Polish government promises to continue blocking agricultural imports from Ukraine

Wheat on hands. Stock photo: Getty Images

Czesław Siekierski, Poland’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, has signed an agreement with farmers that maintains the embargo on agricultural products from Ukraine.

Source: RMF24, reported by European Pravda

Details: One of the clauses of the agreement signed with the farmers stipulates that the Minister of Agriculture will appeal to Prime Minister Donald Tusk to stop the transit of embargoed agricultural products from Ukraine through Polish territory.

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In the document, the parties also declared that trade relations between the two countries should be regulated, in particular with regard to market access for such products as grain, rapeseed, maize, sugar, poultry, eggs, soft fruits and apples, among others.

In addition, the document contains a clause on subsidies for barley and rye. The subsidies will be set at the level of 2023 and will apply to grain sold between 1 January and 30 May this year.

Another point is to maintain the agricultural tax at the level of 2023.

The document also refers to further efforts to amend the provisions of the EU’s Green Deal.

The agreement emphasises that the current situation in agriculture is primarily caused by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, as well as the EU’s unconditional consent to unlimited imports of agricultural goods from Ukraine, which was supported by the previous government.

Background:

• Earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed hope that the Polish and Ukrainian sides would reach an agreement on agricultural issues before the meeting of the governments in Warsaw, scheduled for 28 March.
• The day before, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU reached a preliminary agreement to extend trade liberalisation measures for Ukraine, which include new restrictions and safeguards in response to concerns raised by some EU countries.
• In late January, the European Commission officially proposed to extend the suspension of import quotas and duties on Ukrainian exports to the EU for another year, while including safeguards for agricultural products, as demanded by several EU countries.
• However, this proposal did not satisfy farmers in EU countries bordering Ukraine, so they started protests, particularly in Poland.

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