Poland allows a full embargo on agricultural products from Ukraine

20 February 23:52

Poland’s Minister of Development and Technology Krzysztof Getman, who is a member of the Polish Peasant Party, has allowed an embargo on all agricultural goods from Ukraine. This is reported by the citing Rzeczpospolita.

“Perhaps there will be no decision, and we will have to impose an embargo on all agricultural products from Ukraine,”

– Krzysztof Hetman said.

He also expressed support for the protests.

“I support the farmers’ protests, they are protesting for a just cause,”

– Hetman said.

Asked whether he supported the farmers’ road blockades, the Minister of Development and Technology said that the farmers were desperate.

“I understand that they have taken to the roads. Farmers have the right to protest, they have the right to express it in different ways,”

– the politician said.

Krzysztof Hetman added that farmers are in a very difficult situation, as “the costs of agricultural production have increased enormously, and at the same time the profitability of agriculture has sharply decreased”.

He also stressed that the farmers’ protest had nothing to do with politics.

Asked whether the government was considering an embargo on all agricultural goods from Ukraine, he said that he and his political team, i.e. the PSL, were considering it.

According to the Minister of Agriculture, Ukraine will respond to the embargo by imposing a barrier on Polish products.

“Yes, this is a double-edged sword. Trade between Poland and Ukraine, looking at absolute figures, is more profitable for Poland. But we have to take certain measures to save the farmers who are in a dramatic situation,”

– Hetman said.

Border blockade

on 9 February 2024, Polish farmers began a new nationwide strike and blockade of the border with Ukraine, which will last until 10 March. The initiator was the independent farmers’ trade union Solidarity. Starting from 12 February, they plan to block all checkpoints. The main demand of the protesters is to cancel the preferential trade regime with Ukraine and return the permit system for importing goods into Poland.

Problems at the border began on 6 November 2023, when Polish transport companies began blocking truck traffic at three major checkpoints on the Ukrainian border: “Korczowa-Krakowiec, Hrebenne-Rava-Ruska, and Dorohusk-Yagodyn. One of the requirements was to reinstate the permits for Ukrainian carriers that had been cancelled under the agreement with the EU by 30 June 2024.

On6 January, truck traffic to the Medyka-Shehyni border crossingin Poland resumed. Three other border crossing points were opened on 17 January, namely Dorohusk – Yagodyn, Hrebenne – Rava-Ruska, and Korczowa – Krakivets.

In Romania, on 13 and 14 January, local farmers blocked the movement of Ukrainian trucks through the Siret checkpoint, and on 15 January, they began blocking the Vicovu de Sus checkpoint. on 18 January, Romanian farmers began blocking the Dyakove-Halmeu checkpoint. However, as of 20 January, these checkpoints were opened.

The preferential trade regime and its opponents

Many EU members did not like the quota-free imports of Ukrainian products to the EU, which was in effect in 2022-2023. In particular, a number of Eastern European countries demanded that the EU impose import duties on Ukrainian goods, citing unfair competition. The agriculture ministers of Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia sent a letter to the European Commission asking for action, saying that cheaper agricultural products from Ukraine were eating into their export markets.

The Ukrainian side tried to reach an agreement with the ‘problematic’ countries.” In particular, on 26 January, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a resolution that improves the rules for exporting certain types of agricultural products. According to the resolution, a company may be excluded from the list of verified agricultural entities if it violates these rules.

At the end of January 2024, the European Commission effectively reintroduced quotas for some Ukrainian goods. It extended the special preferential regime with Ukraine for a year, but set special conditions and safeguards for some goods.

In particular, in order to “stabilise imports at the level of average volumes in 2022-2023”, the EU has come up with an “emergency braking” mechanism for three products: poultry, eggs and sugar.

In practice, this means setting a quota at the level of the average export volume in 2022-2023, exceeding which will automatically result in an import tariff being applied to the products.

This decision must then be approved by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU.

Thus, the EC’s decision virtually reintroduces quotas for some Ukrainian products, even if at the average level of Ukrainian exports. However, even this compromise solution does not suit the Polish farmers’ union.

Read also: European farmers demand to change the European Commission’s decision on Ukrainian exports.

Дзвенислава Карплюк
Editor