“The blocking minority on Mercosur is not permanent. (…) It has two weak points, and its collapse would mean the agreement being signed. The first weak point is Rome—what Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said is that she needs to talk to farmers, explain things, but she is not against it. The second weak point—during the Council, Prime Minister Donald Tusk made a U-turn and started saying the agreement is fine and that the safeguards that were adopted sufficiently protect farmers. It is still unclear whether Tusk’s government will vote for or against it. I recommend farmers protest in Rome and Warsaw. Governments are best influenced in their capitals,” said today on TV Republika Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, former MEP and adviser to the President of the Republic of Poland.
On Thursday, farmers from across Europe converged on Belgium’s capital to protest EU agricultural policy and the EU–Mercosur trade agreement. Among those blocking Brussels with tractors were trade unionists from Poland.
On the same day, at the summit in Brussels, it was announced that the signing of the EU–Mercosur agreement would be postponed until January.
“The anger of Italian, Dutch, French and Belgian farmers was incredible. What happened there—hundreds of tractors in front of the European Parliament, piles of burning tires, tons of dumped vegetables—shows that EU policy and Ursula von der Leyen are leading us all toward bankruptcy,” said on TV Republika Tomasz Ognisty, vice-chair of the Independent Farmers’ Trade Union “Solidarity.”
Farmers to Rome and Warsaw
The second guest on Political Coffee, Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, adviser to the Polish president, stressed that the deadline for signing the EU–Mercosur agreement was postponed because “a blocking coalition emerged, including larger countries such as France, Poland and Italy, as well as smaller ones—Ireland, Austria and Hungary.”
“The blocking minority is not permanent. (…) It has two weak points, and its collapse would mean the agreement being signed. The first weak point is Rome—what Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said is that she needs to talk to farmers and explain, but she is not against it. I advise farmers to go to Rome after New Year’s Eve, because that is where the Mercosur issue will be decided. The second weak point—during the Council, Prime Minister Tusk made a U-turn and began saying the agreement is fine and that the safeguards adopted sufficiently protect farmers. It is not entirely clear whether Tusk’s government will vote for or against it. I recommend protests in Rome and Warsaw. Governments are best influenced in their capitals,” Saryusz-Wolski appealed.
“The battle has been won at this stage, but if Poland and Italy fall away, the case will be lost. The war has not yet been won,” he added.
The presidential adviser warned that the Mercosur agreement is only the beginning of deals with other countries.
“If this is not stopped, cheap and toxic food will flood into the EU, and it will be the end of agriculture in the Union, as well as food and health security in EU countries. In South America, drug lords are already rubbing their hands—smuggling drugs in these mass shipments to Europe will be a paradise for them,” Jacek Saryusz-Wolski emphasized.
“PSL Should Leave the Coalition”
Tomasz Ognisty emphasized that Polish agricultural trade unionists remain in contact with colleagues in Italy.
“There are talks with farmers in Italy, and they are very extensive. In Poland, however, there are no talks with Prime Minister Tusk at all. There is no doubt that he sold out Polish agriculture long ago. (…) There are no talks with the Ministry of Agriculture; the main organizations are not invited. The ministry invites only colleagues who are friendly to PSL. In such a setup, if Tusk had the ability to block the agreement and did not do so—which I am convinced he won’t—then PSL should leave the coalition and this government should fall,” Ognisty assessed.
Four Polish Positions on Mercosur
Jacek Saryusz-Wolski assessed that there are currently four Polish positions regarding the EU–Mercosur agreement:
- Donald Tusk’s external position—that he is “basically in favor.”
- Donald Tusk’s internal position—that he is “against it, and very forcefully.”
- The position of the PSL agriculture minister, who said the agreement is “acceptable if there are safeguard clauses.” “MEP Hetman has done a lot of harmful work, because the tighter the clauses, the more the European Commission has an argument that ‘there are safeguards, so agree,’” the presidential adviser pointed out.
- **The position of President Karol Nawrocki. “From the beginning of the campaign, Karol Nawrocki has carried out enormous persuasive work—he went to Rome specifically on this issue and spoke with Giorgia Meloni, to Paris and spoke with Emmanuel Macron, and raised it at all other meetings with state leaders. The Presidential Palace has done more than enough persuasion. Winning the first battle over Mercosur is also due to the actions of the President of the Republic of Poland,” Saryusz-Wolski added.
“On January 12 there will be another attempt to sign the agreement, where the weakest links will be Italy and Poland. Large demonstrations in these capitals could influence the decision. Governments are key, because Brussels is accustomed to large demonstrations—what counts are votes in the councils of ministers, and the battle will be decided in Rome and Warsaw,” he concluded.