Support for Polish farmers affected by excessive imports from  Ukraine

The head of the Polish Ministry of Agriculture thanked Spain for supporting Poland with respect to the aid of the European Union for farmers in relation to the conflict in Ukraine.  Spain fully understands the difficult situation in which farmers in countries bordering on Ukraine have found themselves and backs the allocation of the support by the European Commission from the crisis reserve to Poland, Bulgaria and Romania.

The Ministers stressed that the priorities included safeguarding food security in the EU and in the world and the profitability of agricultural production. They were of the opinion that European solidarity required joint measures at the EU level in order to offset the adverse consequences of the war in Ukraine which were incurred by the countries in our region.

“I would like to thank you for your support for the award of funds from the CAP crisis reserve to Poland and the other border countries in relation to excessive cereal imports from Ukraine,” the Deputy Prime Minister said, adding that in the opinion of both countries the European Union should have much larger funds at its disposal in the event of different types of crises.

“We are aware that the decision to support Ukraine causes specific consequences and, therefore, there is a need for solidarity in the EU and mobilization of resources from the reserve. This mobilisation is very well justified,” the Spanish Minister confirmed.

Plant protection products

When Spain holds the Presidency in the EU Council the work on the proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the sustainable use of plant protection products will enter a critical stage. Poland’s position on the proposal in the wording put forth by the  European Commission is absolutely negative. In the course of the discussions held to date, Poland has submitted a number of comments and reservations regarding the legally binding reduction targets, the manner of calculating  indicators, a complete ban on the use of plant protection products in sensitive areas or mandatory advice.

“A compromise needs to be worked out between meeting the needs of environmental protection and ensuring the possibilities of carrying out agricultural production in the European Union at a level guaranteeing citizens’ food security and the independence of the EU food system from food imports,” Deputy Prime Minister Henryk Kowalczyk stressed.

Poland expressed its expectation that the work during the Spanish Presidency would comply with the rule providing for a reliable, full and objective impact assessment of all new regulations affecting agricultural production.

The Spanish Minister of Agriculture expressed his full understanding of these concerns and declared his readiness to cooperate on the proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the sustainable use of plant protection products.

“The analyses being carried out should bring reasonable solutions in this matter,” the Deputy Prime Minister added.

Strategic Plans

The talks also addressed the implementation of the Strategic Plans for the Common Agricultural Policy 2023-­2027. Poland and Spain were among the first countries to have their Plans approved.

The Ministers jointly stressed that the implementation of the Plans should effectively respond to the changing needs of farmers, entrepreneurs and  residents of rural areas, while the resources allocated to support agriculture should be used as effectively as possible.

Fisheries

They also talked about fishing restrictions in respect of which both countries have common objectives to achieve.

Deputy Prime Minister Henryk Kowalczyk presented Poland’s most important proposals for establishing fishing opportunities for 2024. He called for consideration of the socio-economic aspects and scientific advice when establishing the fishing quota for stocks in the Baltic Sea.

Equal conditions for competition with products from outside the EU

With respect to the trade relations with  third countries, the Agriculture Ministers of Poland and Spain fully agreed as to the need to ensure equal conditions for competition and partners’ compliance with high standards in the scope of climate and environmental protection, food safety and quality, and animal welfare, analogously to the requirements which the EU products must meet.

“We also have a common position on the mirror approach, as Minister Luis Planas has phrased it, to the requirements set for farmers engaged in food production. It is important to ensure that such requirements are also applied to agricultural products imported to the European Union market,” Mr. Henryk Kowalczyk, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development said.

Issues of key importance for Spain

“In Spain, we have two key issues.  Firstly, it is ensuring an appropriate quantity and quality of food at a reasonable price, while at the same time ensuring such conditions for the agricultural market that make it competitive. Another characteristic feature which we have in common are the efforts to ensure that food producers are as profitable as possible in their production and enjoy higher incomes,” the Spanish Minister stressed.

Experts’ cooperation

The Agriculture Ministers of Poland and Spain declared their readiness to engage in an ongoing cooperation at political and expert levels as part of all the topics which the Spanish Presidency will pursue in the second half of 2023 in the EU Council.

Consensus of views

“Spain will hold its Presidency in the coming half-year; therefore, we have had very many topics to address and I am glad that we have common views on the most important issues in the areas of agriculture and fisheries,” Deputy Prime Minister Henryk Kowalczyk stressed after the conclusion of the talks.