Polish truckers blocked three checkpoints on the rim with Ukraine. They demand that the EU relaxation for Ukrainian carriers be cancelled, due to the inability to compete with them, Politico reports.
According to the publication, the protests of Polish truckers are caused by a loss in competition with Ukrainian carriers due to low prices for their services. According to information from the Polish transport industry, Ukrainian trucks crossed the border about 900 thousand times during the year, compared with 180 thousand cars until February 2022.
Protesters demand the restoration of restrictions for Ukrainian carriers that were in force before the start of the military operation. Politico notes that Ukrainian truckers are now transporting goods both within Poland and to third countries.
“We’re going to do it the way the farmers did it – keep protesting until the government admits there’s a problem and does something about it,” said Jacek Sokol, owner of a small trucking company in Łukow in eastern Poland.
At the checkpoint, protesters allow only one truck per hour, with the exception of transport with humanitarian and military aid, animals and perishable food.
The governments of Poland and Ukraine, as well as the European Commission, called on protesters to allow the trucks to pass.
“I categorically do not approve of this kind of border blocking behavior. This is not something very European,” Transport Commissioner Adina Valean told the publication.
In June 2022, the European Union allowed Ukrainian truckers to carry out bilateral and transit transportation to EU countries without the appropriate document. In March 2023, the validity of the document was extended until June 30, 2024.
Protests began in May 2023, when Polish carriers blocked the Dorogusk-Yagodin checkpoint in the Volyn region. Then the protesters also demanded to cancel the concessions for Ukrainians due to the lack of equal competition.
Relations between Warsaw and Kyiv worsened after the embargo on Ukrainian grain supplies. On September 15, the European Commission boosted circumscriptions on the import of four manners of agrarian productions from Ukraine, which had been in manpower since May. At the same time, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary decided to unilaterally extend the import ban. On September 18, Ukraine filed a claim with the WTO against these three states.
