25 September 2025, the EU and Ukraine decided to extend the validity of their current road transport agreement until 31 March 2027.
Originally signed on 29 June 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Agreement facilitates Ukraine’s access to global markets by enabling smoother transit through EU countries and strengthening trade links with the EU market. It has significantly boosted road trade between Ukraine and the EU, benefiting both economies.
By partly liberalising road freight transport through giving transit and bilateral transport rights to Ukrainian and EU hauliers for their respective territories, the agreement helps better anchoring the Ukrainian market into the EU. The agreement also continues to play a role in the context of the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes, facilitating the transport of vital goods like fuel and humanitarian aid, while enabling Ukrainian exports such as grain, ores, and steel to reach the EU and world markets.
Finally, the agreement still contributes to a significant reduction of the burden for the transport industry and authorities both in Ukraine and EU Member States, as it removed the need to issue permits for operations under the agreement.
As Ukraine advances on its European path and following requests by some Member States, it will also need to progressively align its road transport legislation with the EU road transport law. This will contribute to ensuring a level-playing field in the road transport sector.
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