2023-09-16 21:40:00
Poland, Slovakia and Hungary defy the European Union and will extend the ban on imports of Ukrainian grains
Workers harvest a wheat field in Zaporizhia, Ukraine, on July 4. Alexander Ermochenko/Archyde.com
Poland, Hungary and Slovakia will defy the European Union and extend a temporary ban imposed on imports of Ukrainian grains, in a move that is likely to anger the bloc’s leaders.
On Friday, the EU announced that it would lift restrictive measures imposed on the export of Ukrainian grains to a select number of Eastern European countries.
The temporary measure, adopted on May 2, banned the import of Ukrainian wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia to counter the risk of farmers in these countries being harmed by a bottleneck of cheap Ukrainian grains.
The European Commission said in a statement it was lifting the ban because Ukraine had committed to adopting export control measures that would prevent further disruption to neighboring economies.
While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejoiced, his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki did not welcome the EU’s decision.
“We will extend this ban despite the disagreement of the European Union,” Prime Minister Morawiecki said, according to the Polish state news agency PAP. “We will do it because it is in the interest of the Polish farmer,” he added.
A Polish government spokesperson formally announced the government’s plan to extend the ban on Ukrainian grain imports later on Friday.
Hungary also opted to maintain the ban, with the country’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban announcing plans on Saturday to “take matters into our own hands.”
“Ukrainian agricultural products destined for Africa flood the markets of Central Europe,” Orban stressed. “Brussels bureaucrats turn a blind eye to the problems… of European farmers once once more, so Hungary, Poland and Slovakia will extend the import ban nationwide.”
Slovakia’s Agriculture Ministry announced its decision to extend the ban in a Facebook post on Friday, citing the need to safeguard Slovakia’s “internal market.”
More context: European officials have tried to keep Ukrainian grain flowing during Russia’s war in Ukraine, fearing widespread famine caused by the blockade of ports and shipping routes to Africa and the Middle East.
The EU moved to remove tariffs on grain from Ukraine and facilitate its distribution to global markets, but those moves sparked protests from farmers elsewhere in Europe, who said the influx of cheap grain was hurting them.
The EU called meetings seeking a compromise ahead of Friday’s announcement and said the decision should meet the needs of both sides.
The decision by the three countries to implement their own measures is now expected to anger EU officials.
Earlier Friday, European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis called on countries to “work along the lines” of the new agreement and “refrain from taking unilateral measures” on Ukrainian grain imports.
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