IndustriesToday, 08:59 Five EU member states extend restrictions on Ukrainian grain imports

Restrictions on Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed were adopted in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.

“These measures remain necessary for a limited time given the exceptional circumstances of severe logistical bottlenecks and limited grain storage capacity ahead of the harvest season” in the five countries, the EC said in a statement on Monday.

After the blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, with the beginning of Russia’s repeated invasion, Ukraine was forced to export a larger part of its production by land through the neighboring countries of the EU.

In a show of solidarity with Ukraine, the EU temporarily canceled import duties on Ukrainian agricultural products in May 2022. But an influx of Ukrainian grain into eastern European countries put pressure on prices and raised fears of distorting local markets, with Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia unilaterally banning their imports in April.

Later that month, Brussels reached an agreement with five member states, allowing them to ban the import of four Ukrainian agricultural crops until June 5 this year, as long as their transit to other countries is not impeded.

Kyiv called on the EU not to extend the restrictions after June 5.

Ukrainian Minister of Agriculture Mykola Solsky said that these restrictions are the same as giving Russian President Vladimir Putin “additional weapons” to fight against European unity.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called these measures “protectionist” and “cruel”.

Other EU member states, including France and Germany, have also expressed objections to the “different treatment” in the bloc’s internal market.