What transport changes does the EU require and how will they affect Ukrainians?

The changes that Ukraine must implement as part of its preparation for EU membership will affect all areas without exception, including transport.

It is hard to find another sector where European reforms, once introduced, will have such an immediate, direct and truly noticeable impact on the daily lives of millions of Ukrainians.

Interestingly, this is also an area where Ukraine, in reforming certain elements, has sometimes gone "too far," implementing changes that the EU itself is only now preparing to adopt.

And that has become a separate challenge in the accession negotiations.

Read more about what Ukrainians can expect from EU integration in the transport sector in the article from the EU Integration Kitchen series by European Pravda editors Sergiy Sydorenko and Yurii Panchenko: Toll roads, driver’s license replacement and mandatory vehicle inspections: how the road to the EU will affect every Ukrainian.  

A candidate country joining the EU has no choice but to adopt the regulations that apply to all EU member states. Transitional periods and extra time can be negotiated, but the rules must ultimately be the same for everyone.

This also applies to Ukrainian driver’s licenses. While in Ukraine they are issued for 30 years, EU law sets much shorter validity periods – 10-15 years for motorcycles and cars, and a maximum of 5 years for truck and bus drivers.

And although the parliament is reluctant to pass unpopular measures right now, it will be hard to avoid them when Ukraine’s EU membership is at stake.

And it’s not just about "driver’s licenses." Preparing for EU accession under Chapter 14 (Transport) requires changes that will be felt by millions of Ukrainians.

Some of these "restrictions on freedom" in transport are necessary and long overdue, even if many people will dislike their introduction. The clearest example is the need to reintroduce mandatory technical inspections for private cars.

This reform, without exaggeration, is unavoidable. There is no way around it on the road to the EU. Experts unanimously agree on this.

How will the "European" inspection differ from the Soviet one?

It is worth recalling that from Soviet times until 2011, regular vehicle inspections were mandatory in Ukraine. But in practice, they were a sham and part of a large-scale corruption scheme.

Under EU rules, mandatory technical checks can only be carried out by private companies with specific, expensive equipment available only in specialized centers.

These procedures are strictly regulated and include photo and video recording.

Recognising that this step cannot be avoided, the government is now discussing various schemes for gradually introducing inspections.

And beyond that new requirements are also coming for buses and minibuses.

Because of the large number of sensitive issues in transport, Ukraine is likely to request the highest number of exemptions in this area during EU accession talks. And many of these exemptions can be explained with a single word: war.

In particular, Ukraine will need to delay reforms in Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways) as well as in the aviation sector.

Additionally, Ukraine will be obliged to introduce "socially responsible routes" where ticket prices are lower than operating costs and commercial operators are not interested in serving them.

And finally, as part of moving towards the EU, Kyiv is preparing to develop toll roads.

But the fact that the transport chapter will be difficult in negotiations does not mean that Ukraine is lagging behind. On the contrary, in some areas, reforms in Ukraine have already advanced to solutions that the EU is only beginning to consider, though this, too, creates challenges.