Polish farmers join Ukraine blockade

Workers protesting the EU’s trade regulations with Kiev have created a roadblock at one of Poland’s busiest border crossings.

Farmers from Poland’s Deceived Village Association have joined a round-the-clock roadblock at Medyka – one of the country’s busiest border crossings with Ukraine – as part of a major protest against the EU’s soft trade policy towards Kiev.

Farmers and truckers have been blocking the Medyka crossing since Thursday, from 9am to 8pm local time. On Monday morning, they began a 24/7 blockade of the entry point, which is expected to last until January 3.

“Only two lorries are to be let through every hour,” Roman Kondrow, a representative of the association, told the Polish Press Agency (PAP), adding that exemptions would be made for humanitarian aid and war supplies.

Medyka is the fourth border point Polish workers have blocked since November 6, leaving thousands of lorries stranded for days. Truckers have also been prevented from traveling at crossing points in Dorohusk, Hrebenne-Rawa Ruska, and Korczowa.

The massive protest was organized in another attempt to attract attention to the damage inflicted to the sector by the EU’s decision to relax the bloc’s regulations for Ukrainian transport companies in 2022.

The regulations have led to Polish truck drivers losing out to Ukrainian companies, which offer cheaper prices for their services and are now transporting goods within the EU, rather than just between the bloc and Ukraine.

Polish farmers joining the rally are pressuring EU officials to extend support to help them cope with low grain prices.

“I would like to end this protest as soon as possible, because it is as burdensome for us as for everyone around us,” Tomasz Borkowski, the leader of a Polish transporters union, told Reuters, while warning that they have no intention of giving up until their demands are met.