Later developments: Local Border Traffic Sample Clauses

Later developments: Local Border Traffic. Despite the fact that the system in place for transit over the territory of Lithuania is considered to be working well, its field of application remain relatively limited. People who want to enter or leave the territory of Kaliningrad through the territory of Poland cannot rely on the FTD/FRTD regime since Poland does not wish to apply it as it does not consider itself a transit country.327 The introduction of Regulation 1931/2006 on Local Border Traffic Agreements has brought some change to this problem.328 The regulation foresees in the issuing of special cross-border permits, or LBT permits, for residents on both side of the border to encourage ‘local border traffic’, i.e. simplified border crossings for residents for social, economic and cultural exchange or for family reasons. On the basis of this regulation, EU Member States can conclude bilateral agreements with their neighbouring non-EU countries allowing for local border traffic, for residents, living in principle no more than 30 km (or exceptionally 50 km) from the border. Persons living within that area can apply for an LBT permit, which has a validity from 1 up to 5 years. The requirements to obtain an LBT permit are easier to fulfil than under the Visa Code. One does not have to prove sufficient means of subsistence, the permit can be issued free of charge, separate lanes and border crossings could be installed and all residents would be entitled to make use of the scheme.329 This at first sight seems interesting for Kaliningradians: they would not gain the right to travel to mainland Russia, but they would have the right to cross the borders of their neighbouring countries. There is however a major problem with the regulation, as the maximum range of application is limited to 50 km, meaning, that measuring from the Polish border, the city of Kaliningrad itself falls outside the field of application of the LBT regime. Thus, the Kaliningrad Oblast would fall apart in three region: one region with the possibility of LBT with Poland, another region with the possibility of LBT with Lithuania and a region, including the city of Kaliningrad, falling outside the scope of the LBT Regulation. This problem was solved in 2011 by amending the LBT Regulation,330 a change that nominated the whole of the Kaliningrad Oblast as falling inside the concept of border region, opening up the entire territory of the oblast for the possible 327 COM (2002) 510 final, 3. 328 Council Regulation (EC) 1931/2006 of 20 Dece...