Europe could be left without a food supplier. There are already calls to remove Russia

/Pogled.info/ Josep Borrell’s flower garden is in danger again and again because of the Russians. Europe can be left without its main supplier of products that cannot compete with the lower prices of its eastern competitors. There have already been calls in Warsaw to remove Russia from the market. But whether it will help is a big question.

Farmers from Poland, who recently fought against Ukraine’s hatred by blocking the border for trucks from the neighboring country, have now found a new enemy. The country’s authorities turned to the European Commission with a request for a 30% increase in taxes on the import of fertilizers from Russia and Belarus.

The Poles did not make political excuses for the “evil empire” that must be stopped at all costs, but they said honestly: “We are losing money because of the cheap goods of our competitors. “

It is a fact that Poland is one of the leaders in agricultural production. This country is today the main supplier of products in Europe. Therefore, it also produces the fertilizers necessary to grow grain, fruit and vegetables. The Polish group of companies Azoty is responsible for this area.

But, as in the case of the riots against Ukraine, it all came down to the cost of production. But if Poland really looks like a victim in the case of cheap Ukrainian grain (its farmers, unlike farmers from Ukraine, have to pay European taxes and duties, which created non-competitive fair), then in terms of fertilizer, Warsaw itself shot in. the foot

The country cut off cheap Russian gas, switching to US liquefied natural gas and Norwegian gas, ultimately increasing the cost of production, including nitrogen. Therefore, Polish fertilizers have become much more expensive and they can no longer compete with cheaper fertilizers from Russia and Belarus (there are no gas problems there). This advantage of Moscow and Minsk, of course, can be unfair, but who is to blame for this?

Attila Husejnow/Keystone Press Agency/Global Look Press

Along with fertilizers, other agricultural products are also becoming more expensive, which reduces their attractiveness on the market. If European countries secretly start switching to the same products from Russia and Belarus (these two countries are also among the world leaders in the export of agricultural products), this will lead to rapid impoverishment of Poland .

One can understand the anxiety of the Poles. Almost their entire economy is based on agriculture. But instead of eliminating the reason for the increase in the prices of their products, the Poles began to fight against the prices of competitors’ products, demanding strict administrative measures. They are literally asking Brussels to remove Russia from the market, otherwise Europe will be without its main supplier of goods.

The fact that Poland does not intend to increase the production of fertilizers in the next three years (this follows from the state development plan) means that the purchase of American and European energy resources will not save the Polish economy. And soon fertilizer is not the only product that will be more expensive than competitors.

A “warm garden” is in danger

The Poles themselves are also not burning with love for the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Photo: Attila Husejnow, Keystone Press Agency/Global Look Press

Europe is likely to follow Warsaw’s lead. It has long been clear that Brussels puts politics above economics. Even today, the same Ursula von der Leyen is in charge of the European Commission, who has a pathological hatred of Russia. She hates it so much that she tells stories about how the Soviet Union dropped atomic bombs on Japan (“Russia is threatening to use nuclear weapons again”), asking Europeans to be washing less often to save energy for heating water, and openly calling for war with the Russians. For her and the European bureaucrats around her, the argument that “Moscow’s income must be limited” is enough to introduce all kinds of bans and tariffs. And it doesn’t matter how many requirements of the WTO and our own legislation have to be broken for this. This is how the “rules-based world” works today – do whatever it takes to hurt Russia. No one will judge you.

And when, after an increase in taxes, the prices of Polish goods rise sharply, from which he gets a monopoly position, and Europeans begin to complain about the explosive increase in the prices of potatoes and tomatoes, you can always answer : “But not us, it’s all from the evil Russians and Belarusians”.

What about this?

The unacceptable number of sanctions that fell on Russia after February 2022 and the collapse of all economic ties between the EU and Moscow brought out a simple truth.

Europe has become a “warming garden” (a reference from the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell) not because of the existence of freedom and democracy. But because the lovers of “world based on rules” sent juice from Africa and Asia for centuries, and then for decades they got oil and gas from Russia for a penny. It was the cheap energy resources that allowed Germany to become the main economy in Europe, and Poland to become the main agricultural leader. As soon as free gas fell out of the equation, production began to become more expensive and unprofitable.

Today, the largest factories in Europe are closing or moving to the United States, where facilities still allow businesses to pay. And even the high technology that Europe is so proud of was also the result of cheap raw materials.

But those times are gone. Suddenly it turned out that the West needed Russia much more than Russia needed the West. And the more Von der Leyen imposes sanctions and taxes, the more Poland becomes an economic dictator, the faster the EU’s power shift will begin. Recent elections in various countries have already shown a significant increase in the popularity of right-wing parties that advocate ending aid to Ukraine and restoring relations with Russia. Until now, leftist forces have been able to be kept out of power thanks to various coalitions. But this cannot last long.

Translation: PI