• Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary request, through a joint letter addressed to the president of the European Commission, the reintroduction of customs duties on agricultural products from Ukraine.
The European states affected by the influx of cheap grain from Ukraine are asking the European Union for drastic measures to regulate the situation. Thus, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary, through a joint letter addressed to the president European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, considers it necessary both to reintroduce customs duties on Ukrainian agricultural products and to supplement the compensatory amounts granted to farmers affected by the difficult situation in the market.
right Reuters, the prime ministers of the five states, signal in this letter addressed to the head of the European Commission on Friday, 01.04.2023, the situation created following the suspension of import taxes and the application of the other support measures for the economy of Ukraine following the Russian invasion, namely the extent of market penetration of impressive quantities of Ukrainian products such as grain, oilseeds, poultry and sugar.
Due to logistical difficulties, these agricultural products, especially cereals, which should have transited the affected states, remained on the central and eastern European markets, at much lower prices, thus affecting local farmers.
On February 23, 2023, the European Commission proposed to extend for another year the suspension of import duties, as well as other measures to support the Ukrainian economy, with an emphasis on "roads of solidarity" for the export of Ukrainian grain by land. But, given the situation created, a fast mechanism to protect the EU's internal market was also included in this proposal.
Support for affected states
This mechanism will allow, at the initiative of an EU member state or the European Commission, the reintroduction of customs duties for a Ukrainian product if its import has consequences on the European market.
Incidentally, the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki writes on his Twitter page: "Let's support Ukraine, but let's do it intelligently and, above all, put the interests of the country and Polish farmers first."
Among the measures proposed in the letter of the five states is suggested a joint solution between the EU and World Food Programme, to ensure that the exported Ukrainian grain does not remain on the markets of the EU states. Added to these are the addition of funds to support affected farmers and the rapid development of transport infrastructure for the rapid transit of goods exported from Ukraine.
Article written by Gabriela Dan, Editor of Arta Albă
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