“I consistently acted in the interests of Polish farmers,” declared Minister of Agriculture Stefan Krajewski. The politician commented in this way on Law and Justice (PiS) announcing that it would submit a motion to dismiss him from office. He also added that “there is no consent to stoking hatred and destabilizing the country for short-term political purposes.”
PiS Seeks Krajewski’s Dismissal
On Friday, the Council of the EU gave the green light for the ratification of a trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur. The decision was taken despite opposition from farmers in many European countries, including Poland. Protesters in Warsaw demanded talks with the prime minister, and some of them went to the headquarters of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister (Kancelaria Prezesa Rady Ministrów, KPRM). Donald Tusk, however, did not meet with the demonstrators, additionally noting that he had expected a much larger protest. Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture Stefan Krajewski only took part in talks with his counterparts from other EU member states regarding the Mercosur agreement on January 7. The chairman of the PiS parliamentary group, Mariusz Błaszczak, announced that a motion would be filed to dismiss him from his post.
“The reason is obvious – a lack of real action and complete ineffectiveness in stopping the EU-Mercosur agreement,” the politician said.
Krajewski Claims He “Acted in the Interests of Farmers”
The minister of agriculture has already responded to the announcement by the largest opposition party. He stated that, in his opinion, the motion to dismiss him from office allegedly has an “exclusively political character.”
“During my six months in office as minister, I consistently acted in the interests of Polish farmers, preparing regulations they had been waiting for: the active farmer, protection of Polish land, and the production functions of rural areas,” he said. He then went on the offensive against Law and Justice, speaking of the alleged “mismanagement” of the United Right government.
“Holding the predecessors from the PiS government accountable for mismanagement and recovering land for the construction of an airport are actions in support of Polish agriculture. There is no consent to stoking hatred and destabilizing the country for short-term political purposes,” he declared.