EU nations seek to end Ukraine farm import standoff
BRUSSELS –
Hoping to take care of a unified stance on Russia’s struggle in Ukraine, the European Union on Tuesday regarded for a option to fulfill the issues of member nations going through a destabilizing glut of Ukrainian farm exports.
The 27-nation EU lifted agricultural import restrictions final 12 months to assist Ukraine get its huge grain provides to world markets amid a Russian blockade. Eastern European nations like Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia have since reported being flooded with imported merchandise.
To defend their farmers, the nations unilaterally banned Ukrainian farm imports for his or her nationwide markets. The strikes went towards the precept that the EU units commerce coverage for all 27 nations and will give the impression that the bloc is preventing internally as a substitute of going through Russia collectively.
“We are really, really afraid of the consequences of these unilateral restrictions. And Finland sees that this restrictions can call into question unity in support of Ukraine,” Finnish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Antti Kurvinen mentioned.
Overall although, there was acceptance that the lifting of import tariffs had severely skewed native markets in nations near Ukraine. In Poland, wheat imports went from 2,375 tons in 2021 to 500,008 tons final 12 months. Maize went from 5,863 tons to 1,840,670 tons over the identical interval.
Similar will increase had been seen in Hungary, Slovakia and Romania.
Agriculture ministers from all through the EU met Tuesday to determine a compromise resolution.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote the leaders of Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Bulgaria final week with a set of proposals that she mentioned “responds specifically to the concerns of front-line member states and stakeholders, including farmers, and will allow us to react even quicker in the future.”
Von der Leyen’s letter acknowledged the problems that farmers encountered after the EU lifted duties on Ukrainian grain to ease exports when Russia’s naval blockade stored shipments from leaving Ukraine’s Black Sea ports final 12 months. Relaxing the tariffs led to unintended export surges and, consequently, decrease costs that reduce into farmers’ incomes.
The European Commission’s proposals construct on an preliminary assist bundle of 56.3 million euros for probably the most affected farmers with the opportunity of a second bundle of 100 million euros.
Any EU resolution must embrace the front-line nations retracting their import bans, officers mentioned.
“We need joint solidarity, and our stand in the markets must be a common one,” French Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Marc Fesneau mentioned.
