Thousands of Polish farmers have protested in Warsaw against the European agricultural policy and a series of EU measures that they say are harming the farming sector. But EU chairwoman von der Leyen was absent from the EU meeting due to illness.
The demonstration, organized by the agricultural union “Solidarność”, targeted, among other things, the EU Green Deal, the Mercosur trade agreement and the import of cheap Ukrainian agricultural products. The agreement, reached after more than two decades of negotiations, was strongly opposed by EU farmers, but also by Poland and France.
Polish farmers claim the deal will flood the European market with cheap and harmful agricultural products from South America. Polish Agriculture Minister Czesław Siekierski said in a statement: “We are still trying, together with France and other countries, to form a minority to block this deal. However, this will be very difficult to achieve without the proper involvement of other EU countries.”
Union leaders have also expressed concerns about the impact of EU climate policies on Polish forests, traditional hunting practices and the Polish national economy.
The protesters started their protest march at the office of the European Commission in Warsaw. Later in the day, a rally was held at the building where a meeting was held for the start of the Polish presidency of the EU Council. The farmers demanded that the Polish government and EU institutions pay more attention to their interests during the presidency.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has cancelled her travel plans for the first two weeks of January due to a serious lung infection, unexpectedly missing the EU rally in Warsaw and the farmers' protests.
Her illness also means that her planned visit to Gdańsk on 9 and 10 January will not take place. Despite her absence, she will continue to fulfil her EU duties remotely from her home in Hannover.