“Does Poland have the courage, political will and civic tools to end this shameful blockade? The price is too high,” wrote the mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadowy, on Saturday on X, commenting on the carriers’ protest at the Polish-Ukrainian border.
The mayor of Lviv comments on the carriers’ protest in harsh words
“All your gigantic contribution to Ukraine’s victory in this war is being nullified by a group of marginalists who are blocking the deliveries of humanitarian goods to a country that has been defending its independence and the security of Europe for a second year now. Our Polish friends should return to reality,” added Andriy Sadowy.
Also on Saturday, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Serhiy Derkach and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the protest at the border. – If the protesters wanted to cause an energy crisis in Ukraine, they are starting to succeed, said Serhiy Derkach during a press conference.
In turn, Volodymyr Zelensky expressed hope that the difficult situation in the Polish-Ukrainian region would soon be resolved. – I think we need to have a very balanced policy. We must have an action plan. And we have such a plan. The Prime Minister and the Ministry of Infrastructure are working on it. Everything is. I am sure that we will achieve everything, he emphasized.
Ukrainian organizations: The damage will be measured in billions of euros
Two Ukrainian organizations – the Federation of Employers of Ukraine and the Association of International Motor Carriers – appealed to President Volodymyr Zelensky and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in connection with the blocking of border crossings by Polish carriers. Organizations estimate that losses related to blockades currently amount to over EUR 400 million. “If we add the penalties imposed on Ukrainian exporters for violating contractual obligations, the damage can be measured in billions of euros,” say the authors of the appeal.
In a statement posted on the website of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine, employers and carriers ask the President of Ukraine for a meeting with the Polish President regarding the ongoing blockade at the border. According to the organization, Ukrainian drivers are staying at the border “without basic assistance.” Moreover, the statement emphasized that as a result of the blockade there is a threat to transport, on which Ukraine’s security directly depends. It was also noted that the demands of the Polish strikers “violate Poland’s obligations” under international treaties and constitute “direct interference in Ukraine’s internal affairs and discrimination.”
Minister for European Union Affairs Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk said that the issue of the carriers’ protest on the Polish-Ukrainian border will be discussed during the next meeting of the European Union Council for Transport. “Today’s meeting of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki with representatives of the Confederation was dominated by the issue of the transport workers’ protest on the Polish-Ukrainian border. This is an important issue, we care about the interests of this industry and we also intend to seek solutions to current problems at the next EU Transport Council,” he wrote on Friday on the platform X Szymon Szynkowski aka Sęk.
Protest of Polish carriers. What is it about?
Polish carriers continue their protest on the border with Ukraine – in the Lublin Voivodeship in Dorohusk and Hrebenne, and in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship – in Korczowa and Medyka. They demand equal treatment of carriers from European Union countries and Ukraine. Farmers support them. Kilometer-long queues have formed on both sides of the border, and customs clearance takes several days.
Carriers pass three commercial trucks per hour to Ukraine. However, on an ongoing basis, they allow the passage of fuel tankers, vehicles carrying humanitarian aid, perishable food, military and hazardous materials. Cars also pass by.
Carriers demand the return of licenses for Ukrainian transport companies. The road agreement concluded between the European Union and Ukraine eliminates the need for Ukrainians to obtain such permits for bilateral and transit transport – it is to be valid until the end of June 2024. Carriers want this to apply only to humanitarian and military transports. Their number is to return to the level before the Russian invasion, i.e. 200,000 a year.
In addition, they demand that the Ukrainian side clear the queue for empty cars with EU numbers by creating dedicated corridors and a “live” queue. Currently, empty trucks wait 10-12 days to leave. Carriers also want to introduce a ban on registering transport companies with eastern capital.
Carriers assure that after reaching a compromise, they will abandon the blockade of border crossings. On December 4, at the meeting of the Council of the European Union dealing with transport in the EU, the issue of permits for companies from Ukraine will be discussed. The Polish government assures that for several weeks it has been building a coalition of countries for which this issue is important. Slovaks and Hungarians, who are also protesting, may be allies.
Source: Gazeta
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