Polish President Karol Nawrocki and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met yesterday in Rome, Nawrocki’s second capital visit as president after Washington, D.C., with Meloni noting “the excellent state of bilateral relations” in an X post following their talks.
Marcin Przydacz, head of Poland’s International Policy Bureau, gave an update to press on several topics including the the free trade Mercosur agreement, underlining that both leaders agree European agricultural markets cannot be allowed to be dominated by”foreign, non-European countries,” wPolityce reports.
According to Przydacz, the two discussed “a solution that would be as beneficial as possible and would eliminate all the unfavorable actions of the European Union in the field of agricultural policy and excessive – in our opinion – opening of the European market to possible products originating from South America.”
He added that French President Emmanuel Macron must also be part of this discussion, and Nawrocki will be meeting him mid-September, after visits to Vilnius and Helsinki.
Przydacz also stated that the current Polish government has failed to maintain the blocking minority that was in the EU before December 2023.
“Today there is an urgent need to rebuild this minority, Mr. President will do everything to maintain this bloc of states,” Przydacz said.
The deal could serve as a severe blow to farmers across Europe, resulting in cheap meat and produce imports from South America, where standards are notably lax when it comes to pesticide and GMO use.
While the EU insists on the issue of climate protection, the deal will also turbocharge destructive agricultural practices in South America, where enforcement of environmental protection remains weak. Tens of millions of acres of rainforest have been destroyed to make way for cattle grazing and monocrop cultivation of soybeans and other cash crops, but with the lucrative EU market opened up, it could create a frenzy to destroy even more rainforest and convert it to agricultural use.
On Ukraine, both Nawrocki and Meloni reiterated their support for joint efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace. They also expressed commitment to bringing stability to the Middle East.
Today, President Nawrocki will be received by Pope Leo XIV and will meet with Italian President Sergio Mattarella as well.
