The European Commission’s concessions are narrow and tactical, driven by rural protests and looming European Parliament elections, according to PiS MP and former Agriculture Minister Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski, who commented on Friday’s Green Deal easing.
Last Friday, the European Commission circulated a draft amendment to two Green Deal regulations. The proposals include scrapping the set-aside obligation, offering a choice between crop diversification and rotation, and simplifying land-cover maintenance. The head of Poland’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Czesław Siekierski, welcomed these proposals.
Ardanowski framed the EC moves as temporary concessions—forced by the current political climate and protests across Europe, including Poland, ahead of the European Parliament elections. He stressed that there is no substantial reconsideration of EU climate policy, warning that any change affects everyone, not just farmers.
During a Monday press conference in Lublin, he said, “any relaxation of the Green Deal should be welcomed.”
According to him, the EU’s concessions are minimal and fail to ensure the economic viability of farms that rely on farming for their livelihoods. The PiS politician highlighted that farmers remain dissatisfied and he anticipated continued protests across Europe.
Ardanowski argued that the European Union is pursuing an increasingly illogical policy that claims agriculture harms nature, a narrative he attributes largely to the European People’s Party. He also criticized the decision to fully open EU markets to Ukrainian food, saying the Commission acted with penalties for those unwilling to implement the move. He recalled that PiS once suspended imports from Ukraine and offered substantial compensation to farmers for market losses caused by the EU decision, but that action came too late and caused a setback in rural support.
He voiced firm certainty that if the current Polish government were in power, there would be no suspension or restriction on Ukrainian imports.
In his view, Prime Minister Donald Tusk shows little interest in solving agricultural problems and would rather keep the situation tense. Ardanowski emphasized that Poland should lead a serious European dialogue on a new common agricultural policy that also centers food security.
He urged reinvention of the common agricultural policy. He recalled a time when the Treaties of Rome aimed to ensure Europeans had access to affordable food while supporting farmers’ dignity through production. He argued that today’s policy is collapsing before observers, and that the concessions are largely symbolic and do not resolve the underlying issues.
Ardanowski warned that commercial farms that invested heavily in land, machinery, and modern technologies face real risk if they cannot find buyers at home or abroad. If Ukrainian products saturate the market or export options from Poland shrink, surplus grain and other foods could push farmers toward bankruptcy.
During the event, Ardanowski voiced support for PiS candidates in the Lublin Voivodeship Assembly: Marek Wojciechowski, Krzysztof Gałaszkiewicz, and Tomasz Solis.
Peasant protests have continued in Poland and other EU member states. In Poland, demonstrators demand the abandonment of Green Deal provisions, strict border controls against agri-food imports from outside the bloc, and stronger protection for Polish livestock farming.
The Green Deal encompasses numerous directives, including agricultural ones, designed to steer Europe toward climate neutrality by 2050. The plan envisions more ecologically friendly, lower-emission production, the use of set-aside land, reduced fertilizer and pesticide use, and a target of dedicating 25 percent of arable land to organic farming.
As discussions unfold, observers note that this topic remains central to debates about Europe’s food security and rural livelihoods. The ongoing conversations continue to shape policy directions across Poland and the broader EU, with farmers watching closely how any concessions might alter market dynamics and agricultural income. (via wPolityce attribution)
mly/PAP
(Conversations summarized with attribution: (via wPolityce))