

The issue of driver training, especially for those transporting dangerous goods, is a safety concern. The EU rightly demands that Ukraine adhere to EU common rules.

Iryna Kosse notes that it is unknown whether changes to the licensing conditions will be the sole response to the Polish blockers.

The International Road Transport Union (IRU) recently reported that it is in talks with European freight hauliers and is offering them an alternative solution instead of returning permits for freight transportation for Ukrainians, which involves implementing the European approach to licensing the transport market.

"So, further innovations in the field of transport licensing could be expected," concludes Iryna Kosse.