Polish farmers' organizations picketed the European Commission's representation in Warsaw on January 3, as well as the National Opera House, where the opening ceremony of the Polish EU presidency is taking place today, protesting against the free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur countries and the import of Ukrainian agricultural products to Poland.
Points of attention
- Polish farmers protested against the import of agricultural products from Ukraine and the free trade agreement with Mercosur countries, citing negative consequences for the Polish countryside.
- The protests were directed at the European Commission and the harmful effects of the Green Deal, with farmers demanding changes in policies affecting rural development in Poland.
- Farmers raised concerns about tax subsidies for Ukrainian agriculture, emphasizing the potential losses for local farmers and the need to prioritize the Polish economy.
- The Minister of Agriculture engaged in dialogue with the protesters and promised further meetings to address their demands, highlighting the government's efforts to resolve the issues through dialogue.
- Despite the temporary suspension of protests, Polish farmers threatened to block the border with Ukraine if their demands are not met, indicating the persistence of their concerns and the potential for future actions.
Polish protested against the import of agricultural products from Ukraine
Thousands of Polish farmers from over 20 agricultural unions and associations united in the "Association of Agrarian Organizations" came to Warsaw.
Farmers protested against the "five dictates of the European Commission" under the slogan "5 Stops". These include the free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur countries, the European Green Deal, the import of Ukrainian agricultural products to Poland, the destruction of Polish forests and hunting opportunities, and the creation of obstacles to the development of the Polish economy.
Farmers held Polish flags, posters with inscriptions such as "Mercosur — the bankruptcy of the Polish village", "Green chaos", "Down with the criminal green order for Poland", "Polexit", "Green order — ecoterrorism" and others.
During the demonstration, representatives of various agrarian organizations speak, emphasizing that the Polish countryside suffers from the dictates of the European Commission and the harmful green policy.
Polish farmers also opposed additional payments from EU funds to the Ukrainian agricultural sector on the path to integration into the European Union, which, in their opinion, would come at the expense of losses for local farmers.
Representatives of the demonstrators submitted a petition to the Warsaw office of the European Commission with their demands regarding five points of protest.
In turn, the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Poland, Czesław Sekerski, said that he expects the protesting farmers to present their demands in detail. He noted that the government has already fulfilled most of their demands. According to him, the Polish government wants to solve the problems of the countryside through dialogue. In particular, the third meeting of the minister with representatives of farmer organizations, including the participants of today's protest, is scheduled for January 15.
Polish farmers threaten to completely block the border with Ukraine
Journalists from the Polish publication TOK FM refer to a statement by the co-organizer of the protest, leader of the "Deceived Village" organization, Roman Kondruw, who noted that the protests have been suspended, but not stopped.
"We are giving the minister time, and if nothing is resolved, we will definitely go to the border again. And this will be a mass protest, there will be actions on the entire eastern border," Kondrov warned.
The action is not directly related to Ukraine. The farmers were concerned about the free trade agreement between the EU and South American countries. In addition, they were outraged by the situation with the agricultural tax.
