Ukraine asks EU to deal with possible blocking of all border crossings to Poland

Ukraine has called for a meeting with Poland and the European commission as Polish carriers threaten to block all checkpoints at the Ukrainian-Polish border, demanding that transport permits be reinstated for their Ukrainian counterparts.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Ukrainian infrastructure ministry said it had received information about the possible blocking of checkpoints by Polish carriers.

"Our position is that such strikes and blockades harm everyone, both Ukrainian and Polish carriers. We are ready for a dialogue where the interests of carriers from both countries will be equally represented," deputy infrastructure minister Serhiy Derkach was quoted as saying.

The meeting with the European Commission’s DG MOVE, scheduled later on Tuesday, will seek to develop joint solutions that will help increase the throughput capacity and ensure stable operation of the border.

"Thanks to the eCherha [eQueue] system and constant communication with the customs and border guard services, we see the bottlenecks of our border where the memorandums are not really being implemented," Mr Derkach added.

Polish carriers will reportedly strike on the border with Ukraine starting 3 November, complaining about excessive competition following the liberalisation of international transport between Ukraine and the EU.

Polish carriers are demanding the return of transport permits for Ukraine, which were cancelled as part of the visa-free regime.

The protesters are also demanding that transport companies with capital from outside the EU be deprived of their licences; that Ukraine cancel the introduction of a separate queue in the eCheck for cars with EU licence plates; and that Polish companies be connected to the Ukrainian Shliakh [Way] system.