Truck drivers, who have blocked some checkpoints on the border between Ukraine and Poland since November last year, will suspend their protest until March 1 after signing an agreement with the government led by Donald Tusk, Reuters reports.
Polish truckers have launched a protest demanding the European Union restore the system that requires Ukrainian companies to have a license to operate within the bloc, which also applies to European carriers entering Ukraine.
Transporters in Poland also want trucks that enter Ukraine empty to be excluded from the neighboring country’s electronic scheduling system.
“I signed the contract. The conclusion of the agreement will be the cessation of protests at the border crossing points in three settlements: Korchova, Grebenne, Dorogusk,” said the Minister of Infrastructure of Poland, Dariusz Klimczak.
He said the protest would be suspended by March 1 and that negotiations between the trucks and the authorities would continue.
Polish truck drivers warn that in case of non-compliance with the agreement, they will resume the protest action
Tomasz Borkowski, a representative of the Committee for the Protection of Transporters and Transport Workers in Poland, told Reuters that the protest would be suspended from Wednesday, starting at 11:00 a.m. local time.
“We agreed to certain conditions, we will give the government time to work, since it is a new government,” he said.
The main points of the agreement provide for the implementation of truck monitoring solutions that were jointly developed by Poland and Ukraine, the continuation of discussions with the EU regarding its agreements with Kyiv, and the start of negotiations with the European Commission to obtain financial support for Polish transport companies.
The agreement also provides for increased checks on the roads to check whether Ukrainian drivers are not providing services not provided for in the framework agreement between Ukraine and the EU.
Edita Ozygala, one of the leaders of the Polish road transport industry, warns, however, that the blocking of the checkpoints can be resumed at any time if the terms of the agreement are not respected.
“We will return if the results of the agreement are not satisfactory,” he emphasized.
And farmers in Poland stopped their protest at the border with Ukraine
Ukraine claims that the blockade of its border with Poland has caused it significant economic losses and harmed its military efforts. Executives in Kyiv say cross-border shipping has increased because of the war and Russia’s blockade of its Black Sea ports.
“The main reason for the increase in the number of cargoes carried by Ukrainian truckers is the consequences of the Russian armed aggression,” said the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Oleksandr Kubrakov, on Monday.
“The transportation of fuel, humanitarian and military cargoes is about 20% of the total volume of transportation,” he added.
Polish farmers decided to suspend their protest at the Ukrainian border earlier this month after reaching an agreement with Donald Tusk’s government.
Even on December 12, before the official inauguration, Tusk promised that he would find a solution to end the blockade on the border with Ukraine.
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Source: Hot News
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