Poland signs road cargo deal with Russia

On April 1, Polish deputy Infrastructure and Construction Minister Jerzy Szmit and his Russian counterpart Nikolai Asaul reached an agreement on restoring international road transports after talks in Gdańsk. According to the signed deal, which is valid until the end of 2016, Poland will receive 170,000 permits from Russia, including 30,000 for transport to and from third party countries. Russia has also received 170,000 permits, including 10,000 for transport to and from third party countries. Earlier this year, lorry traffic between the two countries stopped amid a row. The authorities in Warsaw accused Moscow of cutting back on permits, whereas Russian politicians blamed Poland for the stalemate. In February, Poland and Russia struck a temporary pact, each agreeing to each hand out 20,000 permits to the other. That deal expires on April 15.