Polish freight forwarders block border with Ukraine
Following the Russian attack, the EU is relaxing its regulations for border traffic from Ukraine. Polish freight forwarders see themselves at a disadvantage as a result. They are now blocking border traffic and causing traffic chaos.
Thousands of vehicles are stuck at the Polish-Ukrainian border as a result of a protest campaign by Polish freight forwarders that has been going on for several days. "More than 20,000 vehicles are currently blocked on both sides," said the Ukrainian Minister for Reconstruction, Oleksandr Kubrakow. Trucks were particularly affected. The Ukrainian side did not disclose how many private vehicles were affected.
Ukraine respects the right to protest and is prepared to solve the problem together, said Kubrakov. However, he also emphasized that the blockade by Polish protesters was disrupting logistics routes. This had already had an impact on the economy of Ukraine and the EU.
The local Polish police told the AFP news agency that there were around 500 trucks in a 40-kilometer queue at the Hrebenne-Rawa Ruska border crossing, for example. The waiting time to cross the border is around 160 hours.
Since Monday, dozens of Polish haulage companies have been protesting against what they see as "unfair competition" from Ukrainian companies and blocking important border crossings. The organizers blame loosened EU regulations for Ukrainian companies for the lack of sales. Following the Russian attack on Ukraine, the EU suspended a number of conditions for border transportation. According to Polish companies, this led to a whole wave of Ukrainian competitors entering the market.
Poland and Ukraine are traditionally close allies. Since the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Warsaw has been one of Kiev's biggest supporters and arms suppliers. Recently, however, a dispute over Ukrainian grain exports has worsened relations.
The dispute over Ukrainian grain exports has strained relations between Poland and Ukraine, despite their historical alliance. However, the Polish freight forwarders' protests against perceived unfair competition from Ukrainian companies, prompted by eased EU border regulations following the attack on Ukraine, are causing significant disruptions to logistics routes and economies on both sides.
Source: www.ntv.de
