Polish Trucker Blockade of Ukrainian Border Continues as EU Threatens Lawsuits
Polish truck drivers at the protest blockade point at the Dorohusk Polish Ukrainian border crossing on November 21 in Dorohusk, Poland. Omar Marques/Getty Images
The European Union (EU) has threatened legal action against the Polish government for failing to resolve the blockade at the border between Poland and Ukraine — caused by a weeks-long trucker protest.
Polish truckers have blocked several border crossings — recently extending the operation to a fourth near the city of Medyka — demanding the return of a pre-war requirement for Ukrainian truckers to carry transport permits. The EU has waived this requirement as a measure to help boost Ukraine's shattered economy and export infrastructure.
Truckers in Slovakia, a country that also shares a border with Ukraine, have threatened to join the movement.
According to the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure, the permit waivers implemented last year by the EU have benefited Ukrainian truckers at the expense of Polish truckers. The government claims that in 2021, Polish truckers conducted 38 percent of trade between the two countries, while in Oct. 2023, that number had significantly decreased to only 8 percent.
On Wednesday, the European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean said that the European Commission (a governing body of the EU) has the “right to intervene” against members who are “not respecting the rules and are not applying the law.”
Over the past several months, Polish-Ukrainian relations have been strained as Poland’s far-right government has significantly shifted away from its staunch pro-Ukraine stance at the onset of Russia’s 2022 invasion.
In April, a similar dispute occurred over Ukrainian grain, which has saturated the European market heavily due to an EU commitment to facilitate its sale throughout the continent to boost Ukraine’s economy. An array of Central European countries, led by Poland, banned the sale of Ukrainian grain in response since their domestic markets have been badly damaged. The European Commission tolerated the initial embargo, as long as it did not last more than four months, and that EU countries not participating could still purchase Ukrainian grain.
In September however, a deal had yet to be reached — significantly testing the strong alliance between Poland and Ukraine, which has endured due to opposition to Russia under President Vladimir Putin.
The sale of Ukrainian grain to Europe has become vital for Ukraine’s teetering economy, which used to rely on exports to the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. This has become impossible to do so reliably since a Turkish-brokered agreement with Russia in July to allow Black Sea exports broke down due to a host of Russian demands — including the West lifting several sanctions on Russia’s agricultural industry.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, right, greets leader of the Polish Civic Coalition Donald Tusk at EU headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. AP Photo/Virginia Mayo
Towards the end of September, as tensions were peaking and Polish parliamentary elections were approaching, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced the end of weapons shipments to Ukraine, a statement that was only partially walked back by President Andrzej Duda.
The Polish government is “endangering Polish-Ukrainian relations" and "neglecting Poland's interests,” argued opposition leader Donald Tusk on Tuesday, in reference to the “inaction” of Polish authorities on the truck blockade. Opposition parties defeated the ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) in a critical election in October, and are hoping to build a coalition behind Tusk as prime minister.
The former EU official has already named ministerial candidates in his hypothetical cabinet, as it is unlikely that the PiS will be able to form a majority government to remain in power. It is assumed that Tusk will move to improve relations with the EU and Ukraine. Poland has accepted hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees and has been one of the largest per capita suppliers of aid to the war-torn country, a trend that Tusk has signaled a will to continue.
Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine has reached a stalemate according to most analysts, including Ukraine’s top general, and the situation for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s country has become increasingly desperate. With a much larger population, Russia appears likely to prevail in the long run, leading Western officials to begin to subtly signal to Ukraine that it may soon be time to enter peace negotiations with Russia.