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Warsaw, Bratislava and Budapest claim to be acting in the interests of their economies and that their bans are not aimed at Ukraine, but at protecting their farmers from a glut of products.
Ukraine plans to sue Poland, Hungary and Slovakia over bans on Ukrainian agricultural products, according to a statement from the country’s Agriculture Minister Mykola Solsky on Monday.
ADVERTISEMENTThe EU imposed restrictions in May that allowed five of Ukraine’s neighbours to ban domestic sales of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seeds, while allowing transit of such cargoes for export elsewhere.
Poland, Slovakia and Hungary announced their own restrictions on Ukrainian grain imports on Friday 15 September, after the European Commission declined to extend its ban on imports into Ukraine’s five EU neighbours.
Warsaw, Bratislava and Budapest claim to be acting in the interests of their economies and that their bans are not aimed at Ukraine, but at protecting their farmers from a glut of products.
Politico quoted Ukrainian trade representative Taras Kachka as saying it is important to prove these actions as “legally wrong”.
He further reportedly told Politico that Ukraine could impose reciprocal measures on the import of fruit and vegetables if Warsaw doesn’t drop its additional measures.
Ukraine may have support from Spanish agriculture minister Luis Planas Puchades.
He said the ban on Ukrainian grain by some member states looked illegal.
“The fact that any member country — I’m not judging one member country, but any member country — takes unilateral action restricting what is the access to the single market, seems to me something that is out of the law,” he told journalists, adding that it was up to the European Commission to be the judge.
Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus said Warsaw’s ban covers four cereals.
However it has also been extended to include meals from these cereals: corn, wheat, and rapeseed.
Kyiv has already said it could seek international arbitration over the restrictions.
ADVERTISEMENTUkrainian farmers have relied on grain exports through neighbouring countries through so-called Solidarity Lanes since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Farmers have been unable to use the favoured routes through Black Sea ports and about 60% of Ukraine’s grains has been moving through the EU alternative routes.
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