Ukraine’s business partners from Belgium, Austria, Netherlands and Italy urge EU companies to boycott Polish transport workers to unblock the border – open letter

Economy

22:00, 07.12.2023

2 min read

Business associations – partners of Ukraine – Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands and Italy, issued an open letter in which they called on all companies of the European Union not to extend existing and not to conclude new transport contracts until Polish carriers unblock the Ukrainian-Polish border.

The text of the letter was handed over to the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Thursday. “We urge all EU companies and representatives of the relevant transport sectors not to renew transport contracts and not to conclude new ones with Polish transport companies while they continue to block the Polish-Ukrainian border,” the text says.

The authors describe the problems caused by the blockade of the border, noting that “exports from Ukraine decreased by a staggering 40% in November, and two Ukrainian truck drivers died in long traffic jams at border posts out of 2,500 trucks.”

The signatories point to the position of the European Commissioner for Transport Adina Valean, who, calling the blockade of the border “completely unacceptable,” stated that these actions of Polish carriers threaten Poland with fines, but “for the Ukrainian people it will happen too late.”

Having listed the demands of the Poles, the authors of the letter expressed hope that in the event of a boycott by Western European companies of Polish transport companies as long as the blockade continues, these actions will be “quickly terminated.” “The Western European market for these transport companies is much more important than the Ukrainian transport market. We have no problems with the actions of trade unions, and Polish transport unions can carry them out inside Poland without affecting the country, which is also fighting an uphill battle for us,” the signatories conclude.

The letter with the title “Open Letter on the boycott of Polish transport companies” is dated December 6 and signed by the Belgium-Ukraine Business Club, the Ukrainian-Austrian Association, the Dutch-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Italy.

MORE ABOUT

LATEST