Poland deems new border blockades unlikely, supports EU market cooperation
Charge d'Affaires of Poland in Ukraine Piotr Łukasiewicz (all photos: Vitalii Nosach / RBC-Ukraine)
New blockades of the border with Ukraine are unlikely. Poland supports cooperation and competitiveness on the European market. Charge d'Affaires of Poland in Ukraine Piotr Łukasiewicz, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine, commented on the blockades of the Ukrainian-Polish border and the fears of Polish farmers.
According to Łukasiewicz, similar fears regarding competition also took place 20 years ago, when Poland joined the European Union. At that time, there were concerns that Polish farmers would destroy the agriculture of other member countries.
But now, the diplomat emphasizes, Poland is part of the European agro-system, which operates under unified standards, quotas, and rules.
He stressed that Ukrainian agriculture has different goals — not the creation of internal competition, but the increase of competitiveness on the global market.
According to him, this requires the transformation of the agricultural sector, adaptation to EU standards, and changes in business approaches.
"Of course, it's also maybe a question for the European agriculture system to transform, to be able to adapt to this, but it's all about competition, it's all about non-internal competition, but rather being competitive as an actor on the global market.," the diplomat added.
Attempt of a new blockade
He also recalled the recent decision of a Polish court, which banned a new attempt to blockade the border. In his opinion, this case is an example of how conflict situations can be resolved legally.
"And the decision, of course, was actually to draw down this blockade. This is the right of the people to demonstrate their political, economic, and social interests. And of course, the Polish government is protecting the interests of our businesses, our agricultural sector, which is obvious," Łukasiewicz noted.
According to the diplomat, the main thing is to avoid emotional tension, which can hinder constructive dialogue, because European integration is a long, but potentially successful path for both countries.
Blockade of the border in Poland
On Saturday, November 23, 2024, Polish farmers started a protest action near the border with Ukraine, namely at the Medyka–Shehyni checkpoint. Earlier, the farmers had announced a strike that was supposed to last from October 8 to December 31, 2024.
Farmers blocked the movement of trucks from Ukraine and from Poland. In the morning, about 150 trucks were waiting to enter Ukraine. The farmers were letting through one truck per hour.
The organizers of the blockade stated that farmers were protesting for two reasons — the increase of taxes in Poland and the signing of a free trade agreement by the EU with South American countries.
