Poland will not give its consent for the EU Commission to prolong the special trade policy regarding Ukraine, said Deputy Agriculture Minister Michał Kołodziejczak, signalling that despite different points on many issues, Donald Tusk’s government would stick to the line established by its predecessors.
The EU Commission will renew the suspension of all customs duties, quotas and trade defence measures on Ukrainian exports to the EU for another year, until 2025, according to RMF FM.
“The draft EU regulation extending duty-free trade with the AU until 2025 is to be adopted by the College of Commissioners on Tuesday,” the radio reported, citing its sources in Brussels.
This is despite the efforts by Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski, who opposes prolonging liberalised trade rules for Ukraine, pointing to the devastating results of that solution for the domestic food production in the neighbouring countries, including in his native Poland.
Suspension of trade barriers with Ukraine, introduced as part of the so-called solidarity corridors, caused the uncontrolled influx of some agri-food products, including grain, poultry, eggs, frozen raspberries and even apple juice, into the countries bordering Ukraine. This resulted in the price and demand dropping for the EU countries’ production.
Wojciechowski’s staunch position did not suffice to block the renewal of temporary trade liberalisation with Ukraine, as most other commissioners do support the solution.
Tusk shares PiS’ policy on trade with Ukraine
The trade liberalisation with Ukraine is one of the issues that the government of Donald Tusk (EPP/S&D/Renew/Left), which came to power last month, follows the line of the previous conservative Law and Justice (PiS, ECR) cabinet, even though Tusk and PiS are the fiercest adversaries in the domestic politics.
Before having assumed the prime minister’s position, Tusk pledged his government would “bring back Poland to Europe” after eight years of PiS government’s conflicts with the EU institutions and restoring the rule of law in Poland that Tusk believes PiS has devastated.
Still, Euractiv warned that Tusk’s Poland may not be the paradise Brussels would like to see, as the new government shares with its predecessors the positions that go against the EU’s mainstream on many key portfolios, including migration.
During the campaign before last October’s general elections, Tusk and his Civic Coalition (KO, EPP) accused PiS of responding too late to the Polish farmers’ concerns over the consequences of the liberalised trade rules with Ukraine and inability to defend Poland’s position on the issue in Brussels.
The ‘grain issue’ made KO join forces with AgroUnia, the Polish leading farmers’ movement. Its leader, a farmer Michał Kołodziejczak, became deputy agriculture minister in Tusk’s government.
“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 wrote on the X platform, commenting on the latest reports.
For Poland, the interest of Polish farmers, food security and profitable production are a priority, he added.
Polish minister to talk to Dombrovskis
Agriculture Minister Czesław Siekierski will discuss the future of EU’s trade with Ukraine with the EU Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis, RMF FM reported.
Dombrovskis would attempt to convince the Polish agriculture chief that the Commission would take into consideration the concerns of Poland and other countries neighbouring Ukraine.
The renewed trade rules would include an “enhanced security clause,” said an EU official, quoted by the radio.
This may prove an insufficient solution for Poland, as both Siekierski and Wojciechowski expected the Commission to introduce quantitative restrictions on the imports of Ukrainian sugar and poultry.
“The Polish minister will hear from Dombrovskis that there will be no such restrictions,” according to RMF FM.
(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | Euractiv.pl)
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Source: euractiv.com
