The Uhryniv-Dolhobychuv border crossing between Ukraine and Poland will be opened on Dec. 4 for empty trucks, the State Border Guard reported on Dec. 3.
According to the report, "empty heavy-duty vehicles with a total permitted mass exceeding 7.5 tons will be allowed to pass from Ukraine to Poland," starting from 1 a.m. on Dec. 4.
"The opening of 'Uhryniv' is the first step on the list of measures being implemented to unlock the border, reduce queues, and increase the capacity of the Ukrainian-Polish border," the State Border Guard wrote on Facebook.
Polish truckers started blocking three border crossing points on Nov. 6 in protest of the liberalization of EU transport rules for Ukrainian trucks, causing huge lines on both sides of the border.
Earlier on Dec. 1, Poland and Ukraine agreed to take steps to ease the border truck blockages caused by Polish protesters.
After meeting for talks in Warsaw, Ukrainian and Polish representatives agreed to open a crossing point for empty trucks at the Uhryniv-Dolhobychuv border crossing, create separate electronic passes for empty vehicles at the Yahodyn-Dorohusk and Krakivets-Korczowa crossing points and launch a pilot electronic queueing system.
On the following day, however, the Polish government said that it would tighten controls on Ukrainian trucks crossing the Polish border, which was one of the demands of Poland's protesting haulers.
The two sides did not discuss canceling or changing the visa-free regime between the two countries, which the protesters demanded.
Still, the Polish government said it would crack down on "unscrupulous competition on the transport market."
Sławomir Sierakowski
