The Polish government has reached an agreement with truckers that have been blocking checkpoints on the border with Ukraine since November. Now they will suspend the blockade.
Reuters writes about it.
"This is not the end, but the protest has been suspended. We have agreed on certain conditions, we will give the government time to work because it is a new government," said Tomasz Borkowski from the Committee for the Protection of Transporters and Transport Employers.
The Ministry of Infrastructure of Poland organized a press conference where the agreement will be signed.
Polish carriers agreed to suspend the strike until March 1. They give the government time to fulfill their demands, the main of which is the suspension of transport visa-free for Ukraine, which cancels the permit system for transportation from Ukraine to the European Union.
"We signed an agreement, the result of which will be the termination of the protest at three crossings — "Korchova", "Hrebenne", "Dorohusk" [...] We are starting intensive constructive negotiations, which should give effect in the form of the implementation of what we agreed on," the minister wrote, adding that the agreement consists of seven points.
Protesters have reached some sort of understanding with the government, and the checkpoints will be unlocked starting tomorrow at 12:00 local time.
Earlier this day, the Romanian government also reached an agreement with its farmers, who were protesting at the borders, in particular, in Ukrainian. Discussions are currently underway for a compromise on the outstanding requests. However, the agreement does not mean an immediate end to the protests, as negotiations with the carriers are still pending.
- On January 15, Romanian farmers blocked the "Vicova-de-Sus — Krasnoilsk" and "Siret — Porubne" checkpoints on the border with Ukraine for trucks.
- In a joint letter to the European Commission, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary asked to introduce import duties on Ukrainian grain due to alleged unfair competition.
- Polish farmers blocked the crossing "Medyka — Shehyni". They demanded subsidies for the purchase of corn and to leave the agricultural tax unchanged. The government signed an agreement with them on January 6, 2024, after which they unblocked the checkpoint, but the lines remained there.
- From November 6, 2023, the checkpoints "Korchova — Krakowiec", "Hrebenne — Rava-Ruska", "Dorohusk — Yagodyn" will remain partially blocked for trucks. They are blocked by Polish carriers.