Today in Brussels, during a meeting of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI), an exchange of views took place with Christophe Hansen, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, as part of a structured dialogue. PiS MEPs Waldemar Buda and Anna Zalewska spoke during the discussion.
Waldemar Buda stated that “the Commission’s sense of humor and satisfaction is out of step with the mood among farmers.” As he noted, there is currently no information regarding the shape of the future CAP. The PiS MEP asked Commissioner Hansen whether the European Commission plans to maintain or increase funding for the Common Agricultural Policy and for agriculture in the future.
The Polish politician also asked for details regarding the adoption of the agreement with Mercosur. “What is the Commissioner’s position on separating the trade component from this agreement in order to bypass its ratification in individual member states?” the MEP asked. According to Buda, if this agreement is to be adopted, it should follow the normal procedure, that is, through ratification in all member states.
Buda also noted that trade defense measures regarding Ukrainian exports to the European Union are set to expire on June 6. “We had quotas in place there. Today, there is talk of this becoming a free trade zone without restrictions. With less than two months to go, I’d like to know what opportunities for cooperation with Ukraine are being prepared regarding trade in these agri-food products,” the Polish politician asked. He also pointed out that last year, the quotas for eggs and poultry were exhausted after one month and one and a half months, respectively. “What does this mean? It means that if it weren’t for the quotas in 2024, we would see six and twelve times more imports of eggs and poultry, respectively, into European countries, including Poland,” he noted.
Anna Zalewska proposed that, in light of the lack of specific information about the future CAP and trade agreements, a committee meeting be organized as a matter of urgency with the participation of the Commissioner for the Budget and the Commissioner for Trade. She argued that “we need to present a vision, have a plan, establish a financial framework, and analyze what worked and what didn’t in the previous period,” because, as she noted, “there is no such information and no such data.” “We only know that there is a sham discussion with farmers, supported by NGOs,” – Zalewska added, asking whether the commissioner had checked whether these were NGOs on the European Commission’s list that had been improperly funded and had engaged in improper lobbying. The PiS MEP also pointed to the problem of bureaucracy. “Please don’t deceive us. There is no reduction in bureaucracy, because this must be done based on specific documents. Not only is this not being done, but new, even more bureaucratic documents are being drafted,” she stated.
