The European Commission on Tuesday adopted exceptional and temporary precautionary measures on imports of certain agricultural goods from Ukraine after pressure from five European Union member states, which blamed Ukrainian imports for the collapse of local prices. Sydorov writes about this with reference to the message of the European Commission.
The import ban concerns four agricultural products – wheat, maize, rapeseed, and sunflower seeds – originating from Ukraine. It aims to “eliminate logistical problems” related to these goods in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.
The measures will take effect on May 2 and last until June 5, 2023. During this period, the mentioned goods can be imported to all EU states except the mentioned five. At the same time, Ukrainian products can be transited through their territory.
” In parallel, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia have committed to lift their unilateral measures on wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed and any other products coming from Ukraine,” the European Commission emphasizes.
In addition, the EU executive body confirmed the provision of financial support to farmers in five EU member states, a decision on which will be made later. Measures will also be adopted to facilitate the transit of Ukrainian grain through “solidarity routes” to other EU member states and third countries.
” The Commission is ready to reimpose preventive measures beyond the expiry of the current Autonomous Trade Measures Regulation on 5 June 2023 as long as the exceptional situation continues,” the European Commission added.
Before that, at the end of April, the European Commission agreed in principle with Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia regarding Ukrainian agricultural products, the import of which these countries limited.
Official Kyiv protested to Poland and the European Union due to the introduction of restrictions on importing Ukrainian agricultural products as contrary to the Association Agreement.