Ukraine has moved to unblock the border with Poland following trilateral talks, according to Serhiy Derkach, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Development of Local Communities and Infrastructure, who spoke on Monday.
In line with recent agreements with the European Commission and the Polish government, Ukraine has implemented several measures aimed at calming demonstrators and ending the protest. Derkach indicated on television that all these agreements have been put in place.
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Border blockade changes
The deputy minister noted that changes to the border blockade have already occurred, with the Uhrynów-Dołhobycz crossing now open to traffic.
Derkach said Ukraine is technically ready to create new lanes for empty vehicles in the e-queue system, a step promised earlier. He emphasized that this will be feasible only if the border itself is opened.
Earlier on Monday, before the start of the EU Transport Council meeting, Polish Deputy Infrastructure Minister Rafał Weber stated in Brussels that the e-queue process on the Ukrainian side causes Polish carriers to wait up to 12 hours, and he argued that this is unfair competition 14 days prior to return movements.
After several months of operation of the EU-Ukraine agreement on road transport, there has been a noticeable impact on the European Union transport market. Polish carriers were notably affected, but the changes also touched Slovak and Hungarian transporters. With the removal of permit requirements, more Ukrainian carriers have begun serving the region.
– recalled the Polish deputy minister.
What are the demonstrators seeking?
Since November 6, Polish truckers have protested at border crossings with Ukraine in Dorohusk and Hrebenne in the Lublin Voivodeship, and in Korczowa in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, allowing only a limited flow of vehicles per hour. The protesters are demanding that Ukraine create a separate queue for cars returning to Poland without cargo and issue commercial permits for Ukrainian companies to transport goods, with exceptions for humanitarian aid and supplies for the Ukrainian military. They also call for suspending licenses for companies established after the start of the war and for stricter inspections of those firms. There is also a proposal to abolish the electronic queue on the Ukrainian side.
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk, told Radio Zet that renting out empty trucks that head to Poland via the Uhrynów-Dołhobyczów border is a positive step but not enough yet. He argued that progress must come from both EU level actions and measures on the Ukrainian side.
gah/PAP