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Another EU country joins push to extend ban on Ukrainian grain Five EU nations push to extend ban on Ukrainian grain
(about 2 hours later)
The regulation blocking deliveries expires in September, but Poland hopes it ‘won’t end’ The regulation blocking deliveries expires in September, but countries neighboring Ukraine want restrictions to stay in place afterwards
Poland wants to extend EU restrictions on imports of Ukrainian grain, Agriculture Minister Robert Telus said in a radio interview on Tuesday. Five EU member states will ask Brussels for an extension of the ban on imports of Ukrainian grain to the bloc, Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus said on Wednesday, following a meeting with representatives from Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria.
According to the official, Warsaw is willing to help with the transit of Ukrainian produce through its territory, but not at the expense of its own farmers’ interests. Telus and his counterparts from the four nations have signed a statement on the extension of the ban until the end of the year.
“I see no substantive argument [for the ban to expire]. I’m hoping the embargo won’t end, that we will be able to win its extension within our coalition of five EU nations,” Telus was quoted as saying. “At our meeting, we signed a common statement of the five countries, primarily concerning the extension of the import ban on four types of grain. The restrictions imposed by the European Commission on these four types of grain have had an unexpectedly positive effect … Our common position is to extend this ban at least until the end of the year,” Telus was cited as saying.
Poland is one of five EU member states that maintain restrictions on imports of Ukrainian wheat, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower oil. The other four are Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria. The curbs were introduced by Brussels in May to protect farmers from the influx of cheap Ukrainian grain, which flooded markets after the EU suspended customs duties following the launch of Russia’s military operation last year. The embargo still allows the transit of Ukrainian grain through the five countries, and is due to expire on September 15. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, meanwhile, warned that his country may ban products from Ukraine unilaterally if the EU fails to come up with mechanisms and regulations that will protect Polish farmers when the official EU ban expires.
However, there are now concerns that Ukrainian produce could once again flow into those countries' markets, following the termination of the Black Sea Initiative, a UN-brokered deal between Ukraine and Russia which allowed Ukrainian grain to be transported via the Black Sea. The five EU member states maintain restrictions on imports of Ukrainian wheat, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower oil. The curbs were introduced by Brussels in May to protect farmers from the influx of cheap Ukrainian grain, which flooded markets after the EU suspended customs duties following the launch of Russia’s military operation last year. The embargo still allows the transit of Ukrainian grain through the five countries, and is due to expire on September 15.
Telus’s statement echoed another made last week by Hungarian Agriculture Minister Istvan Nagy, who said his country will demand an extension of the ban, calling it “the only way to protect the interests of European farmers.” However, there are now concerns that Ukrainian produce could once again flow into those countries’ markets, following the termination of the Black Sea Initiative – a UN-brokered deal between Ukraine and Russia that allowed Ukrainian grain to be transported via the Black Sea.
Slovak Agriculture Minister Jozef Bires told a news conference on Monday that the five states are working on an official statement for the European Commission “to consider our specific situation” and extend the restrictions, as well as expand them to include other products. Hungarian Agriculture Minister Istvan Nagy said last week that keeping the ban on Ukrainian grain imports in place was “the only way to protect the interests of European farmers.”
Slovak Agriculture Minister Jozef Bires told a news conference on Monday that the five states were working on an official statement for the European Commission “to consider our specific situation” and extend the restrictions, as well as expand them to include other products.
“We support Ukraine in every way, but under the condition that food imports can’t distort the internal market,” Bires said.“We support Ukraine in every way, but under the condition that food imports can’t distort the internal market,” Bires said.
Representatives of the five EU nations are scheduled meet in Warsaw on Wednesday to discuss the situation.
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