Warsaw Enterprise Institute and the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting (IER, Ukraine) are organizing online debate held as part of the project “A common future. Poland and Ukraine in the European single market” titled: “New Routes of Europe. Poland and Ukraine Between Logistics and Politics”. The appointment is January 29th, 11:00–12:30 CET, in Zoom (the link will be sent after registration).

Efficient transport links and a well-functioning logistics system are key prerequisites for Ukraine's integration into the European Union's single market. For Poland, a major transit country and one of the largest road transport markets in the EU, this process represents not only new development opportunities but also significant challenges for domestic transport companies, particularly those operating in the road transport sector. At the same time, for Ukrainian transport and logistics companies, integration with the EU market requires them to adapt to EU regulatory, cost, and organizational standards, which poses a significant competitive challenge.

Changes in road and rail logistics, the further liberalization of transport, the growing role of multimodal transport, and pressure on border infrastructure mean that Polish carriers today operate in an environment of increasing competition, regulatory asymmetry, and procedural uncertainty. Ukrainian transport companies, on the other hand, operate under parallel pressures: rising expectations from the EU market, and infrastructural and institutional constraints stemming from the country's domestic situation. At the same time, political decisions made at the national and EU levels are increasingly influencing the real conditions for conducting transport business on both sides of the border.

During the debate, experts from Poland and Ukraine will analyze the functioning of transport corridors connecting the two countries, as well as the consequences of these processes for both Polish and Ukrainian transport companies, including the risk of loss of competitiveness, infrastructure congestion, unequal competitive conditions, and the long-term marginalization of road transport.

The enlargement of the European Union to include Ukraine is not only a political project but also a test of the EU's ability to create coherent and predictable market conditions. Poland, as a key transport hub in the region, and Ukraine, as a future participant in the single market, face a common challenge in developing infrastructure and logistics solutions that will foster competitiveness, investment, and business development on both sides of the border.

The following will take part in the debate: Aleksandra Adamska-Ziętek, Member of the Management Board for Trade and Operations, PKP LHS; Jacek Rutkowski, Director for Development and Management of Intermodal Companies, CLIP Group; Sandra Baniak-Stachowiak, transport sector analyst, Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW); Valeriy Tkachev, Deputy Director of the Department of Transportation Technology and Commercial Work at Ukrzaliznytsia; Serhiy Vovk, Director of the Center for Transportation Strategies
Moderator: Iryna Kosse, Lead researcher, Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting.

To participate in the event, please register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSefeIi9-nhybHAKsyJiDgu1_C08Ixb5iCKNYajjBvZyMDEpFQ/viewform