'EU solidarity lane' is difficult to unite because of close interests

Polish truck drivers formed long lines at the Dorohusk border checkpoint with Ukraine on November 6, blocking most cargo movements. Protesters blamed European Union (EU) regulations for the drop in their revenues.

Xe tải xếp hàng tại trạm kiểm soát biên giới ở Dorohusk. (Nguồn: AFP)

Polish trucks line up at the border checkpoint in Dorohusk. (Source: AFP)

Freight traffic outside the three Polish-Ukrainian border checkpoints “Korczowa – Krakovets”, “Grebenne – Rava Ruska” and “Dorohusk – Yahodyn” has been stopped. Owners of Polish transport companies protest against what they consider unfair competition from businesses of the neighboring country.

Polish drivers also protested against what they saw as government inaction in the face of their business opportunities falling into the hands of foreign competitors, as a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“They pushed the prices down and took away the goods we used to transport,” said a Polish driver.

“We want fair competition rules to be restored,” Rafal Mekler, co-organizer of the protest, told media in Dorohusk.

According to the authorities, the main issue that has been causing discontent among Polish drivers is the fact that trucks from Ukraine have been exempted from the need to cross the Polish border since Russia launched a special military operation in February 2022. Therefore, the top of the list of demands is the restoration of entry permits for "competitors".

Among the demands put forward by the protesters are the re-establishment of licenses for Ukrainian transport companies; strengthening of transport regulations for foreign transport companies under the ECMT (European Conference of Ministers of Transport); a ban on registering companies in Poland if their financial activities take place outside the EU; the creation of a separate line in the electronic queue for vehicles with EU license plates; the creation of a separate line at all borders for empty trucks, as well as gaining access to Ukraine's Shlyakh border crossing system.

The demands of Polish truck drivers include the re-imposition of restrictions on the number of Ukrainian-registered vehicles entering Poland, as well as a ban on transport companies with capital from outside the EU.

"We are forced to protest because of the disruptions in road transport that are happening within Polish transport companies... caused by uncontrolled capital inflows from Belarusian, Russian and Ukrainian companies - capital coming from businesses coming from the eastern border," said Karol Rychlik, owner of a transport company and head of the Truck Drivers' Association, during a protest near the Dorohusk intersection.

The truck drivers have also compared their plight to that of Polish farmers, who have won concessions from the government after fierce protests over a wave of cheap grain imports from their neighbour.

But for some Polish drivers, their protest is even a decisive moment. “We are still trying to fight, but if this situation drags on until it is over – and if nothing happens, the Ukrainians will take over the Polish transport market,” one driver worried.

A Polish government spokesman was not immediately available for comment. However, according to the Polish Infrastructure Ministry, Warsaw is currently unable to meet the transport companies’ request to restore the licensing system for Ukrainian transport companies, due to EU regulations.

Meanwhile, in reality, data from the Polish Border Guard shows that on average, hundreds of trucks pass through each direction every day at the three border crossings on the Polish-Ukrainian border.

Protesters demanded that only one truck be allowed through per hour, except for certain shipments carrying equipment for the Ukrainian military, humanitarian aid, volatile substances and livestock.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov confirmed that the Polish blockade had been implemented and said Kiev believed the move was "harming the interests and economies of both countries" and hindering agricultural exports.

"We are ready for a constructive dialogue, taking into account the interests of carriers in both countries," Kubrakov wrote on the social platform X (formerly Twitter) .

“Attention, traffic from Poland is being disrupted due to a strike by drivers of that country,” the Ukrainian Border Guard said in a statement on Telegram .

Ukraine’s Ministry of Infrastructure figures confirm that an average of 40,000 to 50,000 trucks cross the border with Poland each month, through eight border crossings, twice as many as before the conflict with Russia. Most of the goods are transported by Ukraine’s own truck fleet. They also say that Ukraine now exports as much goods through Poland as it exports to all its other neighboring countries combined.

“The blocking of roads leading to the border crossing between Poland and Ukraine... is a “painful wound” in the back of Kiev, a country that is suffering great losses from the conflict with Russia,” Ukrainian Ambassador to Warsaw Vasyl Zvarych wrote on the social media platform X.

In this situation, on national television, Mr. Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, called on Poland to negotiate to resolve the disagreement in the field of cargo transportation that led to the border blockade. He also affirmed, "Poland remains an important partner of Ukraine".

“Despite all the economic difficulties, we should stay calm and negotiate,” Mykhailo Podolyak said, adding that Kiev is also interested in improving the quality of this freight market.

Mr. Podolyak emphasized that, for Ukraine, Poland is an “important transit partner” through which everything necessary is supplied.“We have to find a balance and I think we will succeed,” Mr. Podolyak said convincingly.

Source