Polish Agriculture and
the European Union
(written as a briefing paper addressed from the Agriculture Ministry
to the Prime Minister)
Part I
Polish Agriculture and the
European Union Briefing
Addressed to Polish Prime
Minister Jerzy Buzek from Agriculture Minister Artur Balasz
Mr. Prime Minister,
At a time
of rapid movement towards membership in the European Union, our government’s
focus should be on any issues that might delay or complicate Poland’s return
to Europe. As many experts have pointed out, my portfolio is likely
to be one of the most troublesome areas of negotiation between Poland and
the European Union. This brief will attempt to summarize first the
obstacles our agricultural sector presents to accession efforts and second
some ways in which we may attempt to move over or around these obstacles.
The first
portion of the brief will lay out the major issues facing our government
as we seek to reform the agricultural sector in order to ease the nation’s
entrance into the EU. Key elements here include the size and makeup
of the sector, its inefficiency and its extreme volatility as a political
bloc. The first section will also deal with the main concerns of the European
Union as it prepares to expand. The major issues for negotiators
on the EU’s side of the table – important to formulating our accession
strategy – include the fear of market competition from cheaper Polish products,
an extraordinarily powerful farm lobby of their own and, most importantly,
the incompatibility of a fully integrated Polish agricultural sector and
the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy as it is now formulated.
The second
segment lays out potential policy options, again in two main areas. The
first is actions we can take independently or with EU assistance to prepare
the agricultural sector for accession. These include critical issues
like improving infrastructure, farm modernization and the provision of
alternative employment opportunities in rural areas. The second set
of policy recommendations will be directed at negotiating with and lobbying
the EU and its member states. These directives are far more limited
in scope, as we have the short end of the stick in negotiations. Most important,
of course, is pushing the EU towards CAP reform in the near term.
We must also emphasize during negotiations the economic and political unacceptability
of Poland “[entering] the European Union on the backs of its farmers,”
in the words of one influential union leader. That means rejecting
bargains that include Poland but shut its farms out of any EU subsidy or
price support arrangements. Instead, we should press for either CAP
reform or, if necessary, settle for a post-accession transition period
that utilizes EU and government funds and border restrictions to gradually
integrate the agricultural market.
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Part
II
Part
III |
