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The Transport ministers from nine countries (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland and Romania) have asked Commissioner Adina Vălean to “suspend temporarily for the time of military aggression of Russia on Ukraine the application of provisions hampering road transport operations efficiency.”

The ministers single out measures forcing trucks to return to their country of establishment every eight weeks and limiting foreign truckers’ deliveries within another country. The letter argues that Ukrainian transport workers’ return home to fight is exacerbating Europe’s driver shortage, while demand for transport services is up. The application of measures in the Mobility Package requires “additional operations and drivers which at this point are difficult, if not impossible, to organise and engage,” according to the ministers. The letter adds: “In such dire circumstances, where every trip and every driver count and can make a big difference, it is crucial that the haulage sector is empowered and facilitated to work in the most efficient and effective way possible, without any unnecessary diversions, empty runs and waste of time and resources,” the minister write.