The demonstration, organized by the agricultural union "Solidarność," was aimed among other things against 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, met strong opposition from EU farmers, as well as from Poland and France.
Polish farmers claim the deal will flood the European market with cheap and harmful agricultural products from South America. Polish Minister of Agriculture 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 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 demonstrators began their protest march at the European Commission office in Warsaw. Later in the day, a gathering took place at the building where a meeting was held to mark 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.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has canceled her travel plans for the first two weeks of January due to a severe lung infection. As a result, she was unexpectedly absent from the EU meeting in Warsaw and the protesting farmers.
Her illness also means her planned visit to Gdańsk on January 9 and 10 will not take place. Despite her absence, she will continue to fulfill her EU duties remotely from her residence in Hannover.