On Wednesday, the Sejm began another three-day session. In the shadow of agricultural protests, MPs plan to consider several “agricultural” issues. The only question is whether those that farmers themselves consider the most urgent.
On Wednesday, in the first version of the agenda of the 7th session of the Sejm, two parliamentary bills are planned to be considered: briefly: agricultural loans (PSL) and not punishing farmers for working at night (PiS).
But due to the decisions taken on Tuesday, March 5 this year. government decisions, including: in the article below:
Marshal Szymon Hołownia decided to change this order a bit.
First reading of the parliamentary bill amending the Act on consumer pawnshop loans and amending certain other acts and the first reading of the government bill amending the Act – Civil Code and the Consumer Credit Act – i.e. those that are intended to make farmers’ lives easier when taking out loans – will take place on Thursday, March 7 this year. late afternoon.
Before that, the committee’s report on the draft resolution presented by the Presidium of the Sejm will be considered on imposing sanctions on the import of Russian and Belarusian food and agricultural products to the EU (this is the document announced by Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Tuesday).
Then, there will be the first reading of the parliamentary bill amending the Act – Petty Offenses Code (PiS), which is to clearly specify that farmers will not be punished for working at night.
On that day, a vote on the Information from the Prime Minister on the government’s actions in connection with the farmers’ protest in Poland is scheduled for 9 p.m. (!).
Are these the most urgent “agricultural matters” to be dealt with?
PiS motion rejected
PiS MPs submitted on Tuesday, March 5 this year. a draft resolution of the Sejm calling on the government, among others, to impose a total embargo on agricultural and food products from Ukraine and Russia, withdraw from the Green Deal and introduce subsidies for farmers.
However, it was not on Wednesday’s agenda of the Sejm, so at the beginning of the session, PiS MP Anna Gembicka submitted a formal motion to postpone the work of the Sejm and to add this resolution to the agenda, demanding that the Sejm “immediately” deal with it.
– This is a resolution brought by the PiS club, but prepared by the farmers themselves, who today tell us, all MPs, “I’m checking.” Farmers asked and waited for someone from the Ministry of Agriculture to submit this resolution, emphasized Gembicka.
As she noted, deputy ministers of agriculture Michał Kołodziejczak and Stefan Krajewski did not dare to submit this draft resolution.
– You found a place on the agenda for “Tusk’s resolution”, but you did not find a place for the farmers’ resolution, shame on it – said the PiS MP to the ruling majority. She accused her of wanting to make a “pleading appeal to the Germans and French.”
Marshal of the Sejm Szymon Hołownia informed that the draft resolution submitted by PiS has already been assigned a form number and has been sent to the Agriculture Committee. Hołownia declared that “if farmers want to submit petitions, demands and meet, of course it will take place.”
However, the request for a break was rejected in the vote.
Siekierski: we are talking to farmers
Czesław Siekierski, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, also spoke during the morning part of the Sejm session.
The minister noted that Prime Minister Tusk met a few days ago with representatives of protesting farmers and it was a long, four-hour meeting, and this conversation will be continued on Saturday. Siekierski added that it should be remembered, however, that the farmers’ protests began in the fall and it was the farmers’ response to the lack of action and omissions in the previous period.
– When it comes to the problem related to the Green Deal, in general we have led to significant limitations of the Green Deal – Siekierski emphasized.
He explained that the idea was to relax the rules on the use of pesticides, conditionality (eco-schemes) and not penalizing farmers for unintentional mistakes. Fallow conditions have also been limited.
– There is a request to waive the obligation to fallow this year, and next year to transfer this obligation to voluntary activities within eco-schemes, for which farmers would be paid. Moreover, we propose a review of the Green Deal this year, said the head of the Ministry of Agriculture.
He also referred to the liberalization of EU-Ukraine trade, which was previously agreed to by the Polish government and is to be extended for another period from June 2024 to June 2025.
– We have introduced some restrictions on sensitive goods. This is currently being proceeded at the level of the European Parliament and the level of the EU Council, said Siekierski.
And he added:
– At the same time, we are conducting bilateral negotiations with Ukraine because we want to reach a bilateral agreement where we will establish trade conditions and quotas, i.e. those that will have to be accepted by both Ukraine and Poland – added the minister. It’s easy to talk about closing the border, but what do you say to milk producers if such a significant part of dairy products is exported to Ukraine? – He was asking.
– Talks with farmers were going well until politicians entered the talks. You have politicized the farmers’ protests, you cannot do that – Siekierski summed up his statement in the Sejm.
It is also worth adding that on Thursday, March 7 this year. A meeting of the EU Affairs Committee will be held to discuss information from the Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, on the implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy, in the context of current and future challenges facing agricultural policy, with particular emphasis on problems directly affecting Poland.
