Background Europese Commissie
This is Brussels' new agricultural leader
The new composition of the European Commission was presented on 10 September. The Pole Janusz Wojciechowski (64) is following in the footsteps of Phil Hogan and will be the highest agricultural boss in Brussels for the next 5 years. Who is this man and what are other things that stand out?
At first sight, the new European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Developments is an unknown person with a difficult name. However, Wojciechowski is not new in the Brussels ranks. He is an expert in the field and has already served eight terms in the European Parliament for the 'Polish people's party', which is part of the European People's Party.
During his time as a member of parliament, Wojciechowski championed (Polish) pig farmers in various debates and pointed out all the dangers of African swine fever. He is known as a Christian Democrat, with a critical look at the European Union. For the Twitterers among us it is a nice side effect that Wojciechowski is also active on this medium, although he mostly posts in his native language.
Poland preyed on agriculture
The appointment of Wojciechowski is not a surprise. His name was already hanging a while in the air. It is striking, however, that for the first time a Pole is taking office as European Commissioner for Agriculture. The fact that an Eastern European is going to take up the post, on the other hand, is not new. Between 2010 and 2014 it was the Romanian Dacian CioloÅŸ.
The European Commissioner for Agriculture is a heavy responsibility, given that more than 35% of the total annual European budget (€140 billion) is distributed by that official. It is also not illogical that Poland is preying on this position. The country has more than 2 million farmers. The agricultural sector is thus the cork of the Polish economy. If Wojciechowski takes office from November 1, the Hogan era will come to an end.
Hogan gets promotion
Hogan will remain active in Brussels and will become European Commissioner of Trade. This portfolio will mainly be in the news during Brexit negotiations with the United Kingdom. He must also ensure that there is no trade dispute with the United States. Phil Hogan's promotion is proof that he has done a good job in the previous years.
Hogan often opted for more market power for the farmer. Furthermore, Hogen intervened in bad times on the dairy and pig market, but failed to do so on the sugar market. He also championed trade agreements with other power blocs, of which the much-discussed Mercosur is sharpest on the retina. Furthermore, in his time the European milk and sugar quotas were defunct. Last but not least, he will go down in the books as the founder of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). It is now up to Wojciechowski to complete this challenging job.
All in all, the Irishman was quite popular among European farmers. Whether the Pole will be, the future will show. A major challenge facing Wojciechowski is forging the new CAP. Eastern European member states are generally known to advocate direct payments (first pillar). For the time being, the new agricultural policy aims at a different remuneration structure. Poland today has the highest hectare aid in Europe.
About 40% of the total agricultural budget goes to that country. Any cuts in direct payments are said to be bad for Polish farmers. Wojciechowski will therefore have to navigate between the Polish interest on the one hand and the European interest on the other. Whether this Pole (in Dutch) can also reclaim the land, the future will tell.
Timmermans on climate
The highest post in the new European Commission is reserved for Ursula von der Leyen. She becomes the chairman. What is also striking is that the male-female distribution is almost equal. The new European Commission is represented by 13 women and 14 men. The Dutchman Frans Timmermans has been appointed as European Commissioner for Climate and Energy.
Indirectly, European farmers will experience the consequences of his policy. Timmermans had already opted for a balanced climate policy against the newspaper Trouw. "You don't have to take their meatballs from the European population with that," the newspaper wrote from his mouth at the time. More from Timmermans can be expected when 'The green deal' (the European climate plan) is presented later this year.
Wouter Job
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