Belarus introduced a high fare for foreign trucks

This does not compensate for the sanctions, but it will add funds to the treasury

Belarus introduces a fee for the passage of cars from foreign countries on its territory. Truckers will pay 480 Belarusian rubles (that’s more than $180 or 12,000 Russian rubles) to drive into Belarus. This tariff was set by the Ministry of Transport of the Republic. Basically, transit trucks go through the country with a final destination in Russia. “MK” figured out how the decision of Minsk will affect cargo transportation.

In April of this year, the authorities of Belarus banned European truckers from entering the country and approved the following scheme: the truck reaches a certain checkpoint, and then the cargo is transferred to a car with Belarusian numbers. This was a response to the sanctions imposed against the country. The decision led to huge queues at the borders, drivers complained about corruption and bureaucracy on the ground. The flow of freight traffic from the EU fell by almost 30 percent.

In October, the Ministry of Transport canceled this measure, but introduced a fare in Belarus for international transport in the amount of 15 basic units. In this case, the base value is determined on the day the permit is issued. For example, in November it is equal to 32 Belarusian rubles, which means drivers will have to pay 480 rubles. The department plans to transfer the received funds to the road fund of the republic.

There are also exceptions. Transport that transports humanitarian goods, postal items, medical devices and medicines, live animals, as well as blood, organs and various human tissues can not pay for travel.

To obtain the right to enter, it is necessary to register a personal account in the AIS Dazvol automated system. The completed document will contain the following information: the country of registration of the road carrier, the name of the road carrier and its full address, as well as the place and date of issue of the permit.

The new travel system is unlikely to lead to an increase in international traffic, says political scientist Andrei Suzdaltsev: “No one has canceled sanctions on trade between Russia and the European Union, and the bulk of the goods through Belarus were transit. There are global heavy restrictions that affect these trade volumes.”

The expert called the removal of entry restrictions an attempt by Minsk to soften relations with the European Union. Perhaps the West will go to a meeting and lift at least part of the sanctions, at least, this is what the head of the Foreign Ministry of the republic, Vladimir Makei, regularly demands. However, one cannot hope for a thaw in relations, Suzdaltsev is convinced: “The events of 2021, namely, the migration war on the border with Poland, became the point of no return.”