Poland raises possibility of banning Ukrainian agricultural products

Poland has warned that it could ban Ukrainian agricultural products from its market for 20 years if Kiev joins the EU.

"Ukrainian agriculture can destabilize food security in any country in the European Union (EU)," Michał Kołodziejczak, expected to be appointed Poland's deputy agriculture minister this week, told RMF FM on December 16.

According to Mr. Kołodziejczak, the Ukrainian agricultural sector is too large and its agricultural products will flood into the EU, causing unemployment for Polish and European farmers. Polish officials believe that if Ukraine is admitted, the EU needs to take measures to protect the interests of local farmers.

“We must respect our interests, as Germany did when Poland joined the EU. At that time, the labor market for Poles was frozen for eight years. We can say that Ukrainian agricultural products, both fresh and processed, were not allowed to enter Poland for 20 years after Kiev joined the EU,” said Kołodziejczak.

Mr. Michal Kolodziejczak speaks in Warsaw, Poland on October 1. Photo: AFP — Mr. Michal Kolodziejczak speaks in Warsaw, Poland on October 1. Photo: *AFP*

The comments came as the EU agreed on December 14 to open membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova. Ukraine applied for EU membership days after Russia launched its campaign in February 2022 and was granted candidate status in June of the same year.

However, even if Ukraine is accepted for accession talks, the process of becoming an EU member will still take years, even decades. Russia said on December 15 that the EU's decision had been " politicized " and warned that admitting Ukraine and Moldova would destabilize the union.

"The EU has always had strict criteria for membership and it is clear that at the moment Ukraine and Moldova cannot meet them," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "It is a politicized decision, the EU wants to help those countries. Such members could destabilize the bloc. Since we share the same continent with the EU, we are closely monitoring the situation."

Poland was one of the countries that actively supported Ukraine when the conflict broke out in February 2022. However, the relationship between the two countries has recently escalated, related to the issue of cheap Ukrainian grain affecting the domestic market of Poland and some European countries. The leaders of Poland and Ukraine have also made statements criticizing each other.

Nhu Tam (According to Al Mayadeen, Pravda )

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