Linava President: The Problem of Lithuanian Trucks in Belarus Will Only Be Resolved Next Year

Lithuanian trucks stuck in Belarus still cannot leave the neighboring country, said Erlandas Mikenas, president of the Linava association. According to him, carriers do not expect a "Christmas miracle" and believe that the problem with the trucks will carry over to next year, writes Delfi.lt.

"The mood among carriers is bad. There is no movement of trucks, and as for the information that the Prime Minister shares, I have no idea where she got it from or who told her that. We contacted colleagues in Poland and Belarus, and, according to our data, the situation is the same as before: trucks are stuck and cannot move," Mikenas said.

"Christmas, as they say, is a time for miracles. Carriers hoped that the situation would change before the holidays, but now there is little hope. I am convinced that the problem will carry over to next year," he continued.

According to him, the government did not react to Linava's protest on Gediminas Avenue in Vilnius. "After the protest, during which we submitted a petition with demands to the government, there was no response," Mikenas noted.

He assured that the data on the number of trucks in Belarus is correct, but cannot guarantee that the official data has been submitted to the government.

"We have the same data — 4,000 Lithuanian trucks are stuck in Belarus. However, we cannot submit official data ourselves, as there are several other associations and independent companies in Lithuania whose data we do not have. In any case, I guarantee there are more Linava trucks there than the government or the Customs Department reports," Mikenas said. "Official data with all vehicle numbers are still being reconciled," he added.

On Tuesday, Minister of Transport Juras Taminskas told journalists that he could not confirm this information.

According to him, Linava must first count how many trucks are in Belarus and submit the data to the government. He emphasized that until Linava provides this data, this issue will not be discussed. According to Taminskas, permits for transport to the East are issued by the Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration, according to whose data 2,600 trucks have such permits.

Mikenas claims that this data is outdated, because carriers acquire most of the permits directly in Belarus.

"If the minister does not know about this or does not pay attention to it, then it is difficult to say anything," noted the head of the Linava association.

It was previously reported that, according to Linava's estimates, carriers' losses reach 100 million euros and continue to grow. The association will present updated data in early January.

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