The leaders of the Polish Peoples Party (PSL) and Law and Justice (PiS) Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and Jarosław Kaczyński both said they oppose the EU’s participation in the Mercosur deal. The multilateral agreement would hit Polish farmers and industry by allowing the free trade of certain products from South American countries.
“NO to the EU-Mercosur agreement! Our task is to protect the competitiveness of Polish agriculture and the Polish economy. The proposed agreement threatens Polish farmers and consumers and, as the PSL, we categorically oppose it,” – reads the official profile of Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz on the X platform.
“Law and Justice will certainly not agree to the adoption of the EU-Mercosur agreement, which will endanger Polish agriculture and could lead to its collapse in the future,” said Law and Justice president Jarosław Kaczyński.
Kaczyński also said his party is ready to create a majority in the parliament that will oppose the adoption of the agreement.
Mercosur is an organisation that groups Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
‘The Ministry of Agriculture has serious reservations about the outcome of the European Commission’s negotiations with the Mercosur countries. The proposed agreement may bring some benefits to the industrial sector, maritime transport and some services, at the expense of most segments of agri-food production, especially in the area of the meat industry (poultry and beef) and sugar, ethanol and others,’ the Polish Ministry of Agriculture a few days ago.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development pointed out that products from Mercosur countries mostly do not meet EU standards, including sustainability requirements, which was an important demand made by Poland at the EU forum.
According to the ministry, the adoption of the agreement in its current form will lead to the decline of Polish and European producers from the EU market in favour of suppliers from Mercosur member states.
It is believed that the key EU political players already agreed to join the Mercosur accord.
The EU-Mercosur agreement is about to be signed during the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro on 18-19 November.
Photo:@LaChambreBE
Source: PAP
Tomasz Modrzejewski
