ArmInfo. Armenia's interstate freight companies must comply with international requirements, which are enshrined not only in the CEPA (Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement), but also in the Charter for the Quality of International Road Freight Transport, of which Armenia has been a member since 2003. Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration of Infrastructures of the Republic of Armenia Armen Simonyan stated this at a press conference on September 4.
He stressed that since that time, no legislative changes have been introduced that would allow fulfilling the requirements of the Charter.
Henceforth, according to the amendments to the RA Law on Highways, the companies engaged in cargo transportation should be distinguished by financial stability, have a good reputation, the absence of which may affect the decision on granting the latter a permit to carry out cargo transportation.
The bill, as explained by the Deputy Minister, provides for the passage of courses to improve the skills of drivers, upon completion of which they are expected to test. Upon successful completion of the training course, drivers of the above categories will receive an appropriate international certificate. Further, retraining will take place every 5 years, but without tests.
During the press conference, the Deputy Minister mentioned another draft law providing for the introduction of a mandatory road payment for drivers of trucks with a tonnage of 12 tons or more.
According to him, until 2018, the road tax was in effect for heavy duty vehicles-residents of the Republic of Armenia, after which it was removed in the adopted new Tax Code, since the tax created unequal conditions for both resident and non-resident drivers. In order to comply with European requirements, as noted by the Deputy Minister, it was decided to introduce a compulsory payment, both for the residents of the Republic of Armenia and for foreign carriers.
Simonyan explained that trucks with a tonnage of more than 12 tons were chosen to pay the toll, since it is this category of cargo carriers that causes the greatest damage to the roads.