restrictions on Ukrainian grain imports into the European Union extended until September 15

Measurements “temporary and exceptional”, promises Brussels. Restrictions imposed by five members of the European Union on the import of Ukrainian cereals may be extended until September 15, the European Commission announced on Monday (June 5). And this, despite opposition from kyiv and resistance from part of the Twenty-Seven, including France and Germany.

This period should be used to “improve” the logistical structures for the transport of cereals to relieve these neighboring countries and allow Ukraine to sell its summer harvests, justified the Commission. It must be said that faced with the influx of Ukrainian agricultural products, several neighboring countries such as Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria unilaterally banned the import of cereals from Ukraine in mid-April. Objective: stem the saturation of their silos and the collapse of local prices.

Guardian of the EU’s trade policy, the Commission had concluded, at the end of April, with these four States and Romania, an agreement providing for “safeguard measures” to allow them to block the marketing of Ukrainian wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower on their soil, until June 5. Provided that they do not prevent their transit to other countries.

“These measures remain necessary for a limited period, given the exceptional circumstances of severe logistical bottlenecks and limited grain storage capacity before the harvest season in these five Member States”insists the European executive in a press release. “As agreed, a joint platform has been set up to coordinate the efforts” of the Commission, the five states, as well as Ukraine “to improve trade flows and the transit of agricultural products”he adds.