The passage of trucks at the Uzhhorod-Vysne Nemecke border crossing on the Ukraine-Slovakia border has been partially resumed, Ukraine's State Border Guard Service said on Dec. 14.
The Slovak truckers' union UNAS said on Dec. 5 that it would begin a total blockade of the border crossing if its demands regarding the EU's liberalization of the permit system for Ukrainian truckers are not addressed.
The crossing was previously temporarily blocked on Nov. 21, Dec. 1, and Dec. 11.
Trucks were able to pass through the crossing as of Dec. 14, albeit at a slower pace of around 3-4 per hour. As of 6 a.m. local time, the border guard service said that 24 trucks have been cleared by Slovak border controls and another 28 were registered for departure from Ukraine.
UNAS announced on Dec. 10 that it plans to resume blockading the border on Dec. 11, and the protest will continue "until further notice."
"Entry to the territory of the Slovak Republic for truck transport will be blocked. Passenger transport will not be restricted in any way," the union said.
The launch of a blockade by Polish truckers in early November preceded the initial blockade at the Slovak border.
The Polish truckers claimed that the blockade was in protest of the high number of Ukrainian drivers entering Poland, hauling goods further to other countries, and undercutting local businesses that cannot match lower Ukrainian prices.
Blockades on some of the border crossings in Poland continue, but Polish media reported on Dec. 12 that the Dorohusk-Yahodyn crossing had reopened for traffic.
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