Polish Agriculture Minister Czesław Siekierski will call for a restriction of the European green deal at an EU Council meeting on Monday as farmers continue mass protests.
Siekierski also commented on a meeting with Polish farmers who continue to protest against the European green deal and the increased inflow of Ukrainian products into the country. Siekierski announced, clarifying that he meant the solutions related to using pesticides and minimum share of arable land to non-productive areas or features, among other things:
“I will (…) demand to put limitations on the European Green Deal.”
According to Siekierski, the farmers’ protests are due to “some omissions as well as bad decisions”. Such bad decisions include the Green Deal, which, he said, was approved by the previous Polish government but “largely prepared by the current agriculture commissioner, Janusz Wojciechowski”.
The solutions introduced by the Green Deal are unacceptable to Polish farmers, Siekierski insisted. He added:
“The farmers even believe that the solutions violate their professional dignity.”
Siekierski also said that he expected “more openness” from the Commission regarding changes in the Green Deal and Ukraine’s trade rules, the liberalisation of which has led to Ukrainian food products flooding the Polish market.
The Minister emphasised that he hoped that the visit of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Warsaw on Friday would lead to a change in the EU executive’s approach to agricultural policy. Among other things, he would like the Commission to consider supporting farmers affected by Green Deal decisions.
In his view, it was von der Leyen who made the case for maintaining the suspension of trade barriers against Ukraine despite opposition from Poland and other countries in the region. Siekierski said:
“We need certain security mechanisms, certain guarantees against distorting the markets with such extensive liberalisation.”
Farmer protests continue across the country, with demonstrators blocking key roads and border crossings with Ukraine. The blockade has angered Kyiv, but Siekierski believes tensions can be resolved through negotiations. He added:
“We want these negotiations to start as quickly as possible. They will enable us to speak not only about opening the markets but also the EU requirements from the Ukrainian production.”
Jerzy Wierzbicki of the Polish Union of Beef Cattle Breeders and Farmers told Euractiv:
“European farmers cannot understand why Ukrainian food is allowed on the EU market despite non-compliance with the rules in force there.”
Polish farmers blocked a major motorway leading to Germany on Sunday in their latest protest against European Union rules and taxes. Ewa Murmylo, spokeswoman for the local police, said:
“The blockade started at 1:00 p.m. Both sides of the A2 highway are blocked.”
The farmers had initially planned a 25-day blockade, but after talks with local representatives, businesses and transporters, decided on a shorter blockade. They have decided to “unblock the road maybe tomorrow” Monday, said Dariusz Wrobel, one of the farmers and organizers of the protest. He told AFP:
“It will depend on things that we cannot predict. We have to start taking ourselves seriously.”
On Monday, EU Agriculture Ministers are expected to meet in Brussels. They will talk about the new proposals of the European Commission to change the regulations that have caused great dissatisfaction among farmers.
