Ukraine will withdraw its claims to the WTO if it receives guarantees of no restrictions on agricultural imports in the future

If Ukraine receives guarantees that there will be no future restrictions on agricultural exports from European countries, it will withdraw its complaint to the World Trade Organization. This was stated by Deputy Minister of Economy Taras Kachka during a telethon.

“It is very important for us that the Polish side and other states and the European Union guarantee us that such restrictions will not happen in the future… So, of course, only when we receive guarantees will we formally announce to the whole world that this dispute is over. I think this issue will be the last to be considered,” he said.

According to him, it is now important to launch a mechanism for coordinating and verifying Ukrainian grain exports, as such a proposal has already been agreed upon by the EU and its member states. Ukraine considers such a mechanism acceptable.

“As we can see from the reaction of our partners, the WTO claim was quite the right step. Because it outlined the nature of our indignation,” Kachka added.

As reported, on September 15, 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 certain legal measures (e.g., an export licensing system) within 30 days to avoid sharp jumps in grain exports to these countries.

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

In response, Ukraine requested consultations with Slovakia, Poland and Hungary in accordance with the rules and procedures for dispute settlement under the Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Tags: Ukraine, grain, EU, Poland, restrictions