Polish truckers, agricultural producers intend to block last checkpoint still open on Ukrainian border

WARSAW. Nov 16 (Interfax) - Protests by Polish truck drivers and agricultural producers who will join them on the border with Ukraine from next week may affect the last still fully operating checkpoint, Medyka in Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Polish media reported.

"The meeting between representatives of the Polish, Ukrainian and EU sides, at which the protest was discussed, did not bring any satisfactory results," the media quoted Rafal Mekler, one of the protest organizers, as saying.

Polish agricultural producers intend to block the Medyka checkpoint starting next week, another organizer of the protests, Tomasz Buczek, said.

Slovak truck drivers have joined their Polish counterparts' protest. They plan to start blocking the border with Ukraine near Vysne Nemecke as early as Thursday. Poles will also support them there.

Polish truck drivers have been protesting at three checkpoints on the border with Ukraine since November 6, demanding that the authorities restrict competition from Ukrainian companies.

It was reported that the protesters at the checkpoints in Dorohusk and Hrebenne, both in the Lublin Voivodeship, and in Korczowa, Podkarpackie Voivodeship, are putting forward several demands to the authorities, the main one being to restrain unfair competition on the part of Ukrainian truck drivers.

The truck drivers in Dorohusk and Hrebenne allow one truck to pass every hour in each direction, while truck traffic in Korczowa is blocked only towards Ukraine and passenger cars and buses can pass through freely.

In addition, the protesters are allowing the vehicles of various services, humanitarian supplies, and military vehicles to pass through without any problems.