Ukrainian, Polish representatives approve agreement on joint customs, border controls
MOSCOW. March 28 (Interfax) - Ukraine and Poland have approved the preliminary version of an agreement on joint customs and border controls, and it has been submitted to the European Commission for feedback, Ukrainian media reported, citing the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's press service on Thursday.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Restoration Alexander Kubrakov and Polish Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak reached an agreement on this issue in talks on the sidelines of the Ukrainian-Polish intergovernmental consultations in Warsaw.
"Ukraine and Poland have agreed on a joint text of the agreement on joint customs and border controls. The Polish side has already submitted the finalized text to the European Commission for feedback. After the approval by the European Union the document is expected to be signed between the two countries," the press service said in a statement.
The agreement will allow for a strategic approach to developing a joint border, in particular, to build new joint border checkpoints, and will generally speed up control procedures, it said.
Poland will be the first country with which Ukraine will conclude agreements on joint customs and border controls. After that, it will be possible to initiate similar agreements with other EU member states, it said.
Among other things, the parties discussed the preparations for the opening and full operation of the Nizhankovichi-Malhowice border checkpoint. It is currently operating with temporary infrastructure, but construction work is almost completed, and it is scheduled to be opened in June. The Ukrainian side noted that it is important that this checkpoint could pass trucks weighing up to 7.5 tonnes and empty trucks weighing more than 7.5 tonnes, the statement said.
The parties also discussed the extension of the agreement on liberalization of freight traffic between Ukraine and the EU, the so-called transport visa-free regime, the ministry's press service said.
"The extension of the agreement on liberalization of freight transport is critical for our economy. Currently, we enjoy the European Commission's support in this matter and we are working out in detail the proposed amendments to the updated agreement. Some of them are easy to implement, some of them contain a number of risks that may substantially affect the implementation of the agreement. Therefore, it is important for us to formulate a balanced stance that will suit all parties and will contribute to the balance on the freight transportation market," the press service quoted Kubrakov as saying.
The Ukrainian-Polish intergovernmental consultations included consultations on the development of railway communication, in particular, through the mechanisms of the EU's Connecting Europe Facility program, the introduction of the NUTS system in Ukraine and the formation of effective municipal statistics for regional development.