Polish government signs agreement with farmers to end blockade at Ukrainian border

Czesław Siekierski, Poland’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, and representatives of the Oszukana Wieś (Deceived Village) movement have signed an agreement to end the blocking of the border crossing point with Ukraine at Medyka, Ukrainska Pravda reports citing local Polsat News.

Siekierski promised to meet all the farmers' demands: one million złoty worth of maize subsidies, a 2.5-billion-złoty increase in loans, and maintaining the agricultural tax at the level of 2023.

The agreement states that the blocking of the checkpoint in Medyka must be suspended, but no deadline for suspension is specified.

Poland applied to the European Commission for approval of the subsidies; the Polish Sejm [lower house of the Polish parliament – ed.] must approve the repeal of the 21 per cent tax increase; and local authorities will provide loan guarantees in exchange for compensation from the state budget.

Farmers from Oszukana Wieś began blocking the Medyka border checkpoint on November 23 this year. They announced on December 24 that they would suspend their protest until early January and might not resume it if their demands were met. But on January 4, the blockade resumed.

At the end of December, Ukraine’s Ministry for Restoration and Poland’s Infrastructure Ministry agreed on an action plan to unblock the border.