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EU international locations criticised Warsaw and different capitals on Tuesday for refusing to reverse unilateral import bans on grain from war-torn Ukraine.
Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria imposed various restrictions greater than per week in the past on cereals and different foodstuffs following a glut build up on their native markets.
A number of agriculture ministers criticised the unprecedented strikes at a gathering in Luxembourg, declaring that they weren’t backed by strong information and breached EU commerce coverage.
Czech deputy agriculture minister Miroslav Skřivánek accused the international locations of shutting the door on a neighbour in want. “We as Czechs consider bans aren’t resolution,” he mentioned at a convention in Poland.
Recalling the accession of 10 principally former Communist international locations to the EU in 2004, he added: “The previous member states weren’t afraid to allow us to on to their markets: now someone is coming and knocking at our door and needing assist.” Ukraine has utilized to change into a member of the EU and member states final yr granted it official candidate standing — a undertaking spearheaded by Poland.
Polish officers argue that their nation’s unwavering help for his or her neighbour’s battle towards Russian aggression is a separate matter.
“Poland is the primary nation within the EU by way of help to Ukraine however this can’t be performed on the expense of Polish farmers,” mentioned Polish state secretary for agriculture Janusz Kowalski.
He mentioned that “customs duties needs to be imposed” notably on grain but additionally on different foodstuffs that had been competing unfairly with Polish merchandise.
The EU dropped tariffs on Ukrainian foodstuffs and eased sanitary controls to help the nation after Russia’s invasion final yr. The measure expires on June 30 however is predicted to be prolonged for one more yr.
The excessive price of transport and bumper world grain harvests have left many provides caught in Ukraine’s neighbouring international locations, slicing incomes for farmers there.
In Luxembourg Ukraine’s agriculture minister mentioned the ban with European officers. Mykola Solskyi advised EU agriculture ministers that farmers within the bloc wanted Ukrainian grain to feed their livestock, and added that low grain costs had been a results of a bumper harvest in Brazil, not Ukrainian manufacturing.
A number of ministers intervened to sentence the unilateral measures, in line with an EU official. “It‘s essential that we don’t put too many extra burdens on Ukraine,” mentioned an EU diplomat.
European commissioners Valdis Dombrovskis and Janusz Wojciechowski additionally met representatives of the 4 international locations plus Romania to dealer an answer. Romania is also affected by the grain glut however has up to now kept away from imposing the import ban.
Final week the 5 international locations proposed limiting imports of 5 cereals, permitting them to transit solely, together with €100mn of monetary help for farmers. The group desires the measures prolonged to sunflower oil, flour, sugar, meat, dairy and different produce.
“The withdrawal of those measures could also be thought-about solely after market stability has been restored within the bordering member states or ones close to the border,” mentioned their joint submission to fellow EU ministers.
Samuel Vlcan, Slovak agriculture minister, advised reporters the fee should purchase grain along with the UN’s World Meals Programme straight from Ukraine and co-finance its transport.
“This grain needs to be transported to these international locations that had been conventional markets of Ukraine, similar to Egypt and different international locations in Africa and Asia,” he mentioned. “To place extra meals right into a saturated [European market] is an issue.”
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