Polish PM to ask Brussels to change some Green Deal provisions

VILNIUS – Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in Vilnius on Monday that he will ask the European Commission to change the Green Deal's provisions that place a burden on farmers, emphasizing that there should be no conflict between environmentalists and farmers. 

Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said that her government has asked the Commission to apply certain exemptions to the implementation of the Green Deal as early as this year, adding that there is understanding from the EU's executive body.

"We must act on climate change; we are a political force that places a very high priority on citizens' health, safety and nature, but there are provisions in the Green Deal that do not fully adequately reflect the essence of affairs in the European Union, today's context," Tusk told a press conference in Vilnius.

"In the coming days, I will take the initiative to have certain provisions changed. These changes will protect both Polish and European agriculture and food producers," he said.

Simonyte also noted that the requirements of the Green Deal sometimes become a heavy burden for Lithuanian farmers, too, so compromises must be found.

"In Lithuania, we have situations where the requirements of the Green Deal are weighing heavily on our agricultural sector," the prime minister said. "We also have the public's demand for clean water, protection of habitats and rare plants, and there is a need for compromise."  

"This is not easy to do and we have also had requests to the European Commission for some exemptions for the implementation of the Green Deal as early as 2024, and I hear that there is understanding from the European Commission," she added. 

According to Simonyte, this is a sensitive issue for Lithuania and it is necessary to work together in tabling proposals to the EU body.

"We will work together to make rational proposals to the Commission and to the relevant Councils so that these problems are taken into account," she said.

Farmers across Europe have been protesting for weeks against EU regulations aimed at tackling climate change, as well as against rising costs and what they say is unfair competition from non-EU countries, particularly Ukraine.