The absence of duties on the export of Ukrainian goods should not cause such significant damage to the economies of the European Union (EU) countries and their agricultural industries, as is happening now. This was stated by Polish Minister of Agriculture Czeslaw Sekierski during a press conference on Saturday, January 27. The politician’s words are quoted by the publication wPolityce.
“Trade liberalization introduced in 2022, allowing Ukraine to import its goods without customs duties, is very beneficial for the Ukrainian economy, but should not harm Polish farmers,” he emphasized.
The minister proposed introducing a protective mechanism that would protect farmers in EU countries. According to him, this strategy has already been discussed with the European Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis.
The essence of such a protective system is the introduction of sales licenses.
“These licenses will be issued by the Ukrainian authorities for certain volumes of exports to specific countries and to specific recipients,” Sekersky explained.
At the same time, the number of licenses, and accordingly the volume of exports, will be established by those countries to which Ukraine intends to supply its products.
Earlier, on January 24, Polish farmers staged a massive protest across the country against the influx of agricultural goods from Ukraine, blocking roads in about 250 settlements in the country. In expressing their protests, they noted that Polish agriculture is already being destroyed by the Green Deal and eco-schemes, as well as bureaucratic procedures imposed by the EU. And now this situation is aggravated by the flow of grain and food products duty-free imported from Ukraine.
German farmers also took to the streets. On January 8, an Izvestia correspondent showed footage from Germany, where hundreds of tractors blocked roads. Posters with slogans were attached to the equipment: “There is no future without farmers”, “We do not strive to receive 20 salaries more, we are fighting for our existence. We are for German agriculture” and “Carry on! Otherwise, we will soon be swallowed up by bankruptcy.”
Mass protests by farmers began in France. On January 1, the head of the French People's Republican Union party, Francois Asselineau, said that German farmers are increasingly going on open strikes due to Ukrainian interference in the country's agriculture and markets. French farmers are dissatisfied with the fall in income as a result of increased imports of agricultural products from Ukraine to France. Farmers are seeking simplification of bureaucratic procedures related to EU requirements. They block roads in protest. In addition, the day before, farmers also set fire to the customs building in the commune of Nîmes.
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