BRUSSELS/WARSAW – Poland, Slovakia and Hungary will implement their very own restrictions on Ukrainian grain imports, the governments mentioned on Friday, after the European Commission determined to not prolong a ban affecting Ukraine’s 5 EU neighbors.
Restrictions imposed by the European Union in May allowed Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia to ban home gross sales of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seeds, whereas allowing transit of such cargoes for export elsewhere.
“We will extend this ban despite their disagreement, despite the European Commission’s disagreement,” Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki advised a rally within the northeastern city of Elk. “We will do it because it is in the interest of the Polish farmer.”
Hungary imposed a nationwide import ban on 24 Ukrainian agricultural merchandise, together with grains, greens, a number of meat merchandise and honey, in line with a authorities decree revealed on Friday.
Slovakia’s agriculture minister adopted swimsuit asserting its personal grain ban. All three bans solely apply to home imports and don’t have an effect on transit to onward markets.
EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis mentioned on Friday international locations ought to chorus from unilateral measures towards imports of Ukrainian grain. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy mentioned it will reply in a “civilized fashion” if EU members break the principles.
The EU created different land routes, so-called Solidarity Lanes, for Ukraine to make use of to exports its grains and oilseeds after Russia, which invaded in 2022, backed out of a U.N.-brokered Black Sea grain deal in July that allowed protected passage for the cargo ships.
The EU Commission mentioned current measures would expire as initially deliberate on Friday after Ukraine agreed to introduce any authorized measures (together with, for instance, an export licensing system) inside 30 days to keep away from grain surges.
“It has concluded that thanks to the work of the Coordination Platform and to the temporary measures introduced on 2 May 2023, the market distortions in the 5 Member States bordering Ukraine have disappeared,” the European Commission mentioned in an announcement.
The EU mentioned it’ll chorus from imposing any restrictions so long as the efficient measures by Ukraine are in place and absolutely working.
Farmers within the 5 international locations neighboring Ukraine have repeatedly complained a couple of product glut hitting their home costs and pushing them in direction of chapter.
The international locations, besides Bulgaria, had been pushing for an extension of the ban handed its Sept. 15 expiry.
Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania beforehand mentioned they could prolong the restrictions unilaterally whereas Bulgaria on Thursday voted to scrap the curbs.
Romania sees over 60% of the alternate flows move via its territory primarily by way of the Danube river delta and its farmers have threatened to strike if the ban just isn’t prolonged.
For the final yr, Ukraine had been shifting 60% of its exports via the Solidarity Lanes and 40% by way of the Black Sea due to the deal.
In August, about 4 million tonnes of Ukraine grains handed via the Solidarity Lanes of which near 2.7 million tonnes had been via the Danube. The Commission desires to extend exports via Romania additional however the plan has been sophisticated by Russian drone assaults on Ukraine’s grain infrastructure alongside the Danube and close to the Romanian border. — Reuters
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
