Poland says EU executive agrees to revise transport deal with Ukraine

The European Commission has agreed to work on changes to the European Union's agreement with Ukraine on the road transport of goods demanded by Polish truckers, the Polish infrastructure ministry said on Tuesday.

A revision of the agreement which removed most restrictions for drivers transporting goods between Ukraine and the EU was among key demands of Polish truckers who blocked some border crossings with Ukraine for several weeks around the turn of the year.

"The European Commission has started the procedure for revising the European Union-Ukraine Agreement on the transport of goods by road," the ministry said in a statement.

In November, Polish haulers blocked border crossings with Ukraine protesting over what they said was unfair competition from their Ukrainian counterparts.

They were demanding that the EU reinstate permits for Ukrainian transportation companies to operate in the bloc and for European truckers entering Ukraine, which were suspended in 2022 along with customs duties in a bid to help Ukraine amid its conflict with Russia.

The protest was suspended in January after the government in Warsaw pledged to back their demands in talks with Brussels and discuss EU financial support for the affected Polish transportation companies.

"We managed to convince our partners of the need to work on the revision of this agreement, which has become one of the main reasons for protests by Polish carriers," the statement quoted Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak as saying.

The EU executive's proposals for changes in the agreement were sent for further negotiations by member states, the ministry said.

(Cover: This aerial view shows Ukrainian trucks on the parking lot next to Korczowa Polish-Ukrainian border crossing, on December 5, 2023. /CFP)