Poland's Agriculture Minister Czesław Siekierski said that the process of Ukraine's accession to the European Union will lead to the need to reform the EU's Common Agricultural Policy and agricultural subsidy system, Interfax-Ukraine reports.
"The Ukrainian government will soon start negotiations on accession to the European Union. This process will force the EU to reform the Common Agricultural Policy and the system of agricultural subsidies," Siekierski said at the seminar "Agricultural Cooperation between Poland and Ukraine in the European Union".
At the same time, Siekierski stressed that the inclusion of Ukrainian agricultural products in the EU market will, on the one hand, strengthen the Union's position in the global market in the field of processing and raw materials, and on the other hand, lead to increased competition in the single agricultural market and transformation among EU producers and processors.
"I am convinced that the rules of Ukraine's accession to the European Union will be prepared in such a way that the stability of European agriculture is not disturbed," the Minister stressed.
Siekierski reminded that the European Union, in particular Poland, has a different model of agriculture: in Ukraine, large agricultural enterprises and agroholdings are the decisive players, while in the member states, family farms are the main players.
In 20 years' time, the European Union should review its common agricultural policy. The current European system is adapted to the needs of small family farms. It is not suited to large-scale agriculture in Ukraine, the minister said.
In his opinion, if direct payments are justified in the future as a means of income support, they should cover only a small percentage of Ukrainian family farms.
Minister Siekierski stressed that the world needs Ukrainian agriculture.
He also said that Poland continues to negotiate with Ukraine at various levels.
"The problems faced by our countries are still relevant. We want to resolve them at the level of bilateral agreements so as not to disrupt the situation on the Polish market," the Polish Minister of Agriculture concluded.
Meanwhile, over the past day, Polish farmers have not allowed a single truck to enter Poland.
Since 9 February 2024, Polish farmers have been protesting near the border with Ukraine on the roads leading to the checkpoints. The main demands of the protesters are a ban on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products and Poland's rejection of the European Green Deal.
During this time, there have been five cases of Ukrainian crops spilling out of freight cars onto the tracks or from trucks on the roads.