Poland has tightened controls on the Polish-Ukrainian border and plans to appeal to the European Commission to “eliminate unfair competition” that has arisen due to the provision of a so-called transport visa-free regime for Ukrainian carriers.
This was stated by Polish Minister of Infrastructure Elwin Gayadhur during a press conference at the checkpoint in Wierzchowisk (Lublin Voivodeship).
He recalled that since November 6 of this year, protests by Polish carriers have been taking place at three border crossings with Ukraine due to “unequal competition from Ukrainian carriers.”
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“This control has already been strengthened…, and I, together with the heads of other services, stated that this control will be further strengthened, mainly on the access roads to border crossings where there are blockades,” the minister said on Saturday.
He clarified that the control will be carried out in parking lots, and that, in addition to the Road Transport Inspectorate, other services will take part in it: the National Tax Administration, the Border Service and the police.
“We will conduct comprehensive checks of vehicles from Ukraine, we already do, but we will carry out even more enhanced checks,” Gayadhur assured.
The minister said that over 11 months of this year, inspectors of regional motor transport inspections carried out almost 15 thousand inspections of vehicles belonging to carriers from Ukraine.
“The total number of inspections carried out is 180 thousand… Inspections of foreign carriers this year amounted to 84 thousand,” the minister added.
When asked if he had a plan to ensure that carriers protesting at Ukrainian border crossings could return home as soon as possible, he replied that he was in constant contact, in particular with the chairman of the Committee for the Protection of Carriers and Transport Employers.
The Polish minister added that the Polish government will also take measures in European institutions aimed at eliminating “unfair competition in the transport market.”
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According to Alvin Gayadhur, the EU Transport Council summit scheduled for December 4 “is the moment when the EU must raise the issue of the consequences of removing the requirement for Ukrainian drivers to have entry permits into the EU.”
Blockade of Polish carriers
Strikes by Polish carriers began on November 6, 2023. The Poles called the reason “unequal conditions of competition,” since the European Union approved a transport visa-free regime for Ukraine, which allowed Ukrainian carriers to travel to the EU without permission for bilateral and transit transportation to EU states.
The Polish strikers put forward a condition – to return to obtaining permits for Ukrainians. In addition, Ukraine should abolish the electronic queue for Poles when entering Ukrainian territories.
