Russia notes the worsening of conditions of cargo transit with the Kaliningrad region after the EU enlargement

Monday, July 22, 2019

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Russia notes the worsening of conditions of cargo transit with the Kaliningrad region after the EU enlargement, said the Russian president's special representative on relations with the EU, Sergei Yastrzhembsky. "Today we observe not only the preservation of the status quo, but even the worsening of the situation," he said at a session of the public committee "Russia in the United Europe." In particular, in his words, the cost of cargo transit grows due to an increase in the cost of broker services on the Lithuanian side of the border. Restriction of the number of checkpoints through which trains equipped in the Kaliningrad region may pass negatively affects the situation too, believes Mr. Yastrzhembsky. "If earlier the check of trains took some 5 hours, now the delay may be 1 to 3 days," he said. Besides, in his words, great problems with the phytosanitary and veterinary control arise. "Lithuanian customs officials are not professional enough to start working at the level of the European Union from May 1," said Mr. Yastrzhembsky. In his opinion, this is a consequence of insufficient attention on the part of both the European Union and the Polish and Lithuanian authorities to preparation for the EU enlargement, equipping of checkpoints and customs services. "This creates a whole complex of problems around cargo transit," stated Mr. Yastrzhembsky. In his words, at a meeting with representatives of the Dutch government in July this year, the Russian side passed a relevant letter to the EU chair country, which said that Moscow is entitled to expect that the EU will fulfill the commitments it undertook. "We have not received an answer yet," said Mr. Yastrzhembsky.

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