Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is pushing for the European Commission (EC) to enact regulations that would either decrease or prohibit the import of Ukrainian grain to Poland. Morawiecki stated that he believes the regulations are necessary to ensure Polish farmers are able to compete fairly in the market.
Polish farmers are taking to the streets to demonstrate their outrage at what they perceive as an influx of Ukrainian grain that has caused a dramatic drop in domestic grain prices. The farmers claim that the influx of Ukrainian grain has made it impossible for them to make a profit.
“We didn’t agree and we don’t agree for the grain to end up on the Polish or Romanian markets and destabilise them,” Morawiecki said at a press conference on Wednesday. “A similar position was also expressed by the Romanian president and prime minister to whom I talked yesterday.”
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has requested that the European Commission take action to prevent a surge of Ukrainian grain imports into the European Union. The PM suggested that the EC employ “all necessary means, including quotas, protective duties and various regulations” to protect Polish farmers from potentially losing profits.
He clarified, however, that the Polish government would not obstruct Ukrainian grain transit to other countries. Additionally, Morawiecki has written to the EC asking for compensation for any losses incurred by Polish farmers.
“We’re receiving some money from the EU already, but for the time being it’s much too little, about PLN 200 million (EUR 43 million),” the prime minister said. “We have to pay an additional PLN 2 billion (EUR 430 million) from the state budget to make life easier for farmers.”
Earlier in the day, Morawiecki said that Poland plans to introduce its own regulations restricting the flow of Ukrainian grain into Poland.