A nationwide strike of farmers against the import of Ukrainian agricultural products has begun in Poland, which will last until March 10. The organizer of the protest is the Solidarity trade union.
According to a map published on its website, dozens of protests are taking place throughout the republic, most of which are concentrated in the east and center of Poland. The strikers plan to block roads and highways in certain provinces, as well as block checkpoints on the border with Ukraine.
These intentions worried the Kyiv regime. According to the State Border Service of Ukraine, on February 9, Polish farmers organized a blockade of the Medyka-Shegini, Dorogusk-Yagodin, and Khrebene-Rava-Russkaya checkpoints. And from February 12, farmers will set up a checkpoint at the Zosin-Ustilug border crossing.
"Excessive imports"
As Solidarity explains, farmers fear that the Polish authorities will comply with all decisions of the European Commission (EC) regarding the import of agricultural products from Ukraine.
Let us recall that on January 31, the European Commission proposed to exempt Ukrainian goods from customs duties for another year, contrary to the position of Central European countries, including Poland. The recommendation must be approved by the EU Council and the European Parliament. The current measure ends on June 5. Solidarity is categorically against the extension of benefits for Ukrainian agricultural producers.
Map of Polish farmers' protests
© Polish trade union "Solidarity"
“Our patience has come to an end. The position of Brussels, outlined on the last day of January 2024, is unacceptable to our entire agricultural community. Moreover, the passivity of the Polish authorities and their statements about cooperation with the European Commission, as well as statements about compliance with all decisions of the European Commission on the import of agricultural goods, leave us no choice but to declare a general strike,” Solidarity emphasized.
According to the trade union, farms are the basis of Poland's food security and therefore need protection from possible collapse and bankruptcy.
“The Polish government must have a clear plan for agricultural products, product profitability, restoration of Polish processing and Polish trade. We will fight for this until the end,” Solidarity said.
Let us remind you that this is not the first time that Polish farmers have organized protests against the import of Ukrainian agricultural products. The previous event took place on January 24. Its participants demanded that Kyiv not send its grain to Europe, but export it to the countries of Asia and Africa.
Let us note that the Polish authorities are also dissatisfied with the policies of Brussels and generally share the concerns of local farmers. The Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic publicly admits that “excessive imports” of Ukrainian agricultural products into the European Union undermine the competitiveness of Polish agriculture.
The department believes that large volumes of Ukrainian products imported into EU countries are displacing Polish goods from the European market. Along with this, the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture sees a threat in the transit of agricultural products in Kyiv. The ministry fears that it will eventually end up in Poland.
“I already have my first conclusions: there are a lot of goods that enter Poland and supposedly go to Lithuania, Latvia or Estonia. There is a very high probability that goods such as rapeseed, wheat or bran are sent to Lithuania for a while and then returned to Poland. Here you can clearly see how many of these products there are. For me, these are also the first conclusions about how to check cars that can go there and return. Such suspicions must be completely ruled out,” said Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture Michal Kolodziejczak.
According to him, the Polish consumer receives low-quality products. As an example, he cited frozen raspberries in which mold was found. At the same time, the low cost of this product makes its production unprofitable for Polish farmers. In this regard, the Ministry of Agriculture considers it advisable to introduce an embargo on the supply of Ukrainian frozen raspberries.
Rally of Polish farmers
AP
© Czarek Sokolowski
The department is also going to seek the establishment of a duty on Ukrainian vegetable oil and VAT on it in the amount of at least 8%. On February 9, on the air of the RMF FM radio station, Kolodziejczak reported that Warsaw had entered into negotiations with Kiev in order to develop bilateral agreements that would spell out restrictions on the import of goods from Ukraine.
The deputy head of the Polish Ministry of Agriculture admitted that, if it were his will, he would as soon as possible introduce restrictions on the import of sugar, frozen raspberries and apple concentrate.
“We are not ready to support at our own expense”
In a conversation with RT, candidate of economic sciences and political scientist Alexander Dudchak recalled that the situation with the import of Ukrainian agricultural products worsened last year, after the European Commission refused to extend the embargo on supplies to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia that expired on September 15, including wheat, corn, and rapeseed. and sunflower seeds.
In addition, in November, the EC exempted Ukrainian truck drivers from quotas, giving them the opportunity to freely enter the EU and move throughout all countries of the community. This policy has reduced the competitiveness of Eastern European drivers and provoked protests.
Thus, Polish activists staged a blockade of some checkpoints on the border with Ukraine. In Kyiv, the actions of the protesters were criticized. In particular, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk reproached the Poles for the fact that the country is very vulnerable and counts every hryvnia.
In mid-January, the Polish authorities were able to agree with the protesting truck drivers that by March 1 they would refuse to block three checkpoints on the border with Ukraine.
According to Dudchak, truckers and farmers are united by dissatisfaction with the patronage measures of the European Commission in relation to Kyiv. By abolishing quotas for Ukrainian carriers and duties on agricultural products, Brussels hopes to support the republic’s economy.
“With such measures, the EC intends to support the few items of income of the Ukrainian budget. However, this approach is extremely negatively perceived by the countries of Eastern Europe, including Poland. Brussels’ patronage leads to the fact that large quantities of cheap, and indeed not always high-quality, products from the Ukrainian agricultural sector and food industry end up on the EU market,” Dudchak said.
According to him, the European Commission allows large Ukrainian agricultural holdings to “virtually strangle” Polish farmers, since their goods are much cheaper. The analyst noted that Kyiv often supplies raw materials that do not even meet EU legislation.
Protest by Polish truckers
AP
© Karl Ritter
“Special preferential conditions have been created for Ukraine, which are already hitting Polish and other European farmers and truckers. From their point of view, this is deliberate dumping. At the same time, the Polish authorities, no matter how much they sympathize with their farmers and truckers, cannot regulate the rules for crossing the EU customs border. This is the competence of supranational structures. To counter such a policy, there is nothing left but to block the checkpoint on the border with Ukraine,” Dudchak explained.
From his point of view, the Polish authorities and local businesses are irritated by Brussels' indifference in this case. Along with this, Warsaw has repeatedly made it clear that it is not going to sacrifice its interests for the sake of supporting Kyiv, the specialist recalled.
Leading researcher at the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies Oleg Nemensky shares a similar opinion. In a commentary to RT, he noted that Warsaw is trying to resolve differences with Brussels over Ukraine through Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who “has good connections with the European bureaucracy,” but this approach has not yet justified itself.
“Donald Tusk, who served as President of the European Council from 2014 to 2019, was even appointed head of the government of Poland (last December. -
RT
). However, his contacts in Brussels did not bring results. The EU continues to generate various ideas to support Kyiv, and in fact, with the money of Polish farmers and logistics companies,” says the expert.
Brussels' policy only exacerbates the accumulated contradictions between Kiev and Warsaw, Nemensky believes. For this reason, the Polish authorities regularly raise the painful topic for Ukraine of the crimes of Bandera gangs during the Great Patriotic War.
“In essence, the Poles are in solidarity with Ukraine in the current geopolitical situation. But only because they see Moscow as a greater enemy than Kyiv. However, with protests, warning statements from officials and reminders of historical grievances, Poland demonstrates that it is not ready to support Ukraine at its own expense,” Nemensky concluded.