Ukraine-Slovakia border reopens, truck traffic partially resumed

Truck traffic between Ukraine and Slovakia has been partially restored, Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service or DPSU reported on Telegram on Dec. 14.

A total of 28 trucks were processed for departure from Ukraine at the Uzhhorod border crossing point, with 24 of them having already completed all control procedures on the Slovak side by 6 a.m. on Dec. 14.

The Slovak side partially resumed entry operations from 7.30 p.m. on Dec. 13, the DPSU said.

Initially, it was stated that only two trucks would be allowed to enter Slovakia per hour. However, in reality, three to four trucks are being permitted through per hour, Slovak carriers once again blocked the movement of trucks through the Vyšné Nemecké border crossing point on the border with Ukraine on Dec. 11.

The action followed a previous blockade of truck movement in front of the Uzhhorod border crossing point on Dec. 1. The blockade was then lifted on Dec. 4. The carriers had earlier indicated that their goal was to join their Polish colleagues, who had been blocking the Ukrainian border since Nov. 6.

The Slovak Road Carriers Union (UNAS), like the Poles, is demanding the cancellation of the agreement between the EU and Ukraine on the so-called transport visa-free regime, which, according to the Slovak carriers, has led to a decline in the local transport market.

Polish carriers lifted the blockade of the largest checkpoint on the Ukrainian-Polish border, Yahodyn-Dorohusk, on Dec. 11, after more than a month of strike. Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said that the Ukrainian side had held “dozens of meetings and negotiationsat all possible levels” with the Polish side to achieve this.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine