Tusk says he’ll seek EU green deal changes to alleviate farmers

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he’ll push for changes to the European Union’s climate agenda to take the burden off the country’s farmers. 

Polish farmers have taken to the streets in recent weeks and blocked border crossings with Ukraine and some other neighboring countries as part of mounting protests. They’ve targeted what they call as the uncontrolled influx of Ukrainian goods — as well as the EU’s so-called Green Deal, which aims to zero out greenhouse gas emissions by the middle of the century. 

“This is not about rejecting the whole Green Deal,” Tusk told reporters on Thursday after meeting farmers. “But practically all of the Green Deal’s agricultural provisions are, especially now in the time of war and duty-free trade, another blow and must be suspended or withdrawn.” 

EU subsidies for farmers can’t be conditioned on observing Green Deal standards, he said. The premier said he’ll meet farmers again next week as they plan another protest in Warsaw on March 6. He’ll meet before or after the protest, he said.  

Tusk also said that he’d talk to the leaders of Poland’s ruling coalition Friday about a parliamentary resolution designed to ban food imports from Russia and Belarus.