Slovak truckers are set to begin blocking the country's border with Ukraine on Friday, promising a near-complete shutdown of the crossing for trucks - with four trucks allowed through every hour - until the EU meets their demands for tougher rules for their Ukrainian counterparts, Reuters reports, UNN writes.
Details
Stanislav Skala, head of the Slovak trucking union UNAS, said his team is ready to block the Vysne Nemecke-Uzhhorod checkpoint, the only checkpoint for trucks, from 15:00 (16:00 Kyiv time), the newspaper reports.
Slovak carriers join Polish truckers who have been blocking several checkpoints on the border with Ukraine since November 6.
The Polish and Slovak truckers are reportedly demanding that the EU restore the system of granting a limited number of permits to Ukrainian companies to operate in the bloc and to European truckers to enter Ukraine. The permits were canceled after the invasion of Russia.
We will block the border and let four trucks through every hourSkala told Reuters by phone as he headed toward Vysne Nemecke on Friday.
He said military cargo, humanitarian supplies, as well as perishable goods and animals would also be able to pass through.
He said that the blockade would be carried out in both directions by several passenger cars and in coordination with the police. He said the truckers would have a team of several people who would take shifts guarding the blockade.
The next decision will be made after a meeting of EU transport ministers on Monday in Brussels, where the delegations of Poland, Slovakia and Hungary are expected to raise the issue.
"The only demand is to restore the permits," Skala said. - "We are not interested in politics, we just need to protect our market.
Slovakia's Transport Ministry is quoted as saying after a meeting with the carriers on Wednesday that it will pass on their demands to Brussels.
Addendum
European Transport Commissioner Adina Veljan said on November 29 that Ukraine and the EU cannot be "hostages" of Polish truckers blocking the border. According to her, the situation is "unacceptable" and Brussels reserves the right to intervene to ensure compliance with the rules and application of the law.