Michał Kołodziejczak, deputy agriculture minister, said that Poland would not agree to the extension of the EU Commission’s special trade policy towards Ukraine, Euractiv reports.
The EU Commission will extend the suspension of all customs duties, quotas and trade protection measures on Ukrainian exports to the EU for another year, until 2025, RMF FM has reported. The radio said, citing its sources in Brussels:
“The draft EU regulation extending duty-free trade with the AU until 2025 is to be adopted by the College of Commissioners on Tuesday.”
This is despite the efforts of Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski, who opposes the extension of liberalised trade rules for Ukraine. He points to the devastating results of such a decision for domestic food production in neighbouring countries, including his native Poland.
The suspension of trade barriers with Ukraine, introduced within the framework of the so-called solidarity corridors, has caused uncontrolled inflows of some agri-food products, including grain, poultry meat, eggs, frozen raspberries and even apple juice, into countries bordering Ukraine. This in turn provoked a drop in prices and demand for EU products.
Wojciechowski’s tough stance was not enough to block the extension of temporary trade liberalisation with Ukraine, as most of the other commissioners support this decision.
Trade liberalisation with Ukraine is one of the issues where Donald Tusk’s (EPP/S&D/Renew/Left) government, which came to power last month, is following the line of the previous conservative Law and Justice (PiS, ECR) cabinet, even though there are contradictions between Tusk and PiS in the conduct of domestic policy.
Before taking office as prime minister, Tusk promised that his government would “bring Poland back to Europe” after eight years of PiS government conflicts with EU institutions and restore the rule of law in Poland, which Tusk believes PiS has destroyed.
However, Euractiv warns that Tusk’s Poland may not be the paradise Brussels would like to see, as the new government shares with its predecessors positions at odds with the EU on many key issues, including migration.
During the campaign before last October’s general election, Tusk and his Civic Coalition (KO, EPP) accused PiS of reacting too late to Polish farmers’ concerns about the consequences of liberalising trade rules with Ukraine and failing to defend Poland’s position on the issue in Brussels.
The “grain issue” forced KO to join forces with AgroUnia, Poland’s leading farmers’ movement. Its leader, farmer Michał Kolodziejczak, became deputy agriculture minister in Tusk’s government. He wrote on X:
“Poland will not give its consent to the idea pushed by the European Commission to extend trade liberalization with Ukraine under the current conditions, which pose a threat to Polish farmers.”
He emphasised that the Polish government prioritises the interests of Polish farmers, food security and profitable production.
Agriculture Minister Czesław Siekierski will discuss the future of EU trade with Ukraine with EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, RMF FM reported. At the meeting, Dombrovskis will try to convince the Polish agriculture chief that the Commission will take into account the concerns of Poland and other countries neighbouring Ukraine.
The updated trade rules will include “an extended security clause,” said an EU official quoted by the radio.
However, this may not be a sufficient solution for Poland, as both Sikierski and Wojciechowski expected the Commission to impose quantitative restrictions on imports of Ukrainian sugar and poultry meat. RMF FM reported:
“The Polish minister will hear from Dombrovskis that there will be no such restrictions.”
