The European Commission is looking for a solution to Ukrainian grain exports that will be acceptable to all parties – Dombrovskis

The European Commission continues to search for a solution for the export of Ukrainian agricultural products that can satisfy all parties. This was stated by Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission.

“Our position is very clear. We are looking for a solution that will satisfy all stakeholders. We have launched the ‘solidarity corridors’ initiative to allow Ukraine to export through them instead of the Black Sea routes. And in terms of (export) capacities, we are quite close to the total volume of Ukrainian agricultural exports. We hope that over the next year, exports will reach 4.7 million tons per month,” Dombrovskis said.

According to him, the progress towards such volumes is successful. A consensus solution is being sought to avoid possible lawsuits initiated by Ukraine at the World Trade Organization, as the EU is committed to helping Kyiv. But at the same time, it is necessary to pay attention to the concerns of the five border countries and look for a solution acceptable to all, Dombrovskis added.

The European official spoke about the discussion held on Wednesday regarding “solidarity corridors” and the issue of imports of Ukrainian agricultural products to the European Union, in particular to Ukraine’s neighboring countries. “The work will continue through a coordination platform involving Ukraine and the countries concerned,” he said.

According to him, this work will continue in the coming days and weeks, given the expiration of autonomous trade measures on September 15, which provide for a temporary ban on imports of wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds from Ukraine to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary.

The day before, at the informal EU Council in Cordoba, Janusz Wojciechowski, the European Commissioner for Agriculture, called for the extension of these measures until the end of the year and said that the European Commission would discuss this issue on September 6.

Tags: Ukraine, grain, EU, restrictions