Polish farmers ended a blockade of a Poland-Ukraine border crossing after reaching an settlement with Warsaw that met their calls for, defusing a dispute that had change into an early take a look at of the brand new authorities of Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Newly appointed Polish Agriculture Minister Czesław Siekierski signed the deal with Polish farmers blockading the Medyka-Shehyni border crossing with Ukraine late Saturday. The protest — which began over a month in the past — was referred to as off on December 24 following an settlement with the federal government, however it resumed on Wednesday amid farmers’ distrust over the deal.
Farmers accused the brand new Polish authorities of failing to defend them in opposition to Ukrainian grain imports, but additionally demanded a collection of monetary help measures. Saturday’s deal lastly applied these monetary calls for — which embody launching corn manufacturing subsidies, sustaining agricultural taxes at 2023 ranges and rising preferential liquidity loans — however did not embody restrictions on Ukraine imports.
The measures “will likely be applied after the legislative course of is accomplished and acceptance by the European Fee is obtained,” the Polish Agriculture Ministry mentioned.
Regardless of calling off the blockade, protesting farmers mentioned that the “most essential” demand now could be “to restrict the influx of products from Ukraine.” EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski advised Polish media on Friday that he would demand an EU-wide restriction on objects like sugar, eggs and poultry from Ukraine.
“These imports are rising in a means that threatens the competitiveness of the EU sector, together with Polish poultry and sugar manufacturing,” he mentioned. The Polish commissioner has already clashed with different members of the European Fee over full commerce liberalization with Ukraine, which the EU govt is predicted to suggest as early as subsequent week.
“Ukraine is such a rustic that they simply wish to take, take, take, and provides nothing again,” Roman Kondrów, one of many protest leaders, advised POLITICO by cellphone on Thursday, warning in regards to the dangers of permitting the nation to affix the EU with out restrictions.
Within the meantime, Polish truckers are persevering with to protest as they need the federal government to finish an EU-Ukraine settlement that liberalized highway transport guidelines in an effort to assist the Ukrainian economic system, crippled by the Russian invasion.
Underpinning the narratives of each teams are doomsday situations in regards to the impression on Poland of Ukraine in the future turning into a member of the EU. At a summit in December, EU leaders agreed to open accession talks with Ukraine.
