Poland on 27 March has changed the rules for importing pets from Ukraine, the press service of the Main Veterinary Inspectorate of the country said.
It is noted that under the new rules of importation of animals to Poland, transported animals must meet the requirements of the European Union legislation.
In particular, dogs, cats and ferrets under the standard procedure will be able to accompany travelers if the animal is properly microchipped, has a current rabies vaccination, a current serological test to determine the antibody titer against rabies, and a health certificate in accordance with a sample established by EU legislation, or in certain cases, a valid passport issued in one of the EU member states.
“In order to facilitate movement within the EU, until further notice, Polish services will not require a 90-day waiting period from the date of blood sample collection to test the antibody titer against rabies in serum if the test result is satisfactory (> 0.5 IU/ml) and is indicated on the animal health certificate,” the report states.
It specifies that the Ukrainian official veterinarian must cross out the relevant endorsement of the 90-day waiting period in the certificate of health of the animal, putting his signature and stamp with his name in the margin of the crossed out endorsement.
“The health certificate must be accompanied by documentation of the examination,” the inspection concluded.
Leaders of five Central and Eastern European countries have urged the European Commission to take action in connection with a surplus of grain and other Ukrainian food on their territory, the Associated Press reported from Warsaw.
“We call on the European Commission to study the possibility of buying accumulated grain from EU member states bordering Ukraine for humanitarian needs,” reads a letter addressed to EC President Ursula von der Leyen on behalf of the prime ministers of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.
“We also reiterate our call for financial support from the EU to accelerate the development of transport infrastructure (for the export of grain – IF),” it says.
It is pointed out that such products remain on the shelves of these countries in excess, reducing prices, and do not reach the countries that are ready to buy them outside the EU.
The European Commission earlier said that it intended to quickly launch an assistance mechanism for countries that faced an influx of Ukrainian products.
Ukrainian online retailer Rozetka has launched operations in Poland, Rozetka co-founder Vladislav Chechotkin said.
“Rozetka has started working in Poland. So far, we are in test mode: we are checking all the processes, filling the website with assortment, and setting up all the logistics links,” he wrote on Facebook.
Chechotkin noted that they are counting on both a large Ukrainian audience (more than 2 million Ukrainians live in Poland) and a local one.
“I am grateful to the Armed Forces of Ukraine for making this possible! For the fact that a year after the start of a full-scale war, we not only survived, but can now develop our business. And to all our customers, for whom we have remained “just right every time,” he said.
Rozetka, an online electronics and home appliances store, was founded in 2005 in Kyiv by Vladislav and Irina Chechotkin. In the following years, the company transformed into a multi-category online marketplace. In December 2022, Rozetka’s traffic reached 40 million people per month.
Poland will provide treatment and rehabilitation for 2,500 wounded Ukrainian soldiers, Vladimir Zelenski said at a press conference after talks with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in Kiev on Friday.
“I will separately note the interaction on the treatment and rehabilitation of our soldiers. 2,500 of our military will be able to receive such assistance,” Zielenski said.
According to him, “Poland was with us every minute of this year and will be with us until the joint victory.”
Zelensky reminded that Poland is one of the top partners of Ukraine in defense support. “Poland has become one of the founders of the ‘tank coalition.’ Today we can report the first tanks (received – IF) from Poland,” he said.
The head of state also expressed the hope that “we will be able to overcome the taboo on the ‘air coalition’. This will strengthen the Ukrainian army and security of our airspace”.
The president also said that during the negotiations the simplification of “processes at the border” was discussed. “Supply chains were built across the border. When the war started, these chains gave everything – water, food, weapons, people. Gradually we simplified the procedures to keep our people alive,” he said.
Nova Post Group has launched its first Nova Post branch in Katowice, bringing the total number of Polish cities covered by the branches to nine, the company’s press service said.
“You asked – we did. The nineteenth branch in Katowice, Poland is now open. As in other branches you can send and receive parcels and documents”, – said the company, noting that it will open offices in other cities.
As the release specifies, a total of 18 Nova Post offices have already been opened in Poland – in Lublin, Warsaw, Krakow, Riaszew, Poznan, Gdańsk, Wrocław and Rzeszow.
It was earlier reported that in March Nova Post will enter the second foreign market – Lithuania – and open a branch in Vilnius, Lithuania, to receive and dispatch parcels weighing up to 1,000 kg. Work is also underway to open branches in Germany.
Founded in 2001 Nova Posta is the biggest player in the Ukrainian logistics market: its network consists of about 10 ths offices and 13 ths postal terminals throughout Ukraine. The number of shipments in 2021 exceeded 372 million. Besides, the non-banking financial institution NovaPay provides services for money transfers and operations with electronic money. There were 388 million transactions in 2021.
Detailed results of GC in 2022 have not yet been announced, but its co-founder Leonid Klimov said that at the end of last year, the number of shipments recovered to 95% of the pre-war level.
The group also includes Nova Posta Global, which is developing an international partner network to provide customers with express delivery services not only in Ukraine but also abroad. The company performs regular flights to the U.S., Europe and China and delivered 9.3 million international shipments in 2021.
An overweight street cat named Gacek has become so popular among tourists in the Polish city of Szczecin that he has been given a separate tag on Google Maps marked as a “landmark,” according to Oddity Central.
“A black and white overweight street cat living in the Polish city of Szczecin received a rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars based on thousands of reviews on Google search engine and became the most popular tourist attraction in the city. Gacek also got a separate mark on Google Maps,” the portal writes.
As the publication specifies, Gacek has almost 2.6 thousand reviews on Google, more than any other attraction in Szczecin.
As the portal notes, Szczecin is a medieval city in northwestern Poland, where many tourists come to visit the Pomeranian Duke’s Castle and Jan Kasprowicz Park.
“However, all these sights pale in comparison to Gacek, who is also called a cat in a tuxedo because of his coloring. He first became publicly known in 2020 when a local news portal showed the cat in a video that went viral on social media,” writes Oddity Central.
According to a local resident, Gacek first appeared on Kaszubska Street in downtown Szczecin about 10 years ago. The locals liked him, many of whom fed him, so he soon turned from a skinny Gacek into a charming fatty.
