“Either we preserve European and Polish agriculture, or it will simply cease to exist. One of the key issues for 2025, which was supposed to be resolved during the Polish presidency, and today we are saying that we are giving up. We absolutely disagree with this. We appeal to the Prime Minister to finally get to work on this matter,” said Waldemar Buda, Member of the European Parliament from Law and Justice (PiS), about the EU-Mercosur agreement.
Even before the presidential elections, the ruling coalition had promised a firm opposition to the EU-Mercosur agreement. Two months after the elections, its position softened.
First, Adam Szłapka and his French counterpart signed a declaration agreeing to the deal on the condition of adding certain provisions. Then, in early August this year, Minister of Agriculture Stefan Krajewski stated that there was no blocking minority.
A blocking minority means at least the minimum number of member states representing more than 35% of the EU population plus one member. Forming such a minority was possible. Initially, France, Italy, and Poland were interested in halting the deal. Later, smaller states joined: Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Hungary, Ireland, and Lithuania.
“Either we preserve agriculture, or it will cease to exist”
“Members of Law and Justice spoke today at a press conference about Poland’s position on the EU-Mercosur agreement. But the outlook does not seem promising. At the Cabinet Council, Donald Tusk said he would no longer discuss the agreement with Mercosur countries because the matter was lost. Yesterday we had a visit from Ursula von der Leyen, and this issue was not on the agenda.,” reported Waldemar Buda, MEP from PiS.
He continued, saying: “We demand a fight for this issue and real engagement. How can one, just weeks before the final decision, say that we are giving up without even trying, and that the matter is lost? We should be using every possible opportunity until the very last hour to block this deal.”
“Either we preserve European and Polish agriculture, or it will simply cease to exist. One of the key issues for 2025, which was supposed to be resolved during the Polish presidency, and today we are saying that we are giving up. We absolutely disagree with this. We appeal to the Prime Minister to finally get to work on this matter,” Buda emphasized.
What’s at stake?
During the briefing, Piotr Muller also took the floor.
“The agreement with Mercosur countries allows goods from South America to flow into Europe even though they don’t meet the same standards. Polish farmers will have to meet strict requirements, while these goods will leak in from South America. This will lead to the collapse of strong Polish and European agriculture, which in turn will cause higher prices,” said the MEP.
He also warned that “in a few years, we risk having more expensive and lower-quality goods in Europe, while Poland and Europe will be unable to compete.”
What’s more, Piotr Serafin recently proposed cutting EU budget funds for agriculture by 22% compared to current levels. “Today we appeal to Donald Tusk to prevent this agreement from being adopted. We call on him to take action in this matter,” said the politician.