They impudently do not follow the rules: what is the reason for blocking the Ukrainian border in the West

The blocking of the border in the West continues/Getty Images, Collage 24 Channel

Polish carriers have been blocking the border with Ukraine since November 6. The situation worsened even more when colleagues from Slovakia joined them. Threats to stop traffic at checkpoints were also made by Hungarian carriers.

The reasons for such protests may be different, but first of all they talk about economic contradictions. Political scientist Vladimir Fesenko spoke about this Channel 24, adding that the situation with the blockade was also influenced by political background.

Why are carriers boycotting

Carriers are demanding the abolition of the so-called “transport visa-free regime” provided by the European Union for Ukrainian truck drivers. The political scientist noted that such protests take place in countries where right-wing populist governments were in power or have just come into power.

In Poland there is the same risk of Russian aggression as in Ukraine, but for us this is a real threat, but for them it is a potential one.

Poland helped us, understanding that we were fighting for them too. But when it came to the economy, contradictions and struggles began,” Fesenko said. to coordinate our interests with the interests of other countries in different markets – from agricultural, transport to metallurgical. The Ukrainian government and some other communities, in particular agricultural ones, are already preparing for this, developing proposals, strategies, negotiation tactics.

“The outbreak of such conflicts is just the beginning. Polish carriers want to maintain their almost monopoly in European transport markets. Previously, they dominated there, especially in Eastern Europe, but the EU gave permission for transport visa-free,” emphasized Vladimir Fesenko.

Border blockade is a challenge for the European Union

Among the reasons for the protests, the political scientist also highlights some political sentiments , which could be influenced by Russia. In general, he calls the situation at the borders a challenge not only for Ukraine, but primarily for the European Union.

The decision on a transport visa-free regime is decision of the European Commission. If European rules are not implemented so brazenly within the EU, then there may be a chain reaction. First, they don’t comply with what concerns Ukraine, then they will begin to ignore other rules,” Fesenko emphasized.

Consequently, the European Union as a large mechanism operating according to common rules will simply cease to function. There is a huge danger in this.

Relevant issues can be discussed during the European Council meeting. It will also consider the beginning of negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova on accession to the EU and the provision of further assistance to our state. In addition, they will talk about reforming the decision-making procedure in the EU.

The essence of the reform is to abandon the current principle when expanding the EU consensus and move to the principle of qualified majority. Then two-thirds of the votes will be enough to make a decision,” Fesenko added.

This could be a way out of the current “deadlock” in which the European Union finds itself. When making decisions, the size of the country's population and its economy will be taken into account, but the veto power of one country will no longer apply.

“If Hungary's demarche continues, there will be a great need for the EU to speed up promoting this reform so that the EU can get out of the crisis,” the political scientist emphasized.

Ukraine needs to look for compromise solutions, allies that will allow them to overcome such aggressive demarches. However, against the backdrop of the situation, our relations with Germany have improved, because the country condemned the actions of Poland.

I think the new Polish government will be more constructive and pro-European, therefore, with him it will be possible to find a solution to today’s problem,” said Fesenko.

Blockade of the border with Ukraine: current news

• On the afternoon of December 11, the first steps regarding the release of the blockade became known. The talk was about unblocking the largest checkpoint on the Polish border, Yagodin-Dorogusk. However, in the evening the truck again blocked traffic. Consequently, the border was clear for only 4 hours.
• A day earlier, the blocking of the Zagon-Chop checkpoint was reported in Hungary. Thus, local carriers allegedly want to draw the attention of the European Commission and the Hungarian government to the consequences of the agreement between the EU, Ukraine and Moldova. Note that transport visa-free travel was approved in the fall of 2022.
• Slovak carriers also began a protest on the border with Ukraine. Protesters have already blocked the movement of trucks. As of December 11, there were more than 1,200 vehicles in the electronic queue to travel to Slovakia.