The business community, united by the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, European Business Association, Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Association of International Road Carriers, Ukrainian League of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, and Union of Ukrainian Entrepreneurs, calls on the Polish and Ukrainian sides to comply with the Treaty on Good-Neighborliness, Friendly Relations, and Cooperation between the Republic of Poland and Ukraine dated December 30, 1992, and unblock the Ukrainian exports at joint checkpoints.
Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine has immensely affected the supply chains of goods. Due to the closure of Ukraine's airspace, the blockade of some of Ukraine's sea and river ports, and significant damage to the country's railway network and infrastructure, road freight transportation through the joint checkpoints became almost the only way of international goods’ transportation.
Strikes and protests of the Polish carriers that started on November 6, 2023, at the Ukrainian-Polish border will only lead to the disruption of essential supply chains of goods, which are already challenged by the war in Ukraine, both domestically and internationally.
The current situation results in the disruption of planned shipments due to delays in logistics and late transportation to loading points, and the cost of freight increases automatically by 600-1000 euros/day and even more due to the shortage of free transport in Europe, negatively affecting the rise in prices for the final consumer.
To stimulate the reduction of queues at the borders, decrease the duration of inspection, reduce financial losses for idle time for commercial vehicles, avoid penalties for late implementation of international contracts, and speed up export-import operations, as well as ensure the stability and growth of both countries, the business community calls on the Ukrainian and Polish parties to:
- Ensure full implementation of memorandums on the capacity of Ukrainian-Polish checkpoints;
- Improve the current joint checkpoints and establish new ones on the Polish-Ukrainian border by using available tools of intergovernmental cooperation and mechanisms of multilateral diplomacy;
- Contribute to the search for ways to converge customs procedures at the Polish-Ukrainian checkpoints and the development of appropriate recommendations for changing the customs legislation of Ukraine and the practices of the state customs services of both countries;
- Sign the Joint Border Agreement between Ukraine and the Republic of Poland as soon as possible.
We look forward to an open and constructive dialogue between the Polish and Ukrainian parties and strengthening cooperation to ensure a smooth cargo flow in both directions between Ukraine and the EU.
