Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC) member states involved in the region’s truck transit permit system have agreed to significantly increase permit quotas for 2022.
Meeting today in Istanbul and virtually, member states underlined the importance of the permit system in gradually opening the transport market in the BSEC region and its positive contribution in boosting regional trade and goods transport networks.
Adrian Albu, who leads IRU’s work in the region, said, “Today is a great day for transport and trade for citizens and businesses in the wider Black Sea region.”
“From humble beginnings, the BSEC permit system has grown exponentially over the past 12 years, opening up transport markets and making the economies of the region even more dynamic. We thank all who have helped make this tremendous growth possible.”
Countries present at the meeting, organised by the BSEC Secretariat, included Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine. North Macedonia also joined, becoming the ninth BSEC member state to participate in the permit system, an encouraging sign for other countries in the region to join the system.
In 2022, countries in the system will now each have 3,000 permits, up from 1,500 this year, with the exception of Armenia, which will have 800 permits. This doubles 2021 quotas, which in turn was a 50% increase on 2020. Each permit can be used by one truck for one round trip cross-border transport operation in the region.
IRU was instrumental in establishing the system ten years ago. Based on its success, IRU and the Union of Road Transport Associations in the region (BSEC-URTA) have continued to advocate for increasing the number of permits and extending the geographical coverage of the system. IRU is committed to continue supporting BSEC in the system’s further development and digitalisation.