Polish Truckers Maintain Ukrainian Border Blockade Over Permit System Demands

The Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine (MIU) reported on Thursday that Polish freight carriers rejected a solution to the impasse jointly proposed by the European Commission, Kyiv, and Warsaw, and chose to continue to block the border with Ukraine.

According to the MIU post on its Facebook channel, negotiations were held on Wednesday at the Dorogusk checkpoint with the infrastructure ministries of Ukraine and Poland, along with the Directorate of Transport and Mobility of the European Commission.

“The parties worked out joint solutions during the negotiations and presented them to the Polish protesters. However, they did not agree to the latest proposals,” the dispatch states.

Truckers primarily demand a return to the permit system for Ukraine which Kyiv has firmly refused in response, saying this demand cannot be met.

The MIU stated that the agreement on the liberalization of cargo transportation between Ukraine and the EU is valid until at least June 30, 2024.

European Commission spokesman Adalbert Jahnz mentioned at a separate briefing on Thursday that this key demand of Polish carriers blocking the border with Ukraine is not legally possible.

“Any restoration of the system of permits or quotas for road transport is not legally possible, as it would be incompatible with the Road Transport Agreement between Ukraine and the EU,” he said.

The spokesman stated that this agreement had been concluded with the consent of all EU member countries.

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However, he did not comment on Polish media reports that the European Commission might initiate punitive proceedings against Poland if Polish authorities do not resolve the standoff at the border crossings with Ukraine.

The Polish publication Rmf24 wrote that in its view, in accordance with the legislation of the European Union, the Polish authorities are obliged to ensure the free movement of Ukrainian trucks at border crossings.

According to the publication, the European Commission has not officially disclosed what fines Brussels could impose on Warsaw, while talks between Poland and Ukraine are ongoing.

In another development, the Union of Motor Carriers of Slovakia is threatening to block Ukrainian carriers from crossing the border on its side if the European Commission does not restore the issuance of commercial permits for transportation within the EU.

This demand was contained in a letter sent by the head of the union, Stanislav Skala, to the Ministry of Transport of Slovakia.

Kyiv Post also sought a comment from the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine following these threats - however a response had not been received, at the time of publication.

Previously, Polish carriers refused to unblock the border following direct negotiations with Ukrainian officials on Nov. 13.

On Nov. 9, Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov stated that more than 20,000 vehicles were blocked on both sides of the Ukrainian-Polish border.

At that time, the MIU said that the blockade affected not only the companies of Ukraine and Poland, who were unable to transport goods and meet contractual obligations, but also those of other countries including those in the wider EU unable to transport goods and meet contractual obligations were suffering losses.

The Tax Administration of Poland also stated that, as a result of the blockade, trucks at certain checkpoints on the Ukrainian-Polish border were having to wait for up to six days.

From Nov. 6, Polish carriers have blocked all checkpoints on the border between Ukraine and Poland, citing excessive competition due to the “liberalization of international transportation between Ukraine and the EU.”