The Union of Dairy Enterprises of Ukraine (UDEP) and the Polish Dairy Chamber call on the governments of both countries to create conditions that would make it impossible to block the Ukrainian-Polish border.
“At a time when Ukraine is forming an outpost on the eastern borders of the European Union to expand the principles of democracy and free market, including with the active support of Poland, the governments of both countries should take the initiative and responsibility for creating conditions that would make such destructive situations impossible. If such situations do arise, the governments should promptly take the necessary measures to resolve them,” the dairy associations said in a statement published on the UMCU website on Wednesday.
According to the dairy associations, the blocking of transport at the border by some Polish organizations jeopardizes full-fledged trade relations between Ukraine and Poland.
The UMCU and the Polish Dairy Chamber emphasized the inadmissibility of extreme measures: if they become systemic, they pose a threat to the development of Ukrainian and Polish companies.
The appeal cites data from the State Customs Service of Ukraine, according to which in January-October 2023, Poland exported almost EUR 5.5 billion worth of goods to Ukraine, including EUR 160 million worth of dairy products.
Maintaining full-fledged trade relations between Ukraine and Poland is equally important for entrepreneurs in both countries, the dairy associations of Ukraine and Poland summarized.
According to Andriy Demchenko, a spokesman for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, as of the morning of November 22, there were about 2,700 trucks on the Ukrainian-Polish border at three checkpoints – Yagodyn-Dorogusk, Krakovets-Korchova, and Rava-Ruska-Krebenne.
Polish carriers have postponed the start date of the blockade of freight traffic at three checkpoints on the Ukrainian-Polish border from November 3 to November 6, Ihor Overko, head of the International Transport Association of Ukraine, said on Facebook on Thursday, citing one of the protest organizers.
“Polish carriers have announced that they are postponing the start of the blockade of freight traffic heading towards the three checkpoints from November 3 to November 6. This was announced by the co-chairman of the blockade, the organizer of the protest at the Krakowiec-Korczowa checkpoint, Tomasz Borkowski,” the statement reads.
The blockade will begin at 13:00 Kyiv time on November 6. The organizers of the protest have received official permission from local authorities to hold it until January 3, 2024, the statement said.
The blockade of freight transport will be organized in the direction of three checkpoints: “Yagodyn-Dorogousk, Krakovets-Korchova, and Rava-Ruska-Hrebenne.
One of the main demands of the protest organizers is to return to the practice of issuing permits for Ukrainian freight carriers and reduce their number to the pre-war level, when up to 200,000 permits were issued per year. In addition, the carriers want empty Polish trucks returning from Ukraine to Poland to be able to cross the border without an e-queue and without waiting 10-12 days. The carriers also demand to tighten the rules of transportation under the ECMT (certificate of the European Conference of Ministers of Transport).
Earlier it was reported that Polish carriers with the participation of 200 people and in the presence of 100 tractors planned to hold a one-day strike at the largest Polish border checkpoint “Yagodyn-Dorogousk” on November 3.
The Ministry of Reconstruction confirmed that it had received reports of a blockade of checkpoints on the Ukrainian-Polish border, and then initiated a meeting with officials from Poland and the European Commission (EC) to ensure stable border operations.
In a commentary to Interfax-Ukraine, Deputy Minister Serhiy Derkach said that most of the demands of Polish carriers threatening to block the border are unrealizable.
Passenger flow through western border of Ukraine in April 2023, thousand
Source: Open4Business.com.ua and experts.news
On the Ukrainian-Hungarian border from 16:00 on Monday, April 24, the registration of persons and vehicles on the Hungarian side is temporarily stopped, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reports.
“According to information from Hungarian colleagues, the database of the Hungarian Border Police temporarily suspended functioning,” the message in the Telegram channel indicated.
About the resumption of processing on the Hungarian side will be reported additionally.
Motor transport provides third of passenger flow through western border of Ukraine in Jan 2023, thousand (graphically)
Source: Open4Business.com.ua and experts.news
Free Wi-Fi will appear at checkpoints on the western border, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said.
“The secure network can already be used by travelers who cross “Shehyni”. Before the end of April, Wi-Fi zones will appear in more checkpoints “Krakivets”, “Rava-Russkaya”, “Yagodin”, “Porubnoe”, “Krasnoilsk” and “Dyakivtsy”, – said in a message of the State Border Service of Ukraine in Telegram-channel on Wednesday.
