Poland has formally added all eight commercial checkpoints on its frontier with Ukraine to the national catalogue of critical infrastructure, officials confirmed on 22 October 2025. The change—announced by Paweł Kowal, government commissioner for cooperation with Ukraine—gives authorities wider legal powers to restrict demonstrations, deploy security forces and impose no-go zones within a defined perimeter of each crossing.
The designation follows months of disruptive road-block protests by truckers and farming groups, which at their peak in early 2025 cut cargo throughput by more than 40 %. Under the amended Critical Infrastructure Protection Act, anyone impeding the operation of listed facilities can face fines up to PLN 50,000 (€11,300) or criminal charges if essential supplies are endangered.
Business associations welcomed the step, noting that prior rulings by local courts had permitted protests directly on approach roads. ‘The re-classification finally gives uniformed services a clear mandate to keep lanes open,’ said the Polish International Freight Forwarders Association. Ukrainian exporters likewise praised the move, seeing it as a signal that Warsaw aims to safeguard the EU’s overland export corridor.
Civil-rights groups, however, cautioned that the measure must not be used to curtail legitimate labour demonstrations elsewhere. The government insists that the rule applies narrowly to transit chokepoints whose closure would jeopardise food, fuel and humanitarian flows.
For corporate mobility and logistics managers the implication is a reduced risk of unannounced stoppages—and therefore more reliable lead times—on one of Central Europe’s busiest trade arteries. Companies should monitor how police apply the new powers in coming weeks and update contingency plans accordingly.
The designation follows months of disruptive road-block protests by truckers and farming groups, which at their peak in early 2025 cut cargo throughput by more than 40 %. Under the amended Critical Infrastructure Protection Act, anyone impeding the operation of listed facilities can face fines up to PLN 50,000 (€11,300) or criminal charges if essential supplies are endangered.
Business associations welcomed the step, noting that prior rulings by local courts had permitted protests directly on approach roads. ‘The re-classification finally gives uniformed services a clear mandate to keep lanes open,’ said the Polish International Freight Forwarders Association. Ukrainian exporters likewise praised the move, seeing it as a signal that Warsaw aims to safeguard the EU’s overland export corridor.
Civil-rights groups, however, cautioned that the measure must not be used to curtail legitimate labour demonstrations elsewhere. The government insists that the rule applies narrowly to transit chokepoints whose closure would jeopardise food, fuel and humanitarian flows.
For corporate mobility and logistics managers the implication is a reduced risk of unannounced stoppages—and therefore more reliable lead times—on one of Central Europe’s busiest trade arteries. Companies should monitor how police apply the new powers in coming weeks and update contingency plans accordingly.
