If Poland wants to improve the situation for its airlines, the issue has to be raised at the state level. That means the President and the Prime Minister should bring the matter to talks with Kyiv, Brussels, and EU partners. At present, neither leader has raised this in conversations, according to Krzysztof Bosak of Confederation who wrote about it on Platform X over the weekend.
Since November 6, Polish transport operators have been staging protests at border crossings with Ukraine in Dorohusk, Hrebenne in the Lubelskie Voivodeship, and Korczowa in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship. The protests allow only a limited number of vehicles to pass each hour. The demonstrators demand commercial permits for Ukrainian trucking firms to move goods, with exceptions for humanitarian aid and supplies for the Ukrainian military; a suspension of permits for companies created after the outbreak of the war and corresponding inspections; and the removal of the electronic queue on the Ukrainian side.
If Poland wants to improve the situation of Polish airlines, the issue must be brought to the state level, that is, the President and the Prime Minister must raise this issue in talks with Kyiv, Brussels and partners in the EU. Currently, neither the President nor the Prime Minister raises this issue in their conversations
– said the Co-Chairman of Confederation and Deputy Speaker of the Sejm, Krzysztof Bosak.
As he wrote: the President believes this is beyond his powers, and the Prime Minister is confident the Minister of Infrastructure understands the issue.
The ministry held talks with the demonstrators, but progress remained elusive because there is no momentum on the international stage. Internationally, Poland’s demands are not taken seriously without visible signals from the top leadership. This creates a cycle of inertia, which Bosak argues must be broken by decisive government action.
– he emphasized.
He argued that the President and the Prime Minister must know the demands of the Polish side, understand the arguments behind them, and be aware of the history and factors driving the problem. He urged a coordinated strategy that would build a path to success.
The opposition should be engaged immediately in the talks through consultation. Confederation is involved in the protests, and the centre-left groups may soon assume responsibility for the situation, Bosak noted.
He recalled the demand that the border be unblocked on the Ukrainian side to allow the return of empty EU trucks, which are currently held up in queues. The proposed implementation would exclude empty EU trucks from the electronic queue, restore the prior system of separate crossings for returning empty trucks, and maintain a live queue for other traffic. This decision would be negotiated in Kyiv with Warsaw and Kyiv playing key roles. Not currently in effect, Bosak added.
Another central demand focuses on stabilizing the transport market in Poland, as well as neighboring Slovakia and Hungary, by rolling back temporary regulations and reverting to a pre-war framework that limits transport permits for both sides. The proposed method for changing EU rules would be presented to the EU Council on Transport on December 4, with the goal of building a coalition among EU member states. Slovakia and Hungary are seen as natural allies. The aim is to address Ukraine’s carriers who are currently performing illegal cabotage in the EU market and facing none of the mobility package costs. The current state of coalition-building appears minimal, and some commentators note a disconnect between the Prime Minister and PiS media outlets regarding the protests.
– Bosak wrote in his contribution.
Ukrainian disinformation
According to the Deputy Speaker of the Sejm, the Polish state should not expand its strategy to combat the survival of its transport sector by fighting Ukrainian disinformation. In recent days, Ukrainian materials and statements have circulated that include falsehoods and manipulation. Protesting entrepreneurs cannot stage an international information war and protests at the same time, Bosak argued.
He asserted that public media and state institutions should defend the truth and the state’s reason, and that the protest remains legal, peaceful, and safe. He stressed that the death of a driver reported in the media is not connected to the protest; humanitarian, military, perishable goods and passenger transport are allowed through demonstrators, with other claims, such as those attributed to a mayor of Lviv, deemed inaccurate. He insisted the protest is not aimed at undermining Ukraine’s war effort and is organized by independent Polish transport entrepreneurs who have broad support from various political currents, with possible changes depending on Kyiv and Brussels. Meeting the demonstrators’ demands would not imply new, unfavorable rules but a return to the pre-war framework in which Polish and Ukrainian business thrived and trade flourished, including the resumption of traffic without queues and a transparent permit system.
– assured Bosak.
The broader message calls for exploring paths to reduce friction, ensure safe crossings, and restore predictable rules for cross-border transport. The tone stresses that change hinges on diplomatic flexibility and goodwill from Kyiv and Brussels, with Brussels showing flexibility if Kyiv cooperates.
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mly/PAP