Polish farmers are blocking almost all border traffic with Ukraine to protest unfair European Union competition and the bloc’s climate change measures, both of which endanger their livelihood.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters on Feb. 23 that Ukrainian grain, which is currently being blocked at the border by Polish farmers protesting EU’s policies, is not “intended for the Polish market.”
Polish Farmers’ Protests
Protests by Polish farmers sparked anger in neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 20, as Kyiv called on the European Commission to take robust action after demonstrators blockaded the border and opened railway cars to let grain spill out.Reuters reported that television footage showed protesters opening railway carriages to allow grain to pour onto the tracks at the Medyka border crossing in Poland.
Ukrainian Agriculture Minister Mykola Solskyi said the grain was headed to Germany and wouldn’t have entered the Polish market.
Warsaw has been a staunch supporter of Kyiv in its fight to repel a full-scale Russian invasion that began in 2022, although protests from farmers complaining of unfair competition have strained ties that were already on edge after truckers blocked border crossings around the turn of the year.
Last week’s protests from farmers marked an escalation from previous demonstrations, with a near-total blockade of all Ukrainian border crossings and disruption at ports and on roads nationwide.
“Near Kupiansk, close to the Russian border, where enemy artillery does not cease, news from the border with Poland seems outright mocking,” he said.
According to Mr. Zelenskyy, Ukraine exports only 5 percent of its grains through the Polish border.
“So in reality, the situation is not about grain, but rather about politics,” he said.
Polish Government Stance
Mr. Tusk pointed out at his press conference that military, humanitarian, and medical aid to assist Ukraine in countering Russian attack is unquestionable and “kind of non-negotiable.”To fully guarantee that this aid will travel to Ukraine without delay, Poland will include border crossings with Ukraine and certain sections of roads and railways on the list of critical infrastructure, he said.
“We firmly declare that humanitarian aid, military aid, and ARD vehicles [vehicles carrying dangerous goods] are allowed through all blockades on an ongoing basis, without waiting in line, and we are not aware of any cases of such transports being blocked,” Tomasz Obszański, president of the trade union, said in the statement.
Mr. Wawrzyniak told radio Wnet.fm that this government’s move could lead to stopping farmers’ protests at the border. He also said the union plans to move the protests to Warsaw, hoping that they will be more effective there.
“The second issue is how to protect Polish farmers and the Polish market against the negative effects of trade liberalization, i.e., opening the border to duty-free trade in agricultural products,” Mr. Tusk pointed out.
How EU Reacts to Farmers’ Protests
Norbert Lins, a member of the European Parliament (MEP) and chairman of the parliamentarian committee on agriculture, proposed immediate actions that the European Commission, the EU’s executive, must take to tackle the difficulties that European farmers have been facing, according to a statement.Mr. Lins sent a letter to EU Agricultural Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski on Feb. 20 proposing “concrete actions” such as procedural and regulatory changes, as well as some changes to EU trading practices to improve their fairness, the statement said.
He also requested in the letter to assess the European Green Deal legislation related to agriculture to determine the need for any exceptions, transition periods, or alternative proposals, including maintenance of the status quo.
“‘Stop imports, Green Deal out’ is a summary of the demands that I have heard from farmers over the course of several meetings and interactions in recent weeks. It is not a statement of my position,” Mr. Wojciechowski explained in the statement, noting that he regrets using the phrase.
The commissioner said that “farmers must be protected against the significant impacts of trade liberalization with Ukraine and any unfair competition in our trade agreements.”
Unfair Competition
Before the Russian invasion, Ukraine exported most of its agricultural goods through Black Sea ports to destinations in Asia and Africa, according to the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW), a Poland-based think tank.After the war broke out, Russia blocked Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea, which forced Ukraine to develop alternate overland routes through EU countries, according to the OSW report.
To support the embattled country, the EU temporarily suspended customs duties on Ukrainian exports, including agricultural products, and that significantly increased its exports of those goods to the EU.
Agricultural exports from Ukraine primarily flow by land to its neighboring EU countries because of relatively low transportation costs that can yield more profit, while exports to more distant destinations increase transportation costs, thus reducing profits, the OSW report notes.
EU farmers are obligated to comply with the strict union’s phytosanitary and animal welfare standards, which increases their production costs and makes their agricultural goods less competitive.
