On November 5, 2023, Polish hauliers announced their intention to stage a protest by blocking cross-border freight with Ukraine in response to alleged preferential treatment of Ukrainian
businesses. The Rzeczpospolita daily reported this development.
The protest campaign, which involves obstructing three major border crossings with Ukraine designated for freight transport, is scheduled to last for two months, commencing on November 6 and concluding on January 6, as reported by the newspaper.
This protest comes against the backdrop of an economic slowdown in Europe and a relaxation of regulations for Ukrainian transport firms in 2022 by the European Union. The aim of these measures was to facilitate the movement of goods to and from Ukraine, which has been affected by Russia's invasion.
Jacek Sokół, one of the protest's organizers and the deputy head of the Committee to Protect Transporters and Transport Employers, expressed concerns about the situation. He argued that Ukrainian transport companies were operating without restrictions and conducting transport operations that they were not authorized to perform. This situation, according to Sokół, is detrimental to local businesses in Poland.
He stated, "Now these companies are doing whatever they want. There is a complete, uncontrolled influx, just like with grain."
Sokół explained that prior to Russia's invasion, Ukrainian transport companies were granted 160,000-180,000 permits per year for specific shipments that required entry or transit through Poland but not for shipments within the country.
The blockade has received support from Poland's opposition far-right Confederation party, as reported by the PAP news agency. Krzysztof Bosak, the leader of the Confederation party, stated, "Today, we are standing together with the leaders of the transport industry, with people running a business." He emphasized that the protest is being relaunched due to the government's failure to meet the industry's expectations.
Ukraine's Deputy Infrastructure Minister Serhiy Derkach, however, viewed the blockade as an opportunity to impede Ukrainian competitor truckers. He noted that they constitute 85% of those who cross the Ukrainian-Polish border to transport goods into Ukraine or export goods. Photo by Silar, Wikimedia commons.