Today, during a meeting of the Committee on International Trade (INTA), a public hearing was held on the “Trade Agreement between the EU and Mercosur.” Speaking on behalf of the ECR Group, PiS MEP Waldemar Buda pointed out that the EU’s trade policy is short-sighted, is leading to a loss of EU competitiveness, and will harm European agriculture.
Waldemar Buda asked what the current logic behind the European Union’s economic and trade policy is. For, as he noted, the first step involves introducing restrictions and regulations—including climate-related ones—that limit production within the EU, making it increasingly unprofitable; subsequently, as a result of these measures, that production is shifted to other countries around the world. “Is this the EU’s economic policy?” the MEP asked, wondering where this would lead in the long run. He noted that the EU faced a similar situation 20 years ago, when it opened up to trade and production with China. He said that at that time, the entire automotive industry was moving its factories there and “conquering markets,” but the results were meager. “Now we’re losing over a dozen percent every year; Germany is selling fewer and fewer of these cars; the market is being saturated by domestic manufacturers; and once again, we’ve only gained from this in the short term,” the MEP stated. Buda warned that the same dynamic would apply to trade with Brazil and South America. “First, we’ll sell cars manufactured in Europe there; then, the greed of all these corporations will lead to factories being opened there, and our workers will lose their jobs here; and ultimately, they’ll take over the technology, produce for themselves, and we’ll destroy our agriculture,” stated the PiS politician, urging people to learn from the past.
