The Cabinet of Ministers adopted a draft law that provides for increased liability for foreign carriers of goods and passengers in case of illegal cabotage transportation through the territory of Ukraine. About this reported Ministry of Development of Communities and Territories.
We are talking about situations when foreign transport makes flights inside Ukraine without the appropriate permission. Currently, a fine of 17,000 hryvnias is provided for such violations. In the new draft law, it is proposed to raise it to 120,000 hryvnias — seven times.
Cabotage transportation with the participation of foreign companies is prohibited in most countries of the world, including Ukraine. The ministry noted that over the past year, about 150 cases of such violations were recorded, and over the past three years, there has been a trend toward their growth. The draft law is planned to be registered in the Verkhovna Rada in the near future.
In addition, it is proposed to establish a penalty proportional to that in force in the countries of the European Union for carriers from third countries. The bill envisages amendments to the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses and the Law “On Motor Transport”. It is expected that the document will soon be registered in the Verkhovna Rada.
We will remind that in June 2024, Ukraine and the European Union agreed to extend the agreement on the liberalization of cargo transport for one more year – until June 2025. Subsequently, on April 10, its validity was automatically extended until December 31, 2025. This enables both Ukrainian carriers and companies from EU countries to carry out cargo transportation without the need to obtain special permits.
