Slovakian truck drivers block border crossing to Ukraine again
Slovakian truck drivers have resumed the blockade of the Vysne Nemecke border crossing with Ukraine after a break of a few days. "We are supporting our colleagues in Poland," the vice president of the Unas forwarding association told the AFP news agency, referring to the Polish protest that has been going on for several weeks. The truck drivers blame the lack of sales on relaxed EU regulations for Ukrainian companies.
Slovakian hauliers had already blocked the border crossing between December 1 and 4. Now they have once again announced that they will only allow four trucks per hour to cross the border. Passenger traffic will not be restricted, however. "We plan to continue our protest until December 30," said Curma.
On Monday, the local Polish authorities withdrew their permission for the protests at one of four border crossings, ending the blockade there. However, when asked by AFP, the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure stated that no agreement had yet been reached between Poland and Ukraine to resolve the conflict. Prime Minister-designate Donald Tusk promised on Tuesday to end the stalemate.
Polish and Slovakian freight forwarders are complaining of "unfair competition" from Ukrainian companies after the EU suspended a number of conditions for border transport due to the Russian attack on the neighboring country. Freight traffic largely came to a standstill due to the blockades.
Read also:
- Year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
- Precautionary arrests show Islamist terror threat
- SPD rules out budget resolution before the end of the year
- Numerous oil, gas and coal lobbyists at climate conference
The Slovakian truck drivers' actions at the Vysne Nemecke border crossing are in support of their Polish counterparts who have been protesting for several weeks. Due to the truck drivers' blockade, only four trucks are allowed to cross the border hourly, while passenger traffic remains unaffected. The Slovakian drivers are expressing their concern over the lack of sales due to relaxed EU regulations for Ukrainian companies.
Source: www.ntv.de
