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Poland farmers suspend blockade at Ukraine border after signing agreement with government – JURIST

Poland’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Czeslaw Siekierski signed an agreement on Saturday with Teresa Kubas-Hul, the provincial governor of Pokarpackie, and Roman Kondrow, the representative of the farmer group Oszukana Wieś (Deceived Village), to suspend the months-long blockade of the border crossing point with Ukraine at Medyka.Under the agreement, the minister promised to implement three demands made by the farmers, including the launch of corn subsidies of PLN 1 billion (USD 250 million), an increase in agricultural lending “by at least PLN 2.5 billion,” and maintenance of agricultural tax at the 2023 level. The demands will be implemented only after the necessary legislative process and approvals from the European Union (EU). The agreement added that the governor of Pokarpackie would appoint an advisory team for agriculture with the participation of farmers’ representatives. In exchange, the leader of the Deceived Village agreed to suspend the protests for the period needed to implement the demands.Farmers from Podkarpackie Deceived Village began blocking the Medyka-Shehyni checkpoint in November 2023, leading to disruption in the cross-border movement of trucks and creating lines of several kilometers. The demands of the protesters, as per the Ministry of Infrastructure, included the restoration of permits concerning Ukraine, banning the registration of companies in Poland if they are not a part of the EU, the need for a separate line in the eQueue system for vehicles with EU license plates, access to Ukrainian Shlyakh system and tightening of transport rules under the ECMT.The farmers were aggrieved due to a slump in revenues they said resulted from unfair competition from Ukraine, as the Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine in June 2022 allowed permit-free movement of Ukrainian carriers to EU countries that previously required permits. This agreement was extended for another year in June 2023. The farmers decried the agreement, saying it hurt their livelihood by giving Ukrainian peers an upper hand in the market due to their cheaper agricultural produce.The farmers temporarily suspended their protest on December 24, 2023,  but resumed it on January 4. In response to the situation in Ukraine, Siekierski reportedly said that the government very well understands the need to “offer aid to that country” but it also required quota regulations to define the goods entering the European market. Polish European Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski on January 5 said that he would push for the introduction of protective clauses during the extension of the EU-Ukraine free trade agreement for agricultural products imported from Ukraine to ensure that there is no oversupply-related crisis and that imports don’t threaten the competitiveness of EU producers.