Poland announced its intention to appeal to the European Commission demanding the abolition of the visa-free regime for transport with Ukraine

The Polish government intends to appeal to the European Commission to demand the abolition of the visa-free regime for transport with Ukraine and the restoration of the permit system for carriers traveling to or in transit through Poland. This was stated by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in response to protests by Polish carriers on the border with Ukraine.

“We will very decisively and unequivocally demand the restoration of the system of permits for the transportation of Ukrainian goods for Ukrainian drivers who pass through and arrive in Poland. This system worked until the spring of 2022, and worked well, then the European Commission changed it, and today carriers are blocking the border,” Morawiecki said.

Polish carriers have been blocking traffic at the border since November 6. They want the border crossing permit regime for Ukrainian cargo to be restored from January 1. On average, one day of downtime due to a strike at Polish-Ukrainian checkpoints causes one Ukrainian company about UAH 1 million in losses, the European Business Association has calculated.

Ukraine and the EU signed an agreement on transport visa-free travel on June 29, 2022 for a period of one year, and then extended for another year - until June 30, 2024. This decision made it possible to avoid inhibition of the export of Ukrainian products through automobile checkpoints.