During the European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg, Joachim Brudziński, a Law and Justice MEP, sharply criticized the European Commission’s actions regarding preparations for the EU–India summit. In his view, the European Union is moving toward signing yet another trade agreement that could seriously harm European agriculture, industry, and the Community’s strategic security.
Brudziński pointed out that following the European Commission’s unlawful signing of an agreement with the Mercosur countries—which hurt European farmers—Brussels is now pushing for another trade agreement, this time with India. “Today, thousands of farmers, including those from Poland, are protesting in front of the European Parliament building in Strasbourg,” he emphasized.
The MEP pointed out that India has unequivocally announced that it will protect its own agricultural market, which means there is no real reciprocity in market access. “The European Union is opening its market, while India is protecting its agriculture. There is not the slightest chance that the Indian market will open to agricultural products from the EU,” he noted.
Joachim Brudziński also raised a number of questions regarding the security and geopolitical implications of the planned cooperation. Among other things, he asked whether the European Commission had taken into account the threats arising from India’s close cooperation with Russia in the defense sector, the risk of indirect transfer of sensitive technologies, and issues related to data protection and cybersecurity.
In his remarks, he also drew attention to potential threats to the European economy. “We need a clear answer on how the risks of price pressure on small and medium-sized enterprises, regulatory dumping, lower labor and environmental standards, and growing trade imbalances were assessed,” he said.
According to the PiS MEP, the European Commission is once again ignoring the real costs of its decisions, shifting the consequences onto farmers, entrepreneurs, and citizens of the member states.
