- Published: 07.10.2005.
Matter of Road Transport Permits with Slovenia - Successfully Solved
Croatia and Slovenia have reached an agreement on the number of transit permits for freight transport until the end of this and during the first half of next year. At the same time, Croatian carriers will be allowed to perform their transport via Slovenia and towards all EU countries which have signed a bilateral agreement on transport with Croatia.
This is the result of recent activities of a Croatian – Slovenia International Road Transport Committee, during which the representatives of the two countries agreed on the issuing of another 1500 permits in 2005 and 5000 more in the first half of 2006.
Igor Malý, Assistant Minister of Road Traffic at the Ministry of the Sea, Tourism, Transport and Development explained at today's press conference that an acceptable solution for permits regarding third countries had been found.
Miloš Pregl, in charge of the Slovenian side of the Committee, said 'We achieved important progress and it is just a question of time when we will stop discussing restrictions concerning the market of transport services and start discussing mutual cooperation'.
The Agreement makes it possible for Croatian carriers to continue with their transports via Slovenia towards the EU countries with which Croatia has a signed bilateral transport agreement. All this has not been possible during the last eight months, because Slovenia kept insisting on the changed conditions and on the realization of the special EU Customs Tariff Regulation. Due to this disagreement, Slovenian carriers experienced a similar situation on Croatian roads.
Brussels instructed the two countries to solve the problem by themselves. With today’s date the 'truck war', which was ongoing from the beginning of the year, kindled by all the different interests of the transport associations of the two countries, has finally come to an end.
The Slovenian side believes that the bilateral and the transit transport have been liberalized with today's agreement, while the same process regarding transport to third countries is soon to be actualized.
The Interstate Commission on Road Transport is planning to meet again during the first half of the next year in order to discuss the number of permits till the end of 2006. (Hina)