The European Commission considers the unilateral restriction of grain imports by EU countries unacceptable

After the authorities of Poland and Hungary banned the import of agricultural products from Ukraine, the European Commission declared the inadmissibility of such unilateral actions by the EU countries.

Against the backdrop of the blockade of the Black Sea ports, a significant amount of Ukrainian grain, cheaper than European grain, ended up on European markets, which significantly lowered prices and caused losses to local farmers.

The European Commission reported that "it is aware of the statements of Poland and Hungary regarding the ban on the import of Ukrainian agricultural products, but reminds that trade policy is exclusively within the competence of the EU, therefore unilateral actions are unacceptable, and it is important to coordinate decisions within the EU at such a difficult time."

From April 15 and at least until June 30, Poland completely banned the import and even the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products until the creation of a system that will ensure only the transit of goods, without them entering the country's market. The Ministry of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine stated that such a ban contradicts the bilateral agreement on exports, and called for the fastest resolution of the problem, for which the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of both countries will hold a meeting on Monday.

Ukraine exports most of its agricultural products through the Black Sea ports, which were unblocked in July by the "grain agreement" between Ukraine, Turkey, the United Nations and the Russian Federation. Almost 3 million tons of grain are exported through the grain corridor every month, while only 200,000 tons of cargo are sent in transit through Poland from European ports. In general, 500-700 thousand tons of agricultural products pass through the border with Poland every month, including grain, oils, sugar, meat, etc.

Following Poland and Hungary, Bulgaria announced its intention to ban imports from Ukraine.

"After the introduction of such a ban by neighboring states, there is a risk of accumulation of Ukrainian products on the local market, which will cause losses to local farmers," the country's authorities said. This issue was discussed with the ministers of agriculture of six European countries, and back in September of last year, Bulgaria sent a corresponding request to Brussels.