Finland promises to follow Russia’s example in removing controversial excess weight charges for articulated lorries

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Finland may give up the excess weight charge imposed on Russian trucks using Finnish roads. The charge has been much criticised by the logistics field.
      Russia announced on Thursday in connection with a Moscow meeting of the transport ministers of the two countries that it would drop the controversial excess weight charge on its own roads. If Russia goes ahead with the plan, Finland will follow suit immediately.
     
Finland started collecting the EUR 180 fee from articulated trailer lorries weighing in excess of 38 tonnes in February.
      Russia has been levying similar fees from Finnish haulers for years.
      Previously Russian trailer lorries weighing no more than 42 tonnes were allowed to enter Finland without having to pay any additional charges.
      Only a small number of the articulated trailer lorries responsible for the transit traffic via Finland into Russia exceed the weight limit, but the change was nonetheless feared to cause operators to re-route their container traffic away from Finland, leading to Finnish logistics companies' losing business and jobs.
     
Finland’s Minister of Transport Anu Vehviläinen (Centre Party) cannot say for sure how quickly Russia will abandon the charges, but “the message was clear”, she insists.
      “They assured me that they would alter their regulations as soon as possible”, Vehviläinen continues.
      “Changing it quickly would also serve their own interests, for that way they would be benefiting their own logistics field’s operations even in Finland.”
      The logistics branch interest group Straightway Finland’s executive director Elina Multanen considers the plan great news.
      In Multanen’s view, in the worst case scenario the charges could have led to the container traffic via Finland drying up completely.
     
At the transport ministers’ meeting the lease of the Saimaa Canal was also discussed.
      Last autumn Finland and Russia reached consensus over the main points of a new 50-year agreement on the waterway, but a definitive contract has still not materialised.
      According to Vehviläinen the contract will be ratified shortly.
      The aim is to sign the agreement at the beginning of June, during the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s visit to Finland, says Vehviläinen.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finnish Port Association: Excess weight charge reduces container traffic via Finnish ports (17.2.2009)

Links:
  Straightway Finland
  Saimaa Canal (Wikipedia)

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