The new rules stipulate that road transport of goods within the European Union (including transit) will not be allowed to be carried out by “EU companies that are at least 25 per cent owned by a Belarusian natural or legal person,” reports the Polish Ministry of Finance in a press release.
The exceptions are companies owned by persons with dual citizenship or those with a permanent or temporary residence permit in the EU.
“Entrepreneurs carrying out transport activities should expect to be required to present documents confirming the ownership structure, both during transport and during controls at border crossings,” the ministry reminds.
Similar rules already apply to Russian owners of transport companies.
The European Council implemented the new sanctions on the Belarusian economy in response to its involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine at the beginning of June 2024.
These sanctions included expanded prohibitions on the transport of goods by road within the EU using Belarus-registered trailers and semi-trailers and restrictions on EU road transport operators with significant Belarusian ownership.