Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia support extending a EU ban on Ukrainian grain import to those countries until the end of the year, Poland's Agriculture Minister Robert Telus said on Friday.
The European Union in May allowed Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia to ban domestic sales of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seeds, while permitting transit of such cargoes for export elsewhere. This ban is set to expire on Sept. 15.
Poland has said it would not lift the ban even if the EU does not agree on its extension.
"We support a ban on imports into our countries until the end of the year," Telus told a news conference.
"I want to say that even if it fails, some countries will introduce their own restrictions. Our declaration is clear," the Polish minister added.
The five countries' agriculture ministers also agree that they support grain transit subsidies and want other products to be added to the list of import bans, such as raspberries in the case of Poland, Telus said.
Before the EU measure, the central European countries imposed unilateral bans early this year on Ukrainian grain imports to protect their domestic producers, after a surge in Ukrainian grain exports into the five states in 2022 and early 2023.
The current EU deal to protect farmers in the five states is due to expire next month and the central European countries want it to be extended at least until the end of the year.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, Reuters