EU Commissioner urges Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia to lift Ukraine's grain import restrictions
Photo: EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis (Getty Images)
European Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis called on Poland, Hungary and Slovakia to lift the unilateral restriction on the import of grain from Ukraine, according to the statement of the European Commissioner during the debate in the Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament on February 12.
European Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis called on Poland, Hungary and Slovakia to lift the unilateral restriction on the import of grain from Ukraine, according to the statement of the European Commissioner during the debate in the Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament on February 12.
As the European politician stated, after all, the EU has developed alternative mechanisms that will help protect European farmers from the surplus of Ukrainian products.
Dombrovskis reminded that the European Commission has already introduced protective measures for Ukraine's neighboring countries during the import of mainly raw Ukrainian goods, such as grain, corn and sunflower seeds.
He also emphasized that later the European Commission together with Ukraine developed an export control mechanism, and it is already successfully functioning between Ukraine and Romania.
Dombrovskis stated that the mechanism did not function with Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia, citing their continued application of unilateral restrictions. He noted that these actions contradicted both the exclusive competence of the EU in trade policy and the obligations outlined in the Free Trade Agreement with Ukraine and the WTO.
In addition, he noted that the European Commission proposed to introduce autonomous trade measures for countries that face a negative impact on the market from Ukrainian exports. These are "sensitive products", such as eggs, sugar and sunflower oil, for which the European Commission proposed to establish a maximum quota, which is the average of import data for 2022-2023.
Dombrovskis also reminded that the action of the "solidarity corridors" remains relevant, despite Ukraine's resumption of exports through the Black Sea, as it still has not reached pre-war indicators.
Incident on the Ukrainian-Polish border
Yesterday, on February 11, during the blockade of the border with Ukraine, Polish farmers stopped three Ukrainian trucks and dumped part of the grain that was being exported from them. The Ukrainian side has already reacted to the incident, contacting the police and calling for those involved to be brought to justice.
The district prosecutor's office of the city of Chelm (Poland) started an investigation into the fact of dumping grain from Ukrainian trucks on the border with Ukraine. The investigation is being conducted on the fact of destruction of property and violation of customs security.
Read more about the incident at the border in RBC-Ukraine.
