UNAS Blocked Vysne Nemecke Crossing for Hour, Threatens with Permanent Blockade

Vysne Nemecke, November 16 (TASR) - The Union of Slovak Hauliers (UNAS) blocked the Vysne Nemecke crossing point on the Slovak-Ukrainian border for an hour between 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. on Thursday to support their Polish colleagues who have been protesting for several days against the liberalisation of EU rules for Ukrainian hauliers. Hauliers blocked the road to the crossing with passenger cars. The blockade was also joined by Polish hauliers, who've recently decided to block crossings on the Polish-Ukrainian border. Slovak hauliers threaten that if the European Commission (EC) fails to address the situation, they will block the border with Ukraine permanently. They demand that Brussels immediately introduces transport permits for Ukrainian lorries, as European [haulier] companies are failing and can't compete with them, "We'll wait for seven days whether they answer us and address these permits or not. If there's no progress, the Poles will continue blocking their border and we'll join them by blocking the whole Vysne Nemecke crossing. We will have to, because there is no other way," UNAS chairman Stanislav Skala has told TASR, adding that their Hungarian peers are ready to act likewise. UNAS disagrees with the European Commission's regulation that revoked the issuing of permits for Ukrainian hauliers to enter the EU following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "The blockade did not affect the operation of the Vysne Nemecke customs office," said customs office's spokesperson Katarina Dankova after the end of the protest blockade. Police Corps presidium spokesperson Denisa Bardyova has told TASR that police officers supervised the observance of public order and the traffic police regulated the traffic so that the traffic situation on the spot did not worsen. ko/mcs