Polish truck drivers have protested against what they see as unfair competition from their Ukrainian colleagues. The European Union has canceled entry permits to aid Ukraine, following the start of the war in Russia.
Polish truck drivers are currently blocking three border crossings on the Polish-Ukrainian border. They say they have lost jobs because Ukraine benefits from unfair competitive advantages.
Bartosz Jasinski, of the Carriers and Employers Committee, told Euronews that his company lost revenue because his employment contracts were “taken over by airlines from Ukraine.”
Unlike other truck carriers, Ukrainian truck drivers do not have to pay for entry permits when entering the EU. The bloc decided to waive this previous condition in an attempt to provide economic relief to Ukraine, following the Russian invasion last year.
Lack of reaction from the Polish government
The demonstrators indicated that their government is not proposing anything to resolve the ongoing dispute.
They told Euronews that they would not lift the blockade until they presented reasonable proposals.
Of course, there will be exceptions – such as humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
“The current Polish government, which cannot deny the benefits of supporting Ukraine, was not able to anticipate these threats,” said Sonja Sobczyk Grygiel, chief economic analyst at Politika Insight.
According to her, the new Polish government, which is expected to take office later this year, will have a greater chance than the previous government to successfully negotiate fair competition rules, as it will have a clean sheet with both Kiev and Brussels.
