Polish truckers suspend protest after reaching deal with government

Polish truckers will suspend their protests at the border with Ukraine against liberalised operation rules for their Ukrainian counterpart until 1 March, according to the deal they reached with the government.

Polish drivers, who began their protest last November, demanded that the EU reinstate a requirement for Ukrainian companies to obtain permits to operate in the bloc, a system which has been suspended due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“We have an agreement (&#8230😉 that has been awaited not only by Polish hauliers but also by many entrepreneurs in Poland, the European Commission, and Ukraine,” Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak said at the press briefing.

The outcome of the agreement will be the discontinuation of protests at road border crossings in three towns: Korczowa, Hrebenne, and Dorohusk. While the protest is suspended, the “intensive and constructive” dialogue between the government and protesting drivers will continue “to give a concrete result,” Klimczak insisted.

The agreement includes, among other things, legislative work aiming at changes in national law, proposals of amendments to the EU-Ukraine Agreement, and monitoring of the implementation of the agreements made by the Polish side with the Ukrainian side.

Klimczak thanked the protesters for understanding “how important the proper and uninterrupted functioning of road border crossings is to ensure an uninterrupted supply chain, but also public and traffic safety,” as quoted by the Infrastructure Ministry.

Tomasz Borkowski of the Committee to Protect Transporters and Transport Employers said that certain conditions have been agreed, and the protesting truckers will now give the government time to work as it is a new cabinet.

The protest started under the previous conservative government of the Law and Justice (PiS, ECR) party, which, as a result of October’s elections, was replaced in power last month by a broad coalition of centrist and leftist parties (EPP/S&D/Renew/Left) led by the new Prime Minister, Donald Tusk.

Edyta Ozygala, one of the leaders of the truckers’ protest in Dorohusk, warned that should the conditions not be met by the government, the protest will be resumed.

Klimczak appealed to Ukraine to fulfil as soon as possible all the arrangements included in the signed agreement, which are the responsibility of the Ukrainian side. Later in the day, he discussed the issue during an online meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Olexandr Kubrakov.

Kyiv complains that the blockade has caused serious economic losses and has hampered its war effort. “The key reason for the growth in the number of transportations by Ukrainian hauliers is the response to the consequences of the Russian armed aggression,” Kubrakov said.

(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | Euractiv.pl)