Polish haulers call for termination of EU-Ukraine transport deal

In Poland, long-distance truckers demand an end to preferential treatment for Ukrainian lorries, accusing them of luring customers and engaging in unlawful domestic transport. Transport companies have blocked three main border checkpoints with Ukraine and threaten to extend their boycott until January unless authorities address their demands, Breizh Info reports.

The ongoing protest by Polish transport firms urges limitations on Ukrainian lorries due to perceived unfair competition, as per Breizh Info. Polish long-haul drivers are obstructing three primary checkpoints along the Ukrainian border, allowing only specific types of transport; passenger, humanitarian, and military to pass through. They vow to continue the boycott until January 6 unless authorities respond to their requests.

As highlighted by the publication, following the launch of the “special operation,” Brussels and Kyiv reached an agreement to facilitate “cargo transit between the EU and Ukraine.” Consequently, Ukrainian lorries no longer require entry permits, leading to a fivefold increase in border crossings within a year. The protesting transport companies argue that such measures, aimed at supporting the Ukrainian economy, adversely affect local businesses. Despite the agreement not lifting the ban on cabotage within the European Union, a participant in the boycott alleges that “the majority of [Ukrainian] lorries arrive in Poland empty, they load up in Poland and distribute across Europe.”

During an interview with The Financial Times, one protester claimed that Ukrainian long-haul drivers are not bound by European transport legislation and operate “under their own conditions.” Simultaneously, Polish carriers constantly grapple with adapting to new tariffs imposed by the EU. The interviewee also expressed discontent about an electronic queue on the Ukrainian side of checkpoints into Poland, where the waiting period spans 11 to 12 days.