European Commission limited itself to calling on five countries to lift the embargo on grain imports from Ukraine

The European Commission has called on the five border countries that have imposed an embargo on imports of a number of agricultural products from Ukraine in violation of EU rules to lift the ban. This was stated at a briefing by European Commission spokesman Olof Gill.

According to him, the European Commission monitors the flow of agricultural exports to the EU from Ukraine and hopes for a plan proposed by Kyiv to resolve contradictions with five border countries – Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

“Ukraine has adopted an action plan to regulate and control exports to the EU. And the Commission’s priority remains to work constructively with all parties to make sure that the action plan can serve the interests of all,” said Hill.

The spokesman added that the European Commission called on the countries blocking Ukrainian agricultural exports to lift the embargo, asking them to provide Brussels with updates on the situation.

As reported, last week, Polish Agriculture Minister Czeslaw Sekerski said that the new government would not lift the ban on imports of a number of agricultural products from Ukraine, and the embargo on their imports to Poland would be indefinite. At the same time, the country’s authorities recognize that this decision violates EU rules and will try to legally adapt it to them.

Back on September 15, 2023, the European Commission refused to extend the temporary ban on imports of Ukrainian wheat, corn, sunflower seeds, and rapeseed to five EU countries neighboring Ukraine. At the same time, Ukraine agreed to introduce an export licensing system to avoid sharp jumps in grain exports to these countries.

However, Slovakia extended its previous EU ban on imports of four types of grain, Poland imposed additional bans on Ukrainian flour and feed, and Hungary banned 25 more products that were not previously discussed, including meat.

Ukraine is currently negotiating the introduction of a mechanism for licensing the export of Ukrainian agricultural products with mandatory verification in each of the five countries, and it is known that specific agreements have been reached with Bulgaria.

Tags: Ukraine, Bulgaria, grain, Romania, EU, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, restrictions