The conservative Law & Justice (PiS) party in Poland says the conclusion of the free trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur countries (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Uruguay) is already a foregone conclusion, which is “very unfavorable” for Polish farmers, according to Do Rzeczy.
Just last November, the portal recalls, Prime Minister Donald Tusk declared that Poland would not accept the agreement with the Mercosur group in the area of agriculture.
And yet, now, PiS MEP Waldemar Buda says that the deal will move forward “despite the assurances of the Polish government, despite all declarations that we have a blocking minority, despite the government claiming that this matter has already been resolved,” he announced.
Buda points to the results of talks at the EU level, as well as between France and Brazil. “It is certain that this agreement will be signed. Last week, we had a meeting between President Lula and President Macron. […] Unfortunately, after that meeting, it turned out that he would withdraw his opposition, and therefore there is no possibility of constructing a blocking minority,” Buda said.
He then blamed Tusk for not “securing Polish interests” during one of his “many” meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron.
“So, all these assurances, both at the level of the Ministry of Agriculture and Prime Minister Tusk himself, turned out to be pure propaganda for the election campaign,” Buda said.
Last autumn, Paris was set on blocking the EU-Mercosur agreement and tried to persuade Poland to take joint action to build a blocking minority in the EU.
This was primarily in response to protests by European farmers, who have to deal with both the ideological EU Green Deal program and the influx of agri-food products located in Ukraine by international agro-holdings.
Now, after a visit last week from Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who will soon be taking over the presidency of Mercosur, Macron has signalled he is ready to sign the deal. Last Friday, he told Brazilian television channel GloboNews that he would sign off on the agreement with Mercosur by the end of 2025, if it included “mirror clauses” or “safeguard clauses.”
Farmers have pointed out that the agreement essentially shuts down European agriculture to make room on the continent for cheaper food from outside the EU, which is not subject to the regulations in force in this specific organization.
