By Jo Harper
WARSAW (AA) - Poland said Wednesday it is preparing to file a legal challenge with the European Court of Justice (ECJ) against the controversial trade agreement between the EU and the South American bloc, Mercosur, escalating Warsaw’s opposition to the deal.
It is aligning itself with a growing bloc of agricultural producers across Europe.
Deputy Agriculture Minister Malgorzata Gromadzka announced the move against the deal during a meeting with farmers in Janow Podlaski in eastern Poland, where protests against the pact have spread in recent weeks.
She said Warsaw wants the EU to ban imports of agricultural products treated with pesticides prohibited inside the EU, arguing that competing against products grown under looser rules would devastate domestic producers.
“This is a solution France is already pursuing,” said Gromadzka, adding that Poland has formally requested the Health Ministry and sanitary inspectorate adopt the same mechanism.
The European Commission is scheduled to examine the French proposal on Jan, 20, opening the possibility that Poland could lodge a similar case afterward.
The complaint with the ECJ marks the most assertive step by Warsaw’s coalition government, signaling the fight against the Mercosur bloc would continue, regardless of its adoption at the EU level.
Poland’s legal challenge, if accepted, could slow the implementation of the agreement or force changes to safeguard European agricultural sectors.
Agriculture Minister Stefan Krajewski confirmed that Poland will file a formal complaint next week to determine whether the Mercosur deal complies with EU treaties.
“Our position is that the agreement, split into political and commercial components, violates treaty provisions,” Krajewski told the Super Express newspaper. He said Poland maintains the right to block the entry of unsafe food. “It is not a given that these products must enter at all. Polish institutions will inspect everything that crosses the border.”
The EU-Mercosur agreement, negotiated between Brussels and Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, has triggered fierce resistance from farm lobbies concerned about cheap imports. Poland, France, Austria, Ireland and Hungary voted against the pact while Belgium abstained.
Analyses by Polish Radio indicate that the deal could cost Polish farms tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of złotys per year. Large poultry producers could see profits cut in half, it said.
Beef and pork farms, which are already under pressure from high energy and labor costs, have warned of forced closures if imported South American meat floods the market.
Family farms between 10 hectares and 50 hectares (25 acres and 124 acres), the backbone of Polish agriculture, could see their incomes fall between 20% and 40% by 2030, accelerating the decline of traditional farming and favoring large agribusinesses.
Supporters of the treaty argue that access to the Mercosur market will strengthen EU exporters and expand supply chains. Opponents said the environmental and sanitary rules governing imports are inconsistent, giving farmers outside Europe a competitive advantage.