At a meeting with Vsevolod Chentsov, Representative of Ukraine to the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine, the EBA representatives discussed in detail the painful issues of Ukrainian business that go beyond domestic politics and can resolved in Brussels.
The central issue is blocking the Polish-Ukrainian border, which has long gone beyond economic competition and is a political action by Polish carriers.
…. such strikes violate 22 international agreements on the transport and movement of goods between countries and cause losses to both parties. In addition, companies in other EU countries also suffer losses from the delay in cargo. And the CJS’s task is to find ways to unblock the border as soon as possible.” – Kateryna Glazkova, Executive Director of the Union of Ukrainian Entrepreneurs
Viktor Koptenkov, co-founder of D’Art Logistic Ukraine, and Kostiantyn Magaletskyi, co-founder of the Green Recovery Foundation, highlighted the facts during the delegation’s discussion. They emphasized that Ukrainian carriers, with 300,000 in total, don’t threaten Polish carriers. Poland has 37 million carriers, and only 50-60,000 Ukrainian carriers have Euro 5-Euro 6 engines that meet European standards for entry. The numbers clearly show the distinct scale.
Results of the meeting:
- The sides agreed that the issue of blocking the border should be resolved at the EU level.
- Unblocking the border: The EBA is preparing counterarguments for a dialogue with Poland to fully open the border and prevent future issues.
- We will convey to the European Commission the importance of recording business losses due to the blocked border and how this affects companies in Poland, Ukraine, and other European countries that do not receive goods on time.
- International support: the involvement of associations from other European countries whose businesses have been affected by the border blockade was discussed.
- Alignment of interests: identifying sectors that can contribute to the “alignment” of interests between Ukraine and Poland to level the playing field.
- Compliance with standards: Ukrainian companies in the transport sector must comply with all established standards.
- We are developing an information campaign aimed at canceling out negative narratives about Ukrainian companies among the European business community and shaping the image of Ukrainian businesses as a reliable partner working by international standards.
- The EU Delegation to Ukraine will promote the Association’s position in the EU
