The governments of Poland, Hungary and Slovakia have announced that they want to further ban Ukrainian grain from their own markets. They had recently complained about heavily reduced prices due to Ukrainian imports. The Ukrainian government now wants to sue the three countries themselves at the World Trade Organization over the blockade.
Ukrainian trade representative Taras Kachka announced this on Monday. Last Friday, the European Commission terminated the special permit for the controversial trade restrictions on Ukrainian grain products. She justified the step by saying, among other things, that there was no longer any market disruption in the affected countries. The Ukrainian government must present a plan to prevent market disruptions in neighboring countries by today, Monday.
Farmers in Bulgaria protested
In addition to Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, this also includes Bulgaria and Romania. In Bulgaria, farmers have already protested with blockades against the lifting of the ban on the import of grain from Ukraine. Across the country on Monday, demonstrators closed highways and access roads to border points with Romania and Greece. Competition is feared.
Bulgaria, like Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, should continue to suspend imports of wheat, sunflower seeds, corn and rapeseed from Ukraine. There are also calls for an import ban on cooking oil, fruit, vegetables, milk and dairy products, meat, animals and honey from Ukraine. The government in Bucharest said Romania wanted to wait for Ukraine’s plan before considering its own steps.
Totschnig: “Distortions”
“We have seen the upheavals that have occurred,” Austrian Agriculture Minister Norbert Totschnig (ÖVP) said Monday before a meeting of agriculture ministers in Brussels. He showed understanding for both neighboring countries and Ukraine. He ruled out taking Austria’s own measures. Both parties must now enter into talks. In addition, the infrastructure must be expanded so that grain from Ukraine better reaches where it is needed, namely in countries in the Middle East and Africa.
According to Totschnig, the European Commission must ensure that the internal market works. This is the guardian of the contracts and must decide whether there has been misconduct by Ukraine’s neighbors, said German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens).
Source: Krone
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