The transit of part of the cargo between Kaliningrad and the Russian Federation was resumed on Friday. This was stated by the Lithuanian Railways (Lietuvos gelezinkeliai) cargo transportation company LTG Cargo.
The transit of sanctioned goods between Russia and Kaliningrad was stopped from mid-June, according to the guidance issued by the European Commission (EC). The company’s announcement states:
“According to the relevant regulation of the Council of the European Union and the EC guidelines, as well as the interpretations of the competent authorities, in accordance with the conditions for strengthening the control of goods in transit, provided for in the EC guidelines, LTG Cargo will resume such transportation from today, i.e. 22 July. They will be carried out in compliance with the conditions for strengthening the control of goods in transit, provided for in the EC guidelines.”
At the same time, it is stipulated that the transit of goods prohibited by sanctions will be allowed only if they are necessary, are not considered an unusual flow or pattern of trade, and do not circumvent restrictions.
The volume of cargo transportation will correspond to the average for three years – from January 2019 to the end of December 2021. Average values will be calculated separately for each product code. If the volume of cargo reaches the average annual values, then the applications will be rejected.
Until further clarification, as the company notes, shipping the luxury items listed in the guide will not be renewed in transit. Goods previously transported by trucks will not be included in the average.
After July 13, when the EC issued guidance allowing Russia to transport sanctioned goods to and from the Kaliningrad region via Lithuania – only for the needs of this exclave and only by rail – the government commission for the coordination of international sanctions, which met on Tuesday, formulated to the Ministry of Transport, Recommendations to the Customs Department and Lithuanian Railways to control the transit of these goods, writes bb.lv.
Earlier, Gintaras Bagdonas, the former head of the Lithuanian military intelligence, said that the country would be safer if dismantles the Russian railway track running through its territory. Many “hotheads” supported the idea and suggested dismantling the rails leading to Kaliningrad. However, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte urged not to forget about the Lithuanian treaty, EU and Russia via Kaliningrad transit.
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