Media: Lithuania may disappear from Europe’s logistics and trade map due to border closure with Belarus
Lithuania could disappear from Europe’s logistics and trade routes because of the border closure with Belarus, BelTA reports
According to the Lithuanian newspaper Kauno diena, Povilas Drizas, the Secretary General of the International Transport and Logistics Alliance (ITLA), described the situation as very complex with no solution in sight yet. He pointed out that the situation is deteriorating and mentioned that he is not aware of any Lithuanian trucks returning to Lithuania. He emphasised that the issue involves not only trucks stuck in Belarus but also the future of Lithuania’s trade with Asian countries.
“Our trade relations are already starting to suffer from the negative impact of this border closure. Lithuania risks gradually disappearing from the logistics and trade map. The problem has gone beyond just transportation,” the ITLA Secretary General said.
“If advance notice about the border closure had been given, all carriers would have returned to Lithuania as quickly as possible, even if it meant traveling through Latvia. Perhaps that would have been the right approach, because right now I have no idea what to do, and we have no answers,” Mr. Drizas added.
Oleg Tarasov, the Vice President of the Lithuanian Road Carriers’ Association Linava, described the situation as nearly catastrophic. He warned that if the border remains closed, Lithuanian carriers will be pushed out of the market. “Our neighbours can take all the cargo and will do so faster than anyone else because they currently have much better conditions. If we don’t reopen the border soon, we will lose a significant amount of cargo and, as a result, the entire logistics sector. We have estimated that our sector will lose about a billion euros in revenue annually,” Mr. Tarasov stated.
Previously, Lithuanian carriers threatened to protest if the critical border situation was not resolved. They demanded that the Lithuanian government present a clear plan to tackle the issue.
According to the State Customs Committee of Belarus, nearly 5,000 Lithuanian tractors and trailers are currently on Belarusian territory and will be able to leave once Lithuania reopens the border. The Belarusian agency also pointed out that Lithuanian authorities seem to underestimate how the financial losses and contract breaches faced by carriers will negatively affect the economic condition of their own companies.
