In a letter to the European Commissioner for Trade, Polish Agriculture Minister Czesław Siekierski said he is "strongly against" the expansion of free trade between the EU and Ukraine. This was reported by the Polish newspaper RMF FM.
According to Sekerski, the full trade liberalisation introduced by the EU after the outbreak of the war had a "counterproductive effect", with the opposite consequences for trade.
He emphasises that the problems with excessive imports concern not only grain, but "also sugar, poultry, eggs, soft fruits (especially frozen raspberries) and apple concentrate".
The minister cites sugar, whose imports from Ukraine have increased twentyfold. In his opinion, negotiations should begin with Ukraine on "gradual mutual liberalisation, accompanied by the gradual alignment of Ukrainian agriculture with EU standards and legislation".
The Polish minister called for the exclusion of provisions on sugar and poultry from the future European Commission regulation on free trade with Ukraine, as well as the establishment of enhanced safeguard provisions.
At the same time, he declared Poland's readiness to return to talks in the format "European Commission, Ukraine, Ukraine's neighbours" to find the most effective mechanisms of cooperation.
Cooperation in this format was previously abandoned by the previous government of Mateusz Morawiecki after the EU did not agree to extend the European ban on imports of Ukrainian grain from 15 September.