The European Commission temporarily banned the import of wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds from Ukraine. This happened after pressure from 5 EU member states, which blamed Ukrainian imports for the collapse of local prices.
This is stated in the message of the European Commission.
The ban will take effect on May 2 and will last until June 5, 2023. During this period, the mentioned goods can be imported to all EU countries, except Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. At the same time, Ukrainian products can be transited through their territory.
In parallel, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have committed to cancel their unilateral measures on wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds, as well as any other products originating from Ukraine.
In addition, the EU executive body confirmed the provision of financial support to farmers in five EU member states, which will be decided later.
- After the start of a full-scale war, the European Union canceled all tariffs and quotas for the transit of Ukrainian grain. Farmers from Poland, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia were reported to have lost €417 million due to the influx of Ukrainian grain into their markets.
- Already on April 15 , Poland banned the import of grain and other foodstuffs from Ukraine, and also decided to introduce a ban on their transit there.
- Subsequently, a ban on imports was announced in Hungary and Slovakia, but they promised to maintain transit. The European Commission called the decisions of the three countries unacceptable. After the negotiations, Poland promised to resume grain transit. However, the European Commission agreed to ban the import of wheat, corn, rape and sunflower. The European Commission also decided to allocate an additional €100 million to help farmers who suffered losses.