The Polish Ministry of Agriculture believes that the free trade agreement between the EU and Canada (CETA) should not be a direct threat to Poland's agricultural sector, and in this sense, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Ewa Lech reported that the period of provisional application will be used by Poland to assess the impact of the agreement on Polish agriculture and the food sector.
"Despite some general reservations, in our opinion, CETA will not be a direct threat to the Polish agricultural sector," stressed Deputy Minister Lech.
In her opinion, this is due, among other factors, to the small share of Canada's agricultural exports to the EU and Poland, as well as to the fact that the liberalization of customs duties on imports of the most sensitive agricultural products will be limited.
"We also see certain advantages in the case of processed fruit and vegetables, for which we see opportunities in that market," she said.
The Deputy Minister also reminded that the agreement will not entail any changes for goods which have not yet been admitted to trading on the EU market.
"As for the controls, everything will be done under the existing rules. (...) Inspections will continue to be carried out, with checks at border crossings, the importers' premises and/or at the products' final destination, depending on the type of food," stated Deputy Minister of Lech.
Source: biznes.onet.pl
