While the European Union has suspended customs duties on all products imported from Ukraine for almost a year, neighboring countries denounce a destabilization of their agricultural market.
The measure is judged “unacceptable” by the European Union. Poland, Hungary and Slovakia announced on Saturday April 15 and Monday April 17 that they were temporarily banning imports of cereals and other agricultural products from Ukraine, accused in particular of destabilizing their national agricultural market.
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In Poland, in addition to cereals, these bans concern meat, milk, eggs, sugar and Ukrainian fruits and vegetables. These last three products are also prohibited for import into Slovakia, as are wine and honey. For Hungary, the bans will apply to cereals, oilseeds and several other products. Why are these Central and Eastern European countries taking these restrictive measures? Franceinfo lists three elements of response.
1 Because these commodities have flooded national markets
In May 2022, the European Union suspended customs duties on all products imported from Ukraine for a period of one year. The 27 were also organized to allow kyiv to export its grain stocks after the closure of routes by the Black Sea, following the Russian invasion. But after this decision, neighboring European states saw a sharp increase in arrivals of corn, wheat or sunflower from Ukraine, causing silos to become saturated and local prices to fall.
Due in particular to logistical problems: “Most of the grain had to be re-exported from the EU to the Middle East and Africa (…) The grain remained in countries close to Ukraine due to a shortage of trucks and trains to transport it to neighboring ports”, explain it Financial Times (article in English and reserved for subscribers).
Faced with this influx of low-cost products, the incomes of farmers in the countries concerned have plummeted. Demonstrations by farmers have been organized to protest against this situation, such as reports it in a tweet Michal Kolodziejczak, chairman of the political party Agrounia, from Hrubieszow, Poland.
2 Because these countries are asking for more European aid
Faced with these problems, the EU proposed on March 20 to draw 56.3 million euros from the European agricultural crisis reserve to support destabilized farmers in Poland, Romania and Bulgaria. “Brussels thus plans to allocate 29.5 million euros to Poland, 16.75 million to Bulgaria and 10.05 million to Romania”precise The Express.
Too low compensation, according to several States. At the end of March, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria requested additional aid “to support agricultural producers who have suffered losses”. “We are considering a second package [d’aides]it is under discussion”replied Monday the spokesperson for the European Commission for Trade and Agriculture, Miriam Garcia Ferrer.
3 Because Slovakia denounces the presence of a pesticide banned in Europe in Ukrainian foodstuffs
When announcing the ban on imports of cereals and other food products from Ukraine, the Slovak government clarified that the measure was not only aimed at protecting the national agricultural sector, but also the health of consumers.
The Ministry of Agriculture reported last week that after analyzing a grain sample from Ukraine, “the presence of a pesticide, which is not authorized in the EU and has a negative impact on human health” had been detected. Bratislava has not commented further at this stage on the nature or the dangerousness of this pesticide.