Polish-American talks
04.10.2024
The meeting of the Director General of the MARD Bogusław Wijatyk with the representatives of the management of the American Chamber of Commerce with its registered office in Brussels (AmCham to the EU) was aimed at discussing the opportunities of developing bilateral economic cooperation. The meeting was also an opportunity to exchange views on the current challenges in the agricultural sector.
The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) is involved, inter alia, in the issues such as trade, Transatlantic relations and sustainable growth. The talks were also attended by the representatives of the departments of the MARD, the National Support Centre for Agriculture (KOWR) and companies associated in AmCham.
Position of Poland
Director General of the MARD Bogusław Wijatyk pointed to the strategic nature of Polish-American relations. He stressed the interest of Poland in increasing the export of food to the USA. In this context, he stressed that we expected a quick conclusion of the access procedure to the American market for apples and pears and obtaining access to the tariff quota for tobacco on the same terms as the old EU countries.
Position of the United States
The American interlocutors declared the AmCham's support for Polish demands. They also welcomed the proposal by KOWR regarding joint measures for the development of contacts between Polish and American companies in the food industry.
The AmCham representatives pointed to the importance of such issues as: reducing the administrative burden on farmers, care for maintaining the competitiveness and self-sufficiency of the EU in the agricultural sector, or supporting programmes aimed at improving the mental health of farmers.
The members of the American delegation welcomed the European Commission’s decision of 2 October 2024 on postponing the entry into force of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) until the end of 2025. The Regulation triggers a lot of emotions due to the extensive list of new administrative requirements.
Trade in agri-food products with the USA
The USA is the third most important customer of Polish agri-food products among non-EU countries. The export of Polish food products to the USA has been constantly growing for many years. In 2023, it amounted to EUR 869.7 million (an increase by 17% when compared to 2022). Polish products such as chocolate and food products containing cocoa, wheat and meslin, as well as fish fillets enjoy the greatest interest in the American market.
