Border blockade: EC in contact with authorities of Ukraine, Poland

The EC spokesperson Adalbert Jahnz said this in Brussels, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

This is something that the EC is definitely keeping in its field of vision. The EC is in contact with both Ukrainian and Polish authorities to assess the situation, Jahnz commented on the issue of Polish carriers blocking the border with Ukraine.

As reported, on Monday, Polish carriers began a blockade of truck traffic near the three largest checkpoints on the border between Poland and Ukraine: Korczowa-Krakivets, Hrebenne-Rava-Ruska, and Dorohusk-Yahodyn.

Tomasz Borkowski, the organizer of the protest near the Korczowa-Krakivets checkpoint, said that trucks would be blocked, but humanitarian and military aid for Ukraine would be allowed to pass through. In his words, the protest was officially registered by Polish carriers with local authorities until January 3, 2024.

The Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine reported on November 7 that Polish carriers continue to block three checkpoints on the border with Ukraine, and the Ukrainian side has not yet received official demands from the protesters.

According to the information available from mass media and social media reports, the Polish protesters' demands include the abolition of transport visa-free travel, i.e., a return to the system of permits for freight transportation, separate lanes and separate queues for trucks with EU license plates and empty trucks, and access to the Shliakh system.

Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Zvarych, said that blocking truck traffic near the three largest road checkpoints on the Polish-Ukrainian border is a "stab in the back of Ukraine" and jeopardizes the functioning of the solidarity lanes that transport grain to third countries.