Poland is weighing a temporary closure of its border to Ukrainian goods amid protests from farmers over the transit of grain from the neighboring country, a policy move strongly supported by the European Union. Prime Minister Donald Tusk says he is prepared to take dramatic steps, though these would be coordinated with Kyiv to avoid unnecessary tensions. The border shutdown for Ukrainian shipments and state support for Polish farming are among the topics Tusk will discuss with farmer unions in a meeting planned for later this week.
Miles of tractors clogged Warsaw and other Polish towns on Tuesday in a fresh wave of countryside protests. Earlier demonstrations had clashes and vandalism against Ukrainian transporters at border crossings, which effectively closed due to the protests by Polish farmers.
Farmers argue against Brussels and Berlin, pointing to the impact of Ukrainian grain on their interests. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Brussels had freed Ukrainian grain imports from tariffs, with Ukraine remaining the world leader in grain exports.
The dispute over Ukrainian grain shipments even touched the historic solidarity between Kyiv and Warsaw last summer. Poland unilaterally banned imports and transit of those products through its territory. Meanwhile, the UN and the EU sought to open routes to move essential supplies for the world. The land route emerged as the most feasible alternative as talks continued at multiple levels, including mediation efforts by Turkey and the United Nations to allow shipments from Ukrainian Black Sea ports.
Reunion with major farming organizations
After weeks of pressure, the government that followed the nationalist party Law and Justice agreed, with other Eastern European partners, to permit the passage of these shipments provided they did not end up in the Polish market. Since then, field protests have grown around the issue of gaps in effective controls, affecting national agricultural interests.
Prime Minister Tusk rose to power with the backing of a parliamentary majority formed by his liberal bloc along with centrist and left-leaning groups. The PiS party, however, remains closely identified with farming interests.
The Polish prime minister and the agriculture minister will meet with the country’s leading farming organizations this Thursday. Simultaneously, talks with Ukraine aim to establish a transit framework with guaranteed controls. There is consideration of state aid to help Polish products stay competitive in the domestic market against cheaper Ukrainian imports.