Poland compares Ukraine’s EU accession to its own: German and French farmers once had the same concerns

Elżbieta Łukacijewska, a Member of the European Parliament from Poland’s Civic Coalition party, said that Ukraine’s accession to the European Union does not pose a direct threat to Polish farmers, although she supports extending restrictions on Ukrainian grain imports into Poland. She made the remarks in an interview with Top Agrar.

According to Łukacijewska, concerns about Ukraine’s rapid accession to the EU are premature, as the negotiation process is expected to take many years.

“I want to reassure everyone: Ukraine’s path to the European Union will be very long,” she said.

The end of the war, the implementation of EU legislation, and compliance with numerous requirements applicable to member states still lie ahead, the MEP added.

Commenting on concerns among Polish farmers about competition from Ukraine, Łukacijewska recalled that similar fears were voiced when Poland was preparing to join the European Union.

“When Poland joined the EU, the same concerns were expressed by farmers and politicians in Germany, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands,” she said.

At the same time, the politician supported maintaining safeguards to protect the Polish agricultural market from Ukrainian grain imports.

“As Poland, we are working very hard to secure strong safeguard measures to protect our agriculture,” Łukacijewska noted.

Asked whether the current restrictions on Ukrainian grain imports to Poland should be extended, she gave a clear answer: “I believe they should be extended.”

Tags: EU, Poland, Ukraine