Claims to cement imports from Ukraine: Polish producers expressed indignation

The Association of Polish Cement Producers has expressed serious complaints about the sharp increase in imports of this building material from Ukraine. According to the head of the association, Zbigniew Pilch, supplies from Ukraine increased by 350% to 330,000 tons in 2023, while Poland's own production fell by 11.9% to 16.6 million tons. These data are provided by Bankier.pl.

"Imports from Ukraine are growing almost every month. In 2023, it amounted to 38 percent, and in January 2024, it was almost 50 percent of the total imports of this material to Poland. These are the amounts that are of great concern to us," Pilch said.

He acknowledged that Ukraine is in a phase of war and needs support and foreign currency inflows. However, he noted that cement production in Ukraine is carried out without climate policy costs, and the cement market is local, so producers do not spend money on transportation.

In this context, Polish cement plants that invest in reducing carbon dioxide emissions face unequal competition. "You have to realize what problems cement producers in eastern Poland have," he emphasized.

Poland's cement industry community is waiting for legislative support for the introduction of more environmentally friendly technologies, which is seen as the only chance to keep the industry competitive. They believe that unfair imports of cement from Ukraine, where producers do not bear the costs of climate policy, pose a threat.

It is worth noting that the European Union is introducing a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which aims to eliminate the non-competitive advantage for producers from outside the EU who do not pay for carbon emissions. However, this mechanism will only be fully operational in 2026. Until then, according to Pilch, Poland's cement industry needs support from the government or even the European Union.

It should be recalled that since the fall of 2023, there have been almost continuous protests by Polish business representatives on the border with Ukraine. For example, carriers have expressed dissatisfaction with competition from Ukrainian logistics companies, and farmers continue to protest against customs benefits for Ukrainian producers.