European Union decisions favored Ukrainian airlines at the expense of Polish airlines, resulting in ongoing protests. The Sejm will debate the issue on Wednesday.
Polish airlines continue to block border crossings with Ukraine. These are Korczowa, Dorohusk and Hrebenne. Brussels completely waived the requirement for Ukrainians to obtain commercial permits, putting the Ukrainian transport sector in a privileged position compared to Polish competition.
Polish airlines especially want restoration of normal economic relationsThat is recovery of access permits for Ukrainian companies to transport goods, with the exception of humanitarian aid and supplies for the Ukrainian army. Recently, the media has finally become more interested in the issue. A few days ago, the co-organizer of the strike, Rafał Mekler, spoke on Polsat News about the reasons for the airlines’ protest.
Gajadhur: Competence of the European Union
On Wednesday, the Sejm agenda included the topic “Information from the Prime Minister on the protests of Polish transporters and farmers at the Polish-Ukrainian border.” The new Minister of Infrastructure, Alvin Gajadhur, spoke on behalf of the government. The politician read out the text of the speech, in which he recalled that “In light of the agreement on road transport liberalization between the European Union and Ukraine, the decision to reinstate the permits falls within the competence of the European Union.
– Recently, the number of transport activities by Ukrainian carriers has increased, which is the result of the temporary lack of commercial transport permits due to the EU-Ukraine Agreement of June 29, 2020, valid until June 30, 2024 – said Gajadhur.
E-queue
– Another problem is the e-queue system introduced by the Ukrainian side – the minister emphasized, adding that the inefficient operation of this system was the direct cause of Polish airlines.
The politician said the ministry is working on a solution to the problem. – Today I met with representatives of the protest committee. We met the participation of provincial road transport inspectors. The conversations lasted about three hours. We have just presented our findings. The side of the protesting carriers, which announced blockades of the next two border crossings in the morning, withdrew this intention after our discussions. This means that there will no longer be a blockade at border crossings. I, in consultation with the Minister of Finance and the Minister of the Interior, stated that we would carry out more intensive road checks on parts of the roads leading to the border – said the politician.
Gembicka’s proposal, Ukraine claims
Earlier, Gajadhur recalled that the EU Transport Council would take place on December 4, 2023. Poland has sent a request to discuss the consequences of the agreement between the European Union and Ukraine, which has been in force since July 1, 2022. This agreement allowed Ukrainian drivers to enter the EU without a permit as part of bilateral and transit transport.
On Tuesday evening, the new Minister of Agriculture, Anna Gembicka, met with protesting farmers and transporters at the border in Medyka. She proposed an additional payment of PLN 1,000. PLN per hectare of corn, and an increase in the pool of liquidity loans by PLN 2.5 billion.
Serhiy Derkach, Ukraine’s deputy infrastructure minister, announced last week that his country has proposed to the European Union to establish an observation mission on the border with Poland. He added that Kiev has sent an official letter to Brussels on the matter.
Source: Do Rzeczy
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
