Noos News•
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Christian Bowie
Central and Eastern European correspondent
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Christian Bowie
Central and Eastern European correspondent
Sirens sound on the Polish-Ukrainian border. Gray-blue trucks stop along the road, and riot police rush to form a wall and stop a group of dozens of men in yellow vests. Someone shouts: “Let’s go home.” They are Ukrainian drivers who want to return to their country but have been waiting at the border in Poland for more than a week.
The reason is a little further. Here in Dorohosk and at two other border crossings, Polish transport companies have set up barriers. For the past 10 days, they have only allowed one truck to pass per hour – although transport carrying relief goods or perishable goods has been excluded. The consequences are clearly visible: the truck line begins more than 30 kilometers before the border. Ukrainians expect that at the current speed it may take weeks before they can return home.
Polish transport companies are demonstrating for the second time this year against what they see as unfair competition. Due to the Russian invasion in February last year, the European Union decided to open “solidarity routes” to simplify transportation to and from Ukraine. The licensing system for Ukrainian drivers, which was intended to protect the European market, was suspended.
a race
Since then, an unlimited number of trucks have been able to cross the border. Activists say this leads to unfair competition for Polish transport companies. Staff costs are lower in Ukraine and Ukrainian drivers do not have to adhere to the same EU rules. Poles are also angry that the digital registration system for crossing the border from the Ukrainian side works better for Ukrainians. As a result, Ukrainian drivers no longer have to wait in line, but Polish drivers do.
At the beginning of the war, the consequences for Polish airlines were not taken into account, says Marek Okrinski. The owner of a Polish transport company has been transporting goods to and from Ukraine for 25 years. Now he and about a dozen fellow activists are cozying up around the wood stove. Every 24 hours one protest group replaces another. “At the beginning of the war, we thought with our hearts,” he says. “We all helped Ukraine here.” “But we must separate trade from war.”
The blockade shows similarities to the actions of farmers in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania earlier this year. They were angry that Ukrainian grain ended up on the domestic market, which, according to agricultural companies, also caused unfair competition. Trucks loaded with grain are now being routed through Poland under police guard to prevent the grain from being sold locally.
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Polish truck drivers block the border in Dorohosk. -
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Only one truck per hour is allowed to pass through the border, unless carrying relief supplies or perishable goods. -
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Because of the protest, trucks are waiting more than 30 kilometers before the border.
It is difficult for Ukrainian drivers to accept the fact that the borders are now closed again. “Imagine: we are at war, we cannot get anything by sea and the airspace is closed,” says Stas, a 28-year-old driver from the city of Rivne. He emphasizes that this is the only way to bring goods into the country, and this has serious consequences for Ukraine.
Another driver adds: “They are crazy.” “We bring goods to and from all over Europe: Germany, the Netherlands, France. They have no idea what they are doing with this protest. I don’t know why, whether they got money from Putin or something.” Other drivers mainly complain about the lack of facilities and support from Poland while they are away. There are now mobile toilets every few kilometres, but the first part of the line actually starts in the woods outside Chelm, where nothing has been arranged for the truck drivers.
According to the Polish authorities, the blockade on the border falls within the right to demonstrate. Transport companies plan to continue this in the coming weeks. Here in Dorohosk until the beginning of December, and in the other two locations for a month longer. As with the grain protests, the truck drivers’ actions threaten to spread to other countries. In Slovakia, airlines yesterday organized the first short procedure due to the same objections.
“terrorism”
Several talks between protest leaders and Ukrainian representatives did not lead to anything. According to Polish media, the European Commission called on Poland to put an end to these measures. Kiev warns that Ukraine and the European Union will be affected economically by the blockade.
The police allow a small group of Ukrainians to pass. They can talk to their Polish colleagues further afield and ask for clarification. One driver told Polish activists: “Ten people standing here ensuring that we cannot return home, this is terrorism.” Marek Okrinsky talks to them. “Let’s not start a second war between Poland and Ukraine,” he says. “Nobody needs that, right?”
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