Business asks to prohibit strikes at border crossings, which are at least critical infrastructure facilities

22/ 02/ 2024

On February 20, Polish farmers tightened the blockade on the border with Ukraine. Moreover, both business and the media report that the protesters are currently not allowing trucks to pass, including those carrying military and humanitarian aid, and yesterday poured grain out of two freight cars of a train that was supposed to transit through Poland to Germany and are trying to block railroad traffic. The European Business Association, as a community that unites and represents business from Ukraine, has repeatedly emphasized that it understands the right of Polish employees to collectively discuss and express their positions. At the same time, any expression of positions should be civilized and democratic. Therefore, the community, as well as the Ukrainian side in general, have always offered to sit down at the negotiating table and start a dialogue on the parties demands and how they can be met. At the same time, it seems that no consensus has been reached because each time, the protesters put forward new and unclear demands, which, for example, this time do not relate to Ukraine at all. In particular, in addition to the previous ones, they now demand the need to simplify/ease or even cancel environmental requirements (as, in particular, Europe is currently introducing additional environmental requirements for cultivation/processing, the amount of land that must be withdrawn from circulation, and animal husbandry); and to return subsidies to Polish farmers. It is worth noting that, analyzing these requirements, not all of them are still dependent on Ukraine, and it is still important to sit down at the negotiating table and reach an agreement to resolve those that are part of Ukrainian-Polish relations. And it is clear that no matter to which party the demands are addressed, they should not be presented in the way they are now. Because, in particular, spilling grain on the tracks is an obvious violation of law and order, which requires a proper response from law enforcement agencies and entails liability. As has been repeatedly noted, the strikes have already led to negative consequences for both parties, as well as for the EU and the world in general - disruption of important supply chains, disruption of product delivery times, violation of contractual obligations with partners, damage to products with limited shelf life and, as a result, direct financial and reputational losses, etc. And, as the business reports, the situation is much worse than it was at the end of last year. Therefore, in this situation, first of all, we would like to remind our Polish colleagues of the need to comply with the Treaty between Ukraine and the Republic of Poland on Good Neighborliness, Friendly Relations and Cooperation of 30 December 1992, where the parties undertook to develop relations in the spirit of friendship, cooperation, mutual respect, mutual understanding, trust, and good neighborliness. Nevertheless, after the passage of time and periodic blocking of checkpoints, Ukrainian businesses would like to turn to European institutions. After all, it is still difficult to find signs that the situation will be resolved shortly, at least until an effective safeguard is created at the EU level that would make it impossible to block the border. In particular, by making it impossible to block critical highways, such actions will continue. And since such actions cause deliberate damage not only to the Ukrainian but also to the European economy (in particular, the grain that was dumped on the railroad yesterday was heading to Germany in transit through Poland), the European Business Association appeals to the European Commission, the Government of Poland, and its law enforcement agencies to help resolve the situation, for example, by adopting a decision to prohibit strikes at border crossings that are critical infrastructure facilities or any other decision that will help to direct this and similar issues into a civilized course and dialogue, as well as take measures to bring to justice those who commit criminal acts.

The European Business Association, as a community that unites and represents business from Ukraine, has repeatedly emphasized that it understands the right of Polish employees to collectively discuss and express their positions. At the same time, any expression of positions should be civilized and democratic. Therefore, the community, as well as the Ukrainian side in general, have always offered to sit down at the negotiating table and start a dialogue on the parties’ demands and how they can be met.

At the same time, it seems that no consensus has been reached because each time, the protesters put forward new and unclear demands, which, for example, this time do not relate to Ukraine at all. In particular, in addition to the previous ones, they now demand the need to simplify/ease or even cancel environmental requirements (as, in particular, Europe is currently introducing additional environmental requirements for cultivation/processing, the amount of land that must be withdrawn from circulation, and animal husbandry); and to return subsidies to Polish farmers.

It is worth noting that, analyzing these requirements, not all of them are still dependent on Ukraine, and it is still important to sit down at the negotiating table and reach an agreement to resolve those that are part of Ukrainian-Polish relations. And it is clear that no matter to which party the demands are addressed, they should not be presented in the way they are now. Because, in particular, spilling grain on the tracks is an obvious violation of law and order, which requires a proper response from law enforcement agencies and entails liability.

As has been repeatedly noted, the strikes have already led to negative consequences for both parties, as well as for the EU and the world in general – disruption of important supply chains, disruption of product delivery times, violation of contractual obligations with partners, damage to products with limited shelf life and, as a result, direct financial and reputational losses, etc.

And, as the business reports, the situation is much worse than it was at the end of last year. Therefore, in this situation, first of all, we would like to remind our Polish colleagues of the need to comply with the Treaty between Ukraine and the Republic of Poland on Good Neighborliness, Friendly Relations and Cooperation of 30 December 1992, where the parties undertook to develop relations in the spirit of friendship, cooperation, mutual respect, mutual understanding, trust, and good neighborliness.

Nevertheless, after the passage of time and periodic blocking of checkpoints, Ukrainian businesses would like to turn to European institutions. After all, it is still difficult to find signs that the situation will be resolved shortly, at least until an effective safeguard is created at the EU level that would make it impossible to block the border. In particular, by making it impossible to block critical highways, such actions will continue.

And since such actions cause deliberate damage not only to the Ukrainian but also to the European economy (in particular, the grain that was dumped on the railroad yesterday was heading to Germany in transit through Poland), the European Business Association appeals to the European Commission, the Government of Poland, and its law enforcement agencies to help resolve the situation, for example, by adopting a decision to prohibit strikes at border crossings that are critical infrastructure facilities or any other decision that will help to direct this and similar issues into a civilized course and dialogue, as well as take measures to bring to justice those who commit criminal acts.