Ukraine counts losses from Polish border blockade

Ukraine’s exports through Poland have sharply dropped since Polish truckers and farmers blocked border crossings in protest against the EU’s trade regulations with Kiev, the country’s Economy Ministry announced on Saturday.

According to the Kiev ministry, some 282,000 tons of Ukrainian freight transport exports passed through the Polish border in November, a 40% decrease from the previous month. The ministry noted that at several checkpoints, exports have almost stopped entirely or have been cut in half.

Earlier, Deputy Economy Minister Taras Kachka warned that Ukrainian imports have also been affected by the blockades, noting that they have likely dropped by at least 20% last month.

Polish truckers started the round-the-clock protests and blockades at the border between Ukraine and Poland in early November. The protests aimed to attract attention to the damage inflicted on the industry by the EU’s decision to relax the bloc’s regulations for Ukrainian transport companies in 2022. Polish truck drivers say the rule gave their Ukrainian counterparts an unfair advantage as they offer cheaper service prices.

On November 27, the protests were joined by Polish farmers, who are unhappy with low grain prices brought about by cheap imports from Ukraine.

As a result, thousands of trucks are currently stuck on both sides of the Polish-Ukrainian border.

The EU Transport, Telecommunications, and Energy Council is scheduled to meet in December to discuss the blockade and the EU’s legislative changes that led to it.

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