Ukraine will sue the EU if the ban on agricultural imports is extended

If the EU extends the ban on imports of agricultural products from Ukraine to Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, and Hungary, Ukraine will file a lawsuit against the European Union and EU member states at the World Trade Organization (WTO). This was stated by Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine Taras Kachka in an interview with Politico.

According to him, a “systemic” threat to state interests “forces” Ukraine to bring the case to the WTO. Kachka added, however, that Kyiv does not intend to take immediate action, given the “spirit of friendship and solidarity” between Ukraine and the EU.

“With full respect and gratitude to Poland, if any bans are imposed after (September 15), Ukraine will file a lawsuit against Poland and the EU in the WTO,” he said.

Kachka also said that there is no evidence of any negative impact of Ukrainian agricultural products on the markets of the five countries that gave grounds for the ban.

“We have received considerable support in ensuring better transit of goods through the territory of neighboring member states, in particular Poland and Hungary. Over the past two months, we have made significant progress in cooperation with Romania on the transportation of goods from Ukraine,” Kachka said.

In May, the European Union allowed Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia to ban domestic sales of Ukrainian wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds, while allowing the transit of such goods for export to other countries. The ban is set to expire on September 15. If the ban is not extended, it is likely that each of these countries will impose a separate embargo on agricultural products. Hungary has already announced its intention to do so.

Later, EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski supported the extension of the temporary ban on imports of Ukrainian grain to Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia until the end of 2023 and proposed to provide subsidies for Ukrainian grain exporters.

Tags: Ukraine, grain, EU, restrictions