Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and Slovakia want European Commission to extend ban on imports of Ukrainian grain
Hungary and four other EU countries call on the European Commission to extend the ban on Ukrainian grain imports.
This was stated by Hungarian Minister of Agriculture Istvan Nagy, reports Censor.NЕТ with reference to RBC-Ukraine.
The Hungarian minister said that Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and Slovakia want the European Commission to extend the ban on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products to these countries after September 15, when the current restrictions expire.
"Regarding the import restrictions, Hungary shares the position of Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and Slovakia that the European Commission should extend the ban on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products even after September 15, as this is the only way to protect the interests of European farmers," Mr. Nagy said.
Nagy also called for the continuation of the grain deal, because, according to him, when Ukrainian grain is transported by sea, a much smaller portion of it reaches Europe.
"Recently, a smaller and smaller share of Ukrainian agricultural products has been transported by sea, and the rest goes to Europe through five frontline countries. This is evidence of changes in the domestic market caused by the unrestricted flow of Ukrainian agricultural products to Europe," he said.
He emphasized that the grain corridor must work properly so that the logistics and port infrastructure, which is important for transportation to markets outside Europe, can continue to develop.
The minister also said that in order to further transport agricultural products stuck in warehouses, the countries have already taken the initiative in Brussels to introduce a progressive subsidy for transit transportation to compensate for this difference in cost.
"This would make it feasible to transport grain further and prevent the absurd situation when dumping from Ukraine causes serious disruptions in the eastern EU, while in Spain, for example, the deficit is compensated by Brazilian grain, because it is even cheaper to ship it across the ocean than to transport the stuck harvest by road or rail," he explained.
