Informal video conference of transport ministers, 8 April 2022

Main results

Coordinated EU response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

On behalf of the presidency of the European Union, the Minister for Transport, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, held a video conference with his European counterparts and the European Commission on Friday 8 April 2022. The purpose of the video conference was to exchange views on how the European Union could provide a coordinated response, in the area of transport, to the impact of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine.

Since 24 February, the consequences of the war have already begun to be felt in all sectors, particularly in the transport sector. This sector is a means of responding to Ukraine's need for solidarity and support from the European Union, both in terms of logistics and refugee mobility. To signal their and the EU's support for Ukraine and to address the impact of the conflict on the European transport system, the transport ministers committed to a coordinated response to the transport challenges, in particular following the adoption of the latest sanctions package this morning, which includes an important transport component.

At the invitation of the presidency, the Ukrainian Minister for Infrastructure, Oleksandr Kubrakov, opened these discussions.

The ministers took stock of the measures that have already been put in place or are planned in each member state, and of how to organise the various initiatives at EU level. The aim is to enhance cooperation between national authorities, and with the Commission, in order to better coordinate initiatives. Three main areas of work have been identified:

• supporting Ukraine, in particular by coordinating means of transport to ensure the continuity and fluidity of transport capacities for people, simplifying the mobility of refugees and their economic integration and coordinating logistical flows to facilitate the delivery of material aid to Ukraine and imports of goods into the European Union.
• protecting transport workers, in particular through European coordination of aid solutions, to ensure their safety and to allow operations to continue, while responding to possible needs for international coordination and action (IMO, ICAO, ILO).
• strengthening the resilience of the European transport system to enable the sector to cope with the crisis.