EU to request opening of international transport market prior to accession

European Commission officials have announced that European Union (EU) countries will request the Polish Cabinet to open the market for international road transport between the EU and Poland before Poland's accession to the EU. However Polish carriers would be allowed to enter the EU domestic markets only after a five years transition period, as many countries are afraid Polish competition would ruin their transport companies. Poland is not in agreement for such a period, but Austria and Germany are especially interested in it. International Road Union (IRU) estimates that adopting EU technical norms would cost Polish transportation companies about euro 1.4 billion, including acquisition of modern trucks meeting EU safety and environmental protection norms.Polish carrier costs are about one-third lower than in the EU, largely due to relatively lower drivers’ salaries. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B2) M.M