Poland wants to block cement supplies from Ukraine: the reason.

The conflict around the import of Ukrainian cement in Poland is escalating

According to Puls Biznesu, the volume of cement supplies from Ukraine to Poland has increased more than tenfold in recent years. While only 32,000 tons were imported in 2020, this figure reached 340,000 tons last year.

It is expected that by 2024, the import volume will exceed 500,000 tons, and next year this figure could reach 1.5 million tons.

The head of the Association of Cement Producers of Poland, Zbigniew Piłch, explains the reasons for such rapid growth. Before the full-scale war, Ukraine consumed 12 million tons of cement annually, but due to a decrease in domestic demand, the volumes shrank to 4 million tons. Therefore, the excess production is now exported to Poland.

The main supplier is the company 'Ivano-Frankivskcement', which is currently expanding its production capacity to 4 million tons per year. Polish manufacturers see this as a direct threat to their own industry.

Piłch asserts that such imports constitute unfair competition, as Ukrainian producers do not bear the costs of the European Union's climate policy. According to him, this could lead to the closure of local enterprises, including the plant in Chełm, located 25 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. As a result, at least 1,300 people may lose their jobs.

The association demands restrictions on imports and proposes to set quotas at the average volume of the last three years. They also believe it is necessary to bring this issue to discussion during the review of the trade agreement between Ukraine and the EU in 2025.