Hungary and four other EU countries want to extend restrictions on imports of Ukrainian grain

Hungary and four other EU countries are calling on the European Commission to extend the ban on imports of Ukrainian grain. This was stated by Hungarian Minister of Agriculture Istvan Nagy, Vilaggazdasag reports.

The Hungarian minister said that Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and Slovakia want the European Commission to extend the ban on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products to these countries after September 15, when the current restrictions expire.

“Regarding the import restrictions, Hungary shares the position of Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and Slovakia that the European Commission should extend the ban on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products even after September 15, as this is the only way to protect the interests of European farmers,” Nagy said.

Mr. Nagy also advocated for the continuation of the grain deal, as he said that when Ukrainian grain is transported by sea, a much smaller portion of it reaches Europe.

“Recently, a smaller and smaller share of Ukrainian agricultural products has been transported by sea, and the rest goes to Europe through five frontline countries. This is evidence of changes in the domestic market caused by the unrestricted flow of Ukrainian agricultural products to Europe,” he said.

He emphasized that the grain corridor must work properly so that the logistics and port infrastructure, which is important for transportation to markets outside Europe, can continue to develop.

Ban on Ukrainian grain supplies

As a reminder, the European Union imposed restrictions on imports of Ukrainian food on May 2 to relieve the oversupply of grain in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. These countries complained that cheaper Ukrainian grain made domestic production unprofitable.

In this regard, the European Commission has allocated €100 million to support EU farmers. The decision is aimed at defusing the situation around Ukrainian grain.

In early June, it became known that the European Commission had extended the ban on food imports from Ukraine to five EU countries until September 15.

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