2023-07-26 12:52:10
Poland wants the EU to subsidize the transport of produce through the member states from Ukraine to the final point
Warsaw’s solidarity with Kyiv knows no bounds, but almost. It’s just that solidarity comes down to money, he begins his commentary on the problems in the grain export of Ukraine “Politico”.
Transport from the port of Odessa is now impossible due to destroyed infrastructure
More than a year after the EU created land “corridors of solidarity” to help export millions of tonnes of stranded agricultural products – Kiev’s main export route – Warsaw is threatening to close its own border for a second time unless Brussels extends the temporary restrictions and offered no money to guarantee that none of the products would get stuck in the Poland.
“The interests of our farmers are of primary importance to us,” the Polish minister said
of Agriculture Robert Tellus to reporters after a meeting of EU agriculture ministers in Brussels on Tuesday. “Our decisions are not against anyone; they are first and foremost for our farmers.”
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and blockade of its Black Sea ports last year, the EU’s eastern countries – Poland, Romania and, to a lesser extent, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia – have found themselves inundated with unprecedented amounts of Ukrainian grain.
The reasons were surprisingly simple: despite the war, the grain trade was still market-driven, and as with any commodity, the cheaper stuff found buyers.
Ukrainian grain is high quality and cheap, but only if transported by sea or short distances
in the interior of the country.
As for the grain that enters Poland, most of it stays there.
Telus accused multinational traders of bringing Ukrainian grain across the border and selling it to local intermediaries such as millers and feed producers. Polish farmers, for their part, saw demand for their own produce dwindle.
“The temporary ban (until September 15) was absolutely necessary because these countries would not withstand the pressure,” said Janusz Wojciechowski, Poland’s EU agriculture commissioner.
Others see things differently.
Senior Ukrainian officials have criticized the restrictions, with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying any extension of restrictions is “absolutely unacceptable and frankly un-European”.
Our position is clear: blocking (Ukrainian) land exports after September 15, when the relevant restrictions expire, is
unacceptable in any form, Zelensky said
in a Telegram post on Monday night.
Zelensky’s jitters followed a week in which Russian President Vladimir Putin ended the Black Sea Grain Initiative, reimposed a naval blockade and launched a series of airstrikes on Ukraine’s coastal ports. Under the UN-brokered grain agreement, Ukraine exported 33 million metric tons of grain to world markets last year. Now that the crops are being harvested, this route is closed.
Many EU countries, including France, Germany and Spain, support Ukraine’s position.
This is not a concert of choice,
where you choose what you like, you take money from Brussels but at the same time you close the border,” said German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir, adding that the only player who benefits from Poland’s actions is Russia as it seeks to push Ukraine from the world grain market.
The current restrictions are due to expire on September 15 – a month before Poland goes to the polls to elect a new government.
Since farmers are key constituencies, the current right-wing government is adamant that it will not allow Ukrainian grain to be imported into its territory.
Brussels did not take a position on the Polish threat, choosing instead to facilitate closed-door talks between the five EU countries and Ukraine.
With the Commission’s hesitation, Lithuania offered to divert Ukrainian grain exports through Poland to its Baltic port of Klaipeda and four other ports in Estonia and Latvia.
But every kilometer increases the cost of transport,
which makes Ukrainian production less competitive on the world market. In addition, there are the logistical costs of expanding rail and warehouse capacity, and no one – least of all Warsaw – wants to foot a bill that could run into the hundreds of millions of euros.
Telus said that if Brussels or other EU countries want to subsidize the transport of grain through Poland, they are welcome to do so.
“The European Commission always has funding for so many different things, so it can also find money to subsidize transport,” he said. “Poland is a big supporter of helping Ukraine — I don’t think anyone doubts that. But this support should be spread in all countries, not only in Poland and [други] border countries.’
The big question hanging over Telus at home is
who actually imported Ukrainian grain to Poland
– with rumors swirling that senior Polish government officials were encouraging companies to take advantage of the lower prices and import the stuff into the country.
Upon taking office in April, Telus said it would publish a list of companies.
He has yet to do so, fueling fears that the list could embarrass the ruling camp ahead of the election.
Jan Maria Jakowski, a member of the Polish Senate, last week called on Telus to keep its promise. “Disclosing this list is the key to understanding this situation,” he said. “If it is as the comments that have appeared suggest, then we are dealing with one of the biggest scandals in Poland in recent years.
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