MINSK, 30 October (BelTA) – The announced reopening of two border crossings at the Belarusian-Polish border – Bobrowniki and Kuznica – has been welcomed by Poland’s transport community. Workers of the transport industry describe it as a long-awaited signal of hope and a step towards normal life, BelTA learned from the Polish website Trans.INFO.
The reopening of the Bobrowniki and Kuznica border crossings could be a genuine relief for Polish transport companies, which are currently suffering from limited throughput capacity, the Trans.INFO website notes. If the trial opening is successful, it could mark the beginning of the resumption of fully functional freight traffic at the eastern border, which, as carriers emphasize, is necessary for the stability and competitiveness of Poland’s freight forwarding and logistics industry.
President of the Association of International Road Carriers of Poland (ZMPD) Jan Buczek stressed that the Polish government’s decision is a long-awaited sign of hope for the industry. “Certainly, we are very glad to hear Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s announcement of the prompt opening of the border crossings in Bobrowniki and Kuznica. There is no doubt that it is a step towards normal life,” Jan Buczek said.
In his words, the possibility of getting inspected in Bobrowniki and Kuznica will certainly improve the lives of carriers, which until now have been forced to use the only functioning road crossing in Koroszczyn. It will also make the job of representatives of various services at the border easier.
“We expect our demands, which have been filed with the road and transport administration since 2023, to be implemented, but their implementation is alarmingly delayed. Every additional month of delay signifies the risk that transport companies, which are vital to the functioning of the economy, may disappear from the market,” concluded Jan Buczek.
Meanwhile, the Polish website Bankier.pl quoted Sebastian Rynkiewicz, President of the Evoluma Industry Cluster, which unites more than 100 companies of the metallurgical industry, as saying that opening the gate is a key element in the development of the region.
Bialystok Mayor Tadeusz Truskolaski noted that Polish entrepreneurs expect to benefit from the opening of the border crossings with Belarus. In his words, shopping centers and entrepreneurs, including those operating on the Bialystok city marketplace, had previously lost customers due to the closure of border crossings with Belarus and due to the absence of customers from the east. When asked what conditions had changed for the Polish prime minister to announce the opening of border crossings, Tadeusz Truskolaski replied that a fight had been going on to secure this goal and it had finally produced results. According to the Polish Press Agency (PAP), the mayor of Bialystok also noted that there had been no arguments or answers to Podlasie’s questions, for instance, why the border crossing in Terespol in Poland’s Lublin Province keeps working but the crossings in Podlasie do not.
On 28 October Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that as from November motorists will once again be able to use the border crossings in Bobrowniki and Kuznica at the border with Belarus. Donald Tusk noted they would be tentatively opened, which is a step toward restoring normal road traffic between Poland and Belarus. “These border crossings can be useful to ordinary people on both sides of the border, and politics should not constantly interfere in the daily lives of the region’s residents,” Donald Tusk said. Voivode of Podlaskie Voivodeship Jacek Brzozowski said that after the official announcement of the opening date of the road border crossings with Belarus in Podlasie Province, the border services will be ready for it within 48 hours. “We are ready. All the necessary measures are being taken to ensure that this procedure is carried out without unnecessary delays from a purely technical point of view,” Jacek Brzozowski said.
The Kuznica border crossing was closed in November 2021 while the Bobrowniki border crossing was closed in February 2023.
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