Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski admitted in an interview for the Euractiv portal that he had a different opinion “on some issues” than the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. He also rejected Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s criticism of his support for the European Green Deal.
In an interview published on Friday, the Polish commissioner emphasized that the European Green Deal, which also entails the decarbonisation of agriculture, was not a mistake, but that most of its demands were impossible for agricultural companies to implement. Therefore, Wojciechowski – as he noted – is grateful to farmers for their protests, as they have led to a rapid response to the sector’s problems.
As a result of the massive farmers’ protests that took place in many European capitals, including Brussels, the European Commission proposed to increase the requirements for farmers under the European Green Deal (a plan that should lead the EU to achieving climate neutrality by 2050). to relax. . One of the most important changes is the abandonment of the obligation to set aside, i.e. not to cultivate a certain percentage of agricultural land. Instead of the obligation, the EC proposed that farmers who introduce fallow agriculture could receive EU subsidies.
“We need to provide relief to farmers.”
The message to my successor is that to achieve ambitious goals, we must focus on incentives and not obligations. If we want to make agriculture greener, we need to help farmers
– said Wojciechowski.
The commissioner proposed by the right-wing government is aware that he has no chance of retaining his position in the EC, because Prime Minister Donald Tusk is critical of his actions. Euractiv recalled that in recent months, Tusk’s government had criticized the Polish commissioner for failing to meet farmers’ demands and support the Green Deal.
In the interview, Wojciechowski rejected the criticism and emphasized the role he played in implementing the package of changes to the Common Agricultural Policy and providing certainty to farmers in connection with opening trade with Ukraine. He also admitted that he had a different opinion “on some issues” than his boss, Ursula von der Leyen, although the commissioner – as the portal emphasizes – did not want to comment on this topic. Euractiv noted that Von der Leyen himself reprimanded Wojciechowski for criticizing the liberalization of trade with Ukraine, which was not in line with the EC’s position.
According to Wojciechowski, the EC is interested in Ukraine’s accession to the Community, although the enormous potential of Ukrainian agriculture will pose a challenge for the EU. He assessed that it is necessary to introduce long transition periods and mechanisms to avoid potential destabilization of EU markets. He also stated that the Common Agricultural Policy should be reformed by setting a limit on the payments granted per hectare; This will help the EU avoid spending too much money on large-scale agricultural enterprises in Ukraine, compared to their smaller counterparts in the current EU.
These farms should be excluded from payments. Farmers should receive the money, not big companies
– emphasized Wojciechowski.
tkwl/PAP
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Source: wPolityce
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.