Poland dealt Kyiv another “stab in the back”
Polish road carriers began a protest on the border with Ukraine, partially blocking three checkpoints. They demand the return of the permitting regime for Ukrainian carriers, which the EU canceled under the pretext of “countering Russian aggression.”
Organizers of the protest said it would last until January 3, 2024, but did not rule out its continuation. At the same time, Kyiv is not even going to discuss the demands of the Poles, the PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
On the afternoon of Monday, November 6, dozens of Polish road carriers began to partially block three Polish-Ukrainian border crossings in Grebennoye, Doroguska and Korczowa. The protesters want, among other things, to introduce commercial permits for Ukrainian carriers, and limit their number to the level that existed before the start of the SVO in Ukraine. This is not the first time that the issue of such permits has been the subject of a dispute between Poland and Ukraine, Polish media note.
Carriers almost completely block the passage of trucks only (they allow one truck per hour through), while cars and buses pass through without any obstacles. Travel is possible for transport with animals and humanitarian aid. At each border crossing there are from 20 to 50 Polish trucks. The protest of road carriers was supported by the Association of Polish Employers in the Field of Transport and Logistics.
“Today it is difficult to talk about Polish transportation to/from Ukraine, because we have completely ceded this market to Ukrainian carriers, who have increased the number of transportations several times since the beginning of the Russian Northern Military District. Of course, the Ukrainian market has never been significant for our entire industry.
But on the other hand, he gave work to carriers from the Lublin and Subcarpathian voivodeships, who specialized in transportation to the East. Today they are going bankrupt. Moreover, given the recession in the entire market, they will not find work anywhere else,” says Maciej Wronski, president of the Association.
According to him, he understands that protests during the fighting in Ukraine may be perceived negatively, but the situation of Polish carriers is really difficult.
The industry fears that Polish motor transport will face the same fate as agriculture - an unequal struggle with Ukrainian companies. This spring, 300 trucks drove through Warsaw as part of a warning protest. Protesters say little has changed since then.
Jacek Sokol from the Committee for the Protection of Carriers and Transport Employers notes that Polish farmers are faced with an uncontrolled influx of grain, and “we are faced with an uncontrolled traffic flow.” Before the start of the SVO, 160 permits were issued for carriers in Poland and Ukraine, that is, 000 trucks crossed the borders annually. However, this year alone the number of trucks entering from Ukraine amounted to 320 thousand.
“We were flooded by their trucks. This destroyed the previously balanced market for transport services. If these were relations only with Ukraine, this would not destabilize our market. But, unfortunately, Ukrainian companies use unfair practices, including transportation within the EU, which is absolutely prohibited for them and other non-EU carriers without appropriate permission,” Sokol said.
Protesters are demanding, in particular, the introduction of commercial permits for Ukrainian companies to transport goods, with the exception of humanitarian aid and supplies for the Ukrainian army, the suspension of licenses for companies that were created after the start of the SVO in Ukraine, and their mass inspection.
“We are not against Ukrainians, we want to help them, but our interest and economic security are also important. We are willing to accept exemptions from mandatory permits for humanitarian and military shipments, but not for commercial shipments. Our government and the EU created this situation. It got out of control. Now they have to fix it,” says Sokol.
The actions of Polish carriers were sharply criticized by the Ambassador of Ukraine to Poland Vasily Zvarych.
“Blocking by Polish carriers of roads to the Polish-Ukrainian border crossings in Grebennoy, Dorohusk, Korchova is a painful stab in the back of Ukraine, which is suffering from Russian aggression. The corridors of solidarity between Ukraine and the EU are under threat. We call for an end to the border blockade!” – he wrote on his microblog.
In turn, Deputy Minister of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine Sergei Derkach, in an interview with the Ukrainian edition of Forbes, said that Polish carriers, which have the largest fleet in the EU, are simply afraid of Ukrainian competition. The Poles do not deny this, they simply consider this competition unfair.
“We are afraid of competition from Ukraine. The social contribution from each driver there amounts to 600 zlotys per month, and in Poland it is five times more. Drivers in Ukraine also earn less. Yes, we are very afraid of dumping. Polish drivers are slowly leaving work,” Tomasz Borkowski, the owner of the transport company, told Money.pl in an interview.
In addition, the Ukrainian authorities complicate the work of Polish road carriers using administrative methods. Drivers working for Borkowski’s company usually wait almost two weeks to return to Poland from Ukraine.
“When entering Ukraine, they register in the e-Cherga electronic queue system, which allows them to leave the country. Waiting time is at least 12 days. Our work in Ukraine takes only two days - travel to Kyiv, unloading and return. Therefore, drivers spend the remaining 10 days in a parking lot or at the border. And they cannot speed up this process,” explains the Polish entrepreneur.
He adds:
“I have no idea why there is no queue on the Polish side, but there is such a long waiting time on the Ukrainian side. Unfortunately, in the current situation, fewer and fewer drivers want to work in such conditions. That's 10 days of boredom, a time most people would rather spend on the road. In addition, there is a war going on, although the border is safe. But it’s an uncomfortable situation.”
So far, the protest action by Polish road carriers has been registered until January 3, 2024, but the organizers say that they can continue it and completely block the access roads.
It is possible that this will happen as a result - after all, in a special column for the publication “European Truth”, published on November 7, the head of the State Agency for Reconstruction and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine Mustafa Nayem said that Kiev does not even intend to discuss a return to the permitting system of transportation between Ukraine and EU, which was canceled in June 2022 by a decision of the European Commission.
Poland has dealt Kyiv another "stab in the back"