Ukraine calls on EU to ban imports of Russian agricultural products
22 February 10:52
At the European level, Ukraine is raising the issue of a ban on the export of Russian agricultural products. According to the Ukrainian side, this will significantly reduce the tension around the situation with Ukrainian goods. Ambassador of Ukraine to the EU Vsevolod Chentsov said this, Radio Liberty reports with reference to Radio Liberty.
“In the context of recent events, we have raised this issue even more acutely, that it is unacceptable when Polish farmers are fighting with Ukrainian products at a time when not only Poland, but the EU as a whole imports significant quantities of Russian products. This could be a very important element in resolving the problem. If Russian exports are closed, the tension and the burden on producers here in the EU will be immediately reduced,”
– said the ambassador.
He claims that Ukraine has the support of member states in this matter. In particular, Latvia has recently launched a similar initiative.
Border blockade
on 9 February 2024, Polish farmers began a new nationwide strike and blockade of the border with Ukraine, which will last until 10 March. The initiator was the independent farmers’ trade union Solidarity. Starting from 12 February, they plan to block all checkpoints. The main demand of the protesters is to cancel the preferential trade regime with Ukraine and return the permit system for importing goods into Poland.
Problems at the border began on 6 November 2023, when Polish transport companies began blocking truck traffic at three major checkpoints on the Ukrainian border: “Korczowa-Krakowiec, Hrebenne-Rava-Ruska, and Dorohusk-Yagodyn. One of the requirements was to reinstate the permits for Ukrainian carriers that had been cancelled under the agreement with the EU by 30 June 2024.
On6 January, truck traffic to the Medyka-Shehyni border crossingin Poland resumed. Three other border crossing points were opened on 17 January, namely Dorohusk – Yagodyn, Hrebenne – Rava-Ruska, and Korczowa – Krakivets.
In Romania, on 13 and 14 January, local farmers blocked the movement of Ukrainian trucks through the Siret checkpoint, and on 15 January, they began blocking the Vicovu de Sus checkpoint. on 18 January, Romanian farmers began blocking the Dyakove-Halmeu checkpoint. However, as of 20 January, these checkpoints were opened.
Currently, the blockade of the border continues – “Polish farmers” are blocking truck traffic at six checkpoints. on 21 February, according to the State Border Guard Service, there were more than 2,500 trucks in queues.
Meanwhile, Poland has already imposed an embargo on Ukrainian grain, according to Polish Deputy Minister of Agriculture Michal Kolodziejczak.
Polish Minister of Development and Technology Krzysztof Hetman, in turn, said that Poland could impose an embargo on all Ukrainian agricultural products.
Yesterday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy scheduled a meeting with Polish leaders at the border.
The preferential trade regime and its opponents
Many EU members did not like the quota-free imports of Ukrainian products to the EU, which were in effect in 2022-2023. In particular, a number of Eastern European countries demanded that the EU impose import duties on Ukrainian goods, citing unfair competition. The ministers of agriculture of Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia sent a letter to the European Commission asking for action, stating that cheaper agricultural products from Ukraine were eating into their export markets.
The Ukrainian side tried to reach an agreement with the ‘problematic’ countries.” In particular, on 26 January, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a resolution that improves the rules for exporting certain types of agricultural products. According to the resolution, a company may be excluded from the list of verified agricultural entities if it violates these rules.
At the end of January 2024, the European Commission effectively reintroduced quotas for some Ukrainian goods. It extended the special preferential regime with Ukraine for a year, but set special conditions and safeguards for some goods.
In particular, in order to “stabilise imports at the level of average volumes in 2022-2023”, the EU has come up with an “emergency braking” mechanism for three products: poultry, eggs and sugar.
In practice, this means setting a quota at the level of the average export volume in 2022-2023, exceeding which will automatically result in an import tariff being applied to the products.
Thus, the EC’s decision effectively brings back quotas for some Ukrainian products, even if at the average level of Ukrainian exports. However, even this compromise solution does not suit the Polish farmers’ union.
Thedecision was approved by EU ambassadors, and now the European Parliament has to support it.
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