EU restrictions on grain imports from Ukraine were extended until September 15

Restrictions on the import of Ukrainian agricultural products imposed by five member states in an effort to defend local farmers will be extended by the European Union until September 15, the commission announced on Monday.

major producer of grains Following the invasion that started in February of last year, Russia blockaded Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, forcing Ukraine to export more of its produce by land through EU neighbors.

In May 2022, the EU abolished import taxes on agricultural items from its war-torn neighbor as a show of support.

However, the influx of Ukrainian grain imports into eastern European nations drove up prices and stoked worries about market saturation, leading Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia to unilaterally restrict them in April.

Later that month, Brussels and five member states came to an agreement that is set to expire on Monday, allowing the states to obstruct the commercialization of four products as long as their transit to other nations is not impeded.

According to a statement from the European Commission, the bloc will “phase out by 15 September” the limitations on Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed, and sunflower seeds that were put in place because of “logistical bottlenecks” in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.

Given the unique circumstances of severe logistical bottlenecks and constrained grain storage capacity prior to the harvest season in the five nations, it continued, “These measures continue to be necessary for a limited period of time.

The extraordinary and short-term measures, according to the commission, “fully respect the EU’s strong commitment to support Ukraine and preserve its ability to export its grains, which are crucial to feeding the world and containing food prices.”

The revised schedule will also attempt to solve difficulties Ukraine will encounter when exporting this year’s crop, it was stated.

To enhance trade flow and the passage of agricultural products through corridors, the commission, the five member states, and Ukraine have established a joint coordination platform.

Kiev had urged the bloc to withdraw the sanctions on June 5 at the latest. Mykola Solskyi, the minister of agriculture for Ukraine, compared them to providing Russian President Vladimir Putin “extra weapons” to undermine the unity of Europe.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, has labeled the actions “protectionist” and “cruel.”

Other EU nations have also voiced their opposition to what they called “differential treatment” within the bloc’s internal market, including economic giants France and Germany.