Poland opens transit: the first trucks with Ukrainian products go to the Netherlands

Kyiv. Starting from midnight, April 21, Poland has unblocked the movement of Ukrainian agricultural products in transit through the country to other EU countries and Polish seaports. The first truck convoy will depart from the Dorohusk checkpoint to the Netherlands within an hour.

Michal Derus, spokesman for the Chamber of Tax Administration in Lublin, told Ukrinform in a comment to its own correspondent.

According to him, a convoy with Ukrainian goods is currently being prepared, which will soon leave the border.

“We have already formed a convoy of five trucks, and we are finalizing the paperwork. These trucks have already passed veterinary and customs control, and seals are being installed on them. The first convoy will carry corn, meat and eggs to the Netherlands,” Derus said.

According to him, the convoy will be accompanied by two cars of the Customs and Tax Service. At the border of Poland with another EU country, the seals will be removed from the vehicles, and they will continue to move unaccompanied. The spokesman noted that he did not know whether the customs services of other EU countries would accompany Ukrainian convoys with agricultural products.

Derus also said that other convoys with Ukrainian agricultural products would be formed throughout the day on Friday.

“Yes, there will be convoys. This is done as follows: we group trucks traveling in the same direction into a convoy. We also determine the routes for such convoys,” Derus emphasized, adding that each convoy will have five trucks.

He noted that the Ukrainian side produces these trucks, and after sanitary, veterinary and customs control in Poland, they are sent to form convoys in the respective directions.

The spokesperson for the Tax Administration Chamber in Lublin also informed that the first trains with Ukrainian products will transit through Poland on Friday. According to him, the Customs and Tax Service will install electronic seals on them. However, they will not be accompanied by representatives of the service, and control over the movement of trains will be carried out by the railway security service.

On Tuesday, April 18, Ukraine and Poland agreed to unblock the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products through the territory of Poland to Polish ports and third countries starting at midnight on April 21.

At the same time, Warsaw’s earlier ban on the import of Ukrainian agricultural products to the Polish market remains in place. At the insistence of Poland and some other EU countries, the European Commission is proposing to ban the import of four types of agricultural crops (wheat, corn, sunflower, and rapeseed) from Ukraine to five EU countries. Poland wants to add milk, chicken, eggs, and honey to this list.

Source: Agroperspectiva.com