Romanian farmers and hauliers obstructed a key Romanian-Ukrainian border crossing on Thursday, according to Ukraine's state customs service. The protestors, using tractors and trucks, are demonstrating against elevated diesel costs, insurance rates, EU environmental protection measures, and the impact of imported Ukrainian agricultural products on the domestic market.
The protestors are demanding a loan repayment moratorium, expedited subsidy payments, and separate border crossing queues for EU and non-EU trucks, including those from Ukraine. "Large agricultural machinery" was used to block the Halmeu-Diakove crossing, the Ukrainian state customs service reported. The blockade has temporarily halted truck traffic leaving Ukraine to avoid disrupting passenger vehicles.
Romanian Black Sea ports play a crucial role in Ukrainian agricultural exports, given Russia's partial Black Sea blockade and logistical challenges at the Ukrainian land border with the EU. Until a recent agreement, Polish hauliers were also protesting at some Ukrainian border crossings, demanding the reinstatement of a permit system for Ukrainian and European truckers operating within the EU.
Source: proiqra.com