Ukraine is preparing to sue the European Union over Poland refusing to increase the number of freight permits in 2022. Kyiv said the decision was a breach of its free trade agreement (FTA) with the bloc.
“We hope that…Poland will increase the number of permits because it is in the interest of all parties,” said Ukraine’s deputy economy minister, Taras Kachka, according to news agency Ukrinform, cited by Polish daily Rzeczpospolita.
“This decision is inconsistent with the FTA agreement,” he claimed, adding that his government is planning to file a suit against the EU in “coming days”.
Kachka said that holding back cargo transport by the Polish infrastructure ministry, which issues such permits, was a key issue in trade relations between Ukraine and the EU.
Ukraine has operated under a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) with the EU, which is its largest trading partner, since September 2017. The agreement is seen as a tool for bringing the country closer to the western alliance by promoting economic ties.
While cargo transport has been capped, the number of train connections between the two countries has recently increased, with two new trains operated between the western Ukrainian city of Lviv and Poland’s Przemyśl.
The trains will be operated by Ukrainian railway company Ukrzaliznytsia from 22 December. They will include connections to Berlin and Prague from Przemyśl.
Main image credit: thisisbossi/Flickr (under CC BY-SA 2.0)
Maria Wilczek is deputy editor of Notes from Poland. She is a regular writer for The Times, The Economist and Al Jazeera English, and has also featured in Foreign Policy, Politico Europe, The Spectator and Gazeta Wyborcza.
