Belarus has introduced a traffic ban for Polish and Lithuanian trucks
Alexander Lukashenko issued a decree banning the movement of trucks and tractors registered in Lithuania and Poland on the territory of Belarus until the end of 2027.
This is a reaction to the decisions of Lithuania and Poland to close the border with Belarus due to increasing incidents involving meteorological and smuggling balloons entering Lithuanian and Polish airspace from Belarus.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that in mid-November the government will be ready to open two border crossings with Belarus: in Bobrowniki and Kuźnica. He noted that the opening would be “on a trial basis” after consultations with Lithuania.
Lithuanian carriers are afraid of being pushed out of the market
The traffic ban in the territory of Belarus covers semi-trailers registered in Poland and Lithuania, as well as passenger cars registered in Poland and performing international transport on the basis of individual waybills or international CMR waybills.
Secretary General of the International Transport and Logistics Alliance (TTLA), Povilas Driżas, said the situation was extremely complicated. – Our trade relations are already starting to feel the negative effects of this border closure, Drizas told BNS. In his opinion, “Lithuania may gradually disappear from the logistics and trade map.”
Poles will suffer less from this ban than Lithuanians
Poles approach Alexander Lukashenko’s decision with greater calm. – This ban is no surprise to us and basically does not change anything, because the difficulties have been present for several years – says Rafał Kupczewski from the Podlasie branch for Wprost.pl Polish Chamber of Commerce for Motor Transport and Forwarding.
However, the opening of border crossings with Belarus will change a lot, but not for carriers, but for residents who are counting on economic recovery and a return to providing services to carriers.
Jan Buczek, president, explains the situation Association of International Road Carriers in Poland: – The President of Belarus joined Litvinov in the ban applicable to carriers from Poland, so for them it is a tragedy. Poland has long lost its leading position on this market, and although there are approximately 2,000 registered in Poland. companies that provide transport to the east through Belarus and Russia, many of them are not strictly Polish, but are companies founded by Belarusians, Lithuanians or Ukrainians, and very often with Russian capital. Semi-trailers and trucks with Polish registration have not been driving around Belarus for a long time, and drivers only have to reload the goods onto cars with other registrations. Now it’s more about Lithuanian carriers not entering Belarus from the Polish side.
