Ukraine and Estonia have agreed to open routes on a non-parity basis and the possibility of opening new routes for a period of 5 years.
This was reported by the Ministry of Community and Territory Development of Ukraine, writes UNN.
Representatives of both countries reached this agreement during a meeting of the joint commission with the Estonian Ministry of Climate, dedicated to passenger transportation by buses.
Opening new routes without the need to look for a parity partner in Estonia will allow Ukrainian carriers to spend significantly less time and resources to create new bus networks. In addition, new routes will be opened for a period of 5 years. This will also ensure sustainability and predictability for business
The parties also managed to agree on increasing the validity period of permits for regular routes and increasing the number of permits for irregular transportation.
In the current year, Ukrainian carriers will have 130 permits available. Among the topics of the meeting was also the initiation of an initiative for electronic permits for passenger transportation and their exchange between countries.
Regarding permits for irregular transportation under the InterBus Agreement, the Ministry of Development, together with its Estonian colleagues, agreed to explore the possibility of automatic exchange of information on the use of such permits.
In addition, the meeting participants agreed to verify the current network of routes between the countries.
After the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine, Estonia became a haven for tens of thousands of Ukrainians. As of 2024, almost 160,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Estonia. Of these, up to 70,000 moved on to other countries. Almost 90,000 Ukrainians decided to stay in Estonia.
