Polish carriers postpone border blockade to Nov 6
Polish carriers have postponed the start of the blockade of freight traffic near the three largest road checkpoints on the Polish-Ukrainian border (Korczowa-Krakivets, Hrebenne-Rava Ruska, Dorohusk-Yahodyn) from November 3 to November 6.
Tomasz Borkowski, co-organizer of the blockade and organizer of the protest near the Korczowa-Krakivets checkpoint, said this in a comment to an Ukrinform correspondent.
The blockade starts at 12 o'clock (13 o'clock Kyiv time - ed.) on November 6, Borkowski stated, adding that it will start simultaneously in three places near the border with Ukraine.
He informed that this protest was officially registered by Polish carriers with local authorities until January 3, 2024.
The co-organizer of the strike said that the passage of trucks would be blocked, while humanitarian and military aid for Ukraine would be allowed to pass through.
In his opinion, the blockade is not directed against Ukraine, but in favor of having equal opportunities with Ukrainian carriers.
The organizers wish they hadn't arranged this blockade at all. If their demands are met, they will not protest. However, as of today, it is not clear that anyone wants to talk to them, Borkowski said.
He noted that the strike organizers had sent their demands, in particular, to the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure.
Among the main demands, the Polish strike organizer named the resumption of the practice of permits for Ukrainian carriers by Poland. He emphasized that there does not have to be the same number of permits as before the war, but they want it to be restored. (Before Russia’s full-scale invasion, Poland provided Ukraine with up to 200,000 permits for cargo transportation per year - ed.)
Another demand is that Polish trucks be excluded from the e-queue for empty trucks returning from Ukraine to Poland.
Currently, unfortunately, Polish drivers in empty trucks are waiting 10-12 days to leave Ukraine, Borkowski said. He added that Ukrainian drivers, for example, can wait for this time at home, while Polish drivers are forced to stand at the border.
Borkowski also noted that the organizers want the Polish side to stop issuing licenses to transport companies with non-EU capital.
It's not just Ukrainians, but also Turks, Georgians, Russians, and Belarusians, who register many companies in Poland, the strike organizer said.
In his turn, the spokesman for the Bieszczady Division of the Polish Border Guard, Piotr Zakielarz, confirmed in a comment to Ukrinform that the strike of Polish carriers is to begin on November 6.
He noted that Polish border guards are ready for this protest, saying that it will take place outside the border crossing. Therefore, Polish border authorities have no influence on its course.
Zakielarz stated that all vehicles entering the border will be cleared according to the standard procedure.
Earlier, in a commentary to Ukrinform, Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Zvarych emphasized that Ukraine had sent a diplomatic note to Poland asking it to prevent Polish carriers from blocking the border. According to him, such a blockade would harm the interests of both countries and negatively affect trade relations. He expressed hope that the Polish authorities would be able to reach an understanding with potential protesters to avoid blocking the border. Zvarych noted that the Embassy and Consulate General of Ukraine are in constant contact with the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure and the Podkarpackie and Lublin voivodes on this issue.
The Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine on Tuesday informed that it had appealed to the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure and the European Commission's Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport to hold a meeting with all parties involved to resolve the issue of implementing the memorandums on the capacity of Ukrainian-Polish border crossing points. As the ministry emphasized, such strikes and border blockades harm both Kyiv and Warsaw.
The demands of Polish carriers threatening to block or complicate road traffic on the Polish-Ukrainian border from November 6 include:
- return of the practice of permits for Ukrainian carriers;
- tightening the European Conference of Ministers of Transport transportation rules for foreign carriers;
- the inability to register companies in Poland if their financial activities are not in the EU;
- a separate queue in the e-queue for cars with EU license plates; and
- a separate queue at all borders for empty trucks, as well as access to the Ukrainian Shliakh system.