Blockade of Vysne Nemecke Crossing Point Still in Place

Vysne Nemecke, December 13 (TASR) - The Union of Slovak Hauliers (UNAS) is still continuing its blockade of the Vysne Nemecke crossing point on the Slovak-Ukrainian border, union head Stanislav Skala confirmed to TASR on Wednesday. The hauliers resumed the blockade on Monday, joining the protests of their colleagues in both Poland and Hungary against the cancellation of the obligation for Ukrainian hauliers to obtain permits in the European Union. UNAS previously blocked the same crossing point partially from December 1 to December 4. The ongoing protest will last until further notice, the hauliers claim. "The entry is blocked, we've just let in some military convoys as the Ukrainian embassy had asked us. It'll last until further notice, but there will be some negotiations in Brussels on Thursday so we will see what the situation and conclusions by the Poles are and we will react accordingly," Skala said. According to him, representatives of both Hungarian and Polish protesting hauliers are expected to be in Brussels for the negotiations. The blockade of the Vysne Nemecke crossing point concerns only Ukrainian lorries entering Slovakia and personal vehicles aren't limited in any manner. At the same time, it doesn't concern lorries entering Ukraine from Slovakia, either. Slovak hauliers feel threatened by cheap competition from Ukraine and have several demands. They claim that if the EU ignores the problem, it could lead to the collapse of road freight transport in Slovakia. zel/mcs