– I will invariably remind you that building good Polish-Ukrainian relations in the field of agriculture cannot take place at the expense of Polish farmers and Polish processors. We must strive for a well-balanced aspect of our cooperation. On the one hand, it still means a declaration of open aid and willingness to support Ukraine, which is affected by war. On the other hand, we cannot avoid many areas that need concrete work – said the Minister of Agriculture Stefan Krajewski after the meeting.

In the context of accession negotiations, the Minister confirmed that the Polish party supported the aspirations of Ukraine to enter the EU; in this process, we want to be not only a partner of Ukraine but also an advocate for the safety of European farmers and consumers.

– It is essential that Ukraine fully implements EU laws and regulations. In our opinion, the integration of Ukrainian agriculture with the EU should strengthen the stability of the common market, not weaken it – noted Minister Krajewski, while stressing the significant differences in the agrarian structure of both countries.

In the opinion of the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Taras Kachka, who was accompanied by Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar, the Polish-Ukrainian dialogue in the field of agriculture is essential because both in Poland and Ukraine the agri-food sector plays a large role and requires particular attention. The Deputy Prime Minister presented the progress of the Ukrainian party in implementing the EU legislation and expressed his gratitude for the help consistently given by Poles to Ukraine.

– I would like to thank all Poles and the Polish government for the support we are receiving particularly now. We have a very difficult situation in many cities – many people have no access to water, electricity or heat. Therefore, the generators that you are now supplying to Kyiv and the entire Kyiv oblast are a great help to us – said Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, and stressed that the integration of Ukraine into the European Union should take place in a similar atmosphere of understanding.

– We are conducting very intense trade between Poland and Ukraine. We have a multitude of Polish food products in Ukrainian stores and we also want to supply our raw materials for processing to Poland. We do not do it at the expense of anyone, but we cooperate in a manner that lets prosper all of us. This is not an easy task, although I hope that it will be possible to find comprehensive solutions also for the future – said the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister.

Today’s talks focused on Polish experiences from the period of accession and the first years of functioning on the European market and the topics discussed included also the requirements of EU standards faced by Ukraine and the need to build systems and institutions to meet the security and protection criteria.

At the meeting, Minister Stefan Krajewski was accompanied by the members of the Ministry’s management: Secretary of State Małgorzata Gromadzka, Undersecretary of State Adam Nowak and Chief Veterinary Officer Paweł Meyer.

The debaters agreed that stricter exchange of information and market data was needed, which would allow to accurately assess the situation in mutual relations. As noted by the Secretary of State Małgorzata Gromadzka, the current exchange of data would allow to better respond to cases of Russian disinformation aimed at fuelling negative emotions.

Another, working stage of meetings is announced to be held with the participation of representatives of industry organisations from Poland and Ukraine.