European Union closes borders for Belarusian and Russian trucks

9 апреля 2022

Starting April 9, the European Union has banned trucks from Russia and Belarus from entering its territory. Now they cannot cross the border with Member States. And up to April 16, all heavy-duty trucks with Russian and Belarusian plates must leave the territory of the EU. The transit restrictions will not affect Kaliningrad Region. The ban also will not affect the vehicles, which transport the mail, pharmacy, honey, food and agricultural products including wheat. Also, the delivery of natural gas and oil, including refined oil products, non-ferrous metals and fertilizers is allowed. The ban does not apply to diplomatic vehicles and vehicles of international organizations, which enjoy immunity under international law. 

At the same time, Europe has not yet figured out what to do about the disruption of maritime supplies. After Brussels' decision to suspend maritime trade with Moscow in the port of Rotterdam, the amount of work related to cargo for Russia has increased dramatically. All of them have to be opened and inspected for sub-sanctioned goods. As a result, four and a half thousand containers of cargo have already piled up in the port.