Ukraine intends to pass a bill by the end of 2027 that will create the legal framework for launching toll roads. This was stated by Serhiy Derkach, First Deputy Minister for Restoration, Infrastructure, and Transport of Ukraine, in a commentary for RBC-Ukraine. According to him, introducing a toll road system is not a recommendation, but a mandatory criterion of the European Union, without which the country's European integration process cannot be completed.
Legal Framework as a Condition of Membership
«The possibility of launching toll roads is a mandatory criterion of the European Union, it is part of European Union legislation. And we, as a country, are obliged to establish a legal framework and the possibility of launching toll roads,» Derkach emphasized. Thus, this is not a voluntary decision by Kyiv, but compliance with the regulatory requirements of the bloc that Ukraine aspires to join. The legislative framework must determine the procedure for collecting fees, the categories of vehicles subject to tariffs, and mechanisms for control and revenue distribution.
Truck Overloading — The Main Destroyer of Pavement
Separately, the deputy minister pointed to one of the key reasons why Ukraine's road network requires large-scale restoration. «Our roads are being destroyed precisely because of overloaded trucks. And these overloaded trucks very often carry two waybills with them: one with the correct weight, and one with the incorrect, reduced weight,» Derkach explained. Systematic violations of permissible weight and size limits accelerate pavement wear by multiples, making it economically unfeasible to maintain roads without recovering part of the costs through tolls.
Tariffs Already Approved, Legislation Adapting
Relevant Ukrainian agencies have previously approved maximum toll rates for future paid road sections. In parallel, the Ministry for Restoration is working to adapt national legislation to EU requirements in several related areas: carrier licensing, compliance with weight and size limits, and the restoration of safe transport infrastructure. This means that the toll road law will become part of a broader package of reforms aimed at bringing the Ukrainian transport industry into line with European standards.
Financial Context: Deficit and Linking Aid to Reforms
The introduction of toll roads is taking place against the backdrop of severe budget constraints. The State Treasury of Ukraine has suspended payments to communities due to a shortage of funds in state accounts. An additional pressure factor is the delay in international financial assistance, which is typically tied to the adoption of specific European integration reforms. In this logic, the toll road law serves a dual function: on the one hand, it meets EU requirements and thereby «unlocks» a portion of the tranches, and on the other hand, it creates an additional source of revenue for the maintenance and repair of the road network.
Broader Context: Changes in Mobilization Rules
Against the backdrop of infrastructural reforms, the Ukrainian government has also introduced changes to the rules for reserving liable-to-military-service citizens during mobilization and martial law. The document provides for a review of the statuses of critically important enterprises and the creation of a new consultative body. Although these measures are not directly related to road issues, they reflect a general course of restructuring institutional mechanisms under the pressure of simultaneously ongoing military and European integration processes.
