Access to Schengen will change our lives in a positive direction. It would be ideal to build the highways already, because we would see the benefits sooner. In any case, we are likely to see economic growth and higher prices for imported products. Let’s not forget that we consume a lot of imported products.

Trucks at customsPhoto: Valentina Petrova / AP / Profimedia

Just as there is freedom of movement for people, so for goods. If highways are like veins in the body, carriers are like blood.

How goods get to stores and what drives up the price

Most of the products that reach our supermarkets are imported. You have seen, for example, apples from Poland, cookies from other EU countries, etc. They get there on the shelves after carriers have carried them for hours, and in some cases days.

There are two distribution methods:

1. Direct contract with the carrier

2. Using the carrier exchange to find someone to deliver the products to their destination

The price used by the carrier to deliver the products to the destination includes the consumption of the refrigerated trailer. This one has a battery, but it doesn’t last forever. The shot consumes fuel for power.

It often happens that carriers have to wait for hours at customs when entering the Schengen country. There are times when it comes to days. This means high fuel consumption, which is reflected in the final price.

In certain situations, when a food manufacturer has a little more inventory after a new partnership, they turn to the stock exchange. It takes a certain amount of time for the goods to reach their destination, otherwise, since the goods are perishable, the cargo is worthless.

There have been cases where only half of the cargo could be sold for this reason, if the carrier was not properly equipped and remained at customs longer than expected. Despite the fact that he assumed a loss, the result was still on the shelf.

As the quantity in the market is less and the demand is more, the traders automatically raise the price.

This is one of the reasons why some products are more expensive in Romania than abroad.

Entry into Schengen will reduce transportation time and fuel consumption.

Business will develop more easily

In addition, by gaining this time, carriers will be able to make more trips, which can also lead to higher earnings and salaries for drivers.

Also, the export of products will be carried out faster, helping local producers of various things, be it clothes or food.

As the business grows, new opportunities may appear on the labor market, which will positively affect the entire chain.

Increased efficiency can lead to increased business. In addition, even foreign investors can set up shop here as they have quick access to the entire Schengen market.

As an example: Let’s say you have a business for which you need raw materials from a certain Schengen country. Your supplies are almost gone, your ex-partner may no longer exist, and you’ve barely found another one. You can’t afford to waste time waiting for raw materials to come to you, because in that time you have to pay workers who are not producing because they have nothing, due to a lack of the right materials. It’s a waste of time, a waste of money. Accession to Schengen would also solve such problems.

According to the European document, every year 1700 million tons of goods cross the internal borders of Schengen. If border controls are reintroduced, the impact on transport would mean additional costs of €1.7-7.5 billion per year. In the long term, border control will reduce trade between Schengen countries by 10-20% and negatively affect GDP by 0.8-2.7%.

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