Ukraine and Azerbaijan to launch electronic permits for freight transport

During the International Transport Forum in Leipzig, a meeting took place between Oleksii Kuleba, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine/ Minister for Communities and Territories Development, and Rashad Nabiyev, Minister of Digital Development and Transportation of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the development of transport cooperation between the countries, the prospects for the Middle (Trans-Caspian) Corridor, maritime logistics, the digitalization of transport, and the development of international transport routes.

One of the key outcomes was the signing of a Memorandum on the implementation of electronic permits for freight transport (e-Permit).

The document provides for the digitization of the permit system for international freight transport between the countries and the simplification of procedures for carriers. In effect, instead of exchanging paper permits, the countries will operate within a single system, and carriers and drivers will be able to use a digital permit instead of a paper copy on board.

“This marks a transition from bureaucracy to modern digital solutions for thousands of carriers operating on international routes every day. Ukraine is steadily digitizing the transportation sector and developing joint logistics solutions with its partners. It is important that we are already working on the practical implementation of this Memorandum and have embarked on the development of the necessary system,” noted Oleksii Kuleba.

Support for the digitization of permits for international road transport and data exchange via the e-Permit system in Ukraine will be provided by the “Eastern Partnership for Trade and Transport” (EasTnT) project, implemented by GIZ.

During the meeting, Oleksii Kuleba recalled that in April, during the President of Ukraine’s visit to Baku, a Memorandum of Understanding had been inked between the administrations of the seaports of Ukraine and Azerbaijan. Accordingly, the parties addressed the development of maritime logistics and cooperation between the ports of the two countries.

The Ukrainian side also presented opportunities for public-private partnership projects, particularly in the field of port infrastructure.