Polish MEP Waldemar Buda from the Law and Justice party (PiS) criticizes Poland’s handling of the Mercosur trade agreement during its EU Council presidency. According to him, despite opposing the agreement’s provisions, the Polish government failed to build the necessary alliances within the EU to block the deal. The free trade agreement is primarily met with protests from European farmers who fear an influx of cheaper South American food products flooding the common market. The MEP warns that the outcome may be decided in the coming weeks.
In November 2024, the Polish government unanimously adopted a resolution opposing the EU-Mercosur trade agreement in its proposed form. The Ministry of Agriculture emphasized that blocking the agreement would be a priority during Poland’s presidency and called for the formation of a so-called blocking minority in the EU Council. While Poland maintains its opposition, opposition politicians argue that these efforts are insufficient.
“We lost the entire presidency; we did nothing about this issue. It is a symptomless presidency in terms of fighting our key threats—this topic was not even raised at any forum. I won’t even mention that no summit was organized, but during international discussions, the Mercosur agreement simply did not come up,” Buda told Newseria news agency.
To block the agreement’s implementation, a blocking minority is needed: at least 45% of member states representing at least 35% of the EU population. Poland, together with France, held talks with other countries (including Hungary, Austria, Ireland, Romania, and Italy) to build opposition or at least abstain from voting. However, these efforts failed—other countries expressed reservations but did not explicitly declare opposition.
“Germany is building a majority to pass the agreement, France is pressured by Argentinian-Brazilian lobbyists, and Poland does nothing. If I were to predict, the agreement will be implemented in the coming weeks, and it will be the biggest political defeat for Prime Minister Tusk in the EU that we’ve seen so far,” Buda said. “The Commission tells France that any changes are no longer possible, and I am convinced it will reject all Poland’s demands.”
The European Commission argues that the agreement will open valuable new market opportunities for EU agri-food exporters in South America. It promises to closely monitor the market situation, particularly in sensitive categories, and adjust import quotas from Mercosur to prevent negative impacts. It also assures that protective clauses are in place to safeguard EU farmers’ interests. However, the Polish Ministry of Agriculture fears high tariff quotas for Mercosur countries on poultry and beef imports, liberalization of unprocessed tobacco imports, and a lack of adequate safeguards reflecting the agricultural sector’s specificity.
Germany, as the EU’s largest machinery and car exporter, supports the Mercosur agreement, seeing it as an opportunity to boost industrial exports due to lower tariffs.
“They have a good chance to benefit from this deal, although I think the projected gains for industry and the economy are unrealistic. If anyone can expect profits, it’s Germany, as they are eager to make South America a major market. I don’t blame them—they face problems with the Chinese market and with selling their cars and chemicals, so they see this as an opportunity,” Buda explained. “However, I fear Germany is mistaken in believing they will be competitive there and will sell their products on a large scale. That’s thinking from 20 years ago when China wasn’t a global economic player. Today, the world is completely different.”
He emphasized that for countries like Brazil and Argentina, the agreement brings only benefits—access to the EU market for their agricultural and food products and technology imports.
“Technology and patents in Europe are very beneficial for the development of their economy, robotics, automation, and AI,” said the PiS MEP. “In Europe, it’s different. Countries like Poland don’t have such export hits but have agriculture, meaning they will lose out agriculturally and gain nothing to offset those losses, as exports won’t be significant enough to balance the deficit.”
Farmers highlight that EU agri-food production will face more competition from South American producers who operate under lower food safety standards and are not subject to sustainable development criteria, leading to lower production costs and prices. According to the MEP, the issue must be viewed through the lens of Europeans’ food security. Armed conflicts, the pandemic, and supply chain disruptions have shown that countries should primarily produce for their own needs.
“For food security and for the security of other products, we should produce primarily for ourselves, especially in Europe, and care for Europeans. The foreign market will likely be about services exchange, not goods,” Buda said. “Thinking we’ll sell worldwide or buy cheap products from Vietnam or China is a dead-end. We should produce for ourselves, just like the US has done. This is a result of understanding the current situation.”
