Several eastern states of the European Union demand that the EU introduce import duties on Ukrainian grain.
The Ministry of Agriculture of Hungary reported that the agriculture ministers of Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia sent a letter to the European Commission asking them to take action. They insist that cheaper agricultural products from Ukraine are eating up their export markets.
The five signatories are among the six EU member states that produce significantly more wheat and maize than they need. They are very important for European food security. That’s why Brussels needs to take measures that protect the markets of member states bordering Ukraine. One of the measures could be the introduction of import duties on the most sensitive agricultural products.
According to some analysts, farmers in Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia suffered significant losses after the EU suspended quotas and customs duties on grain imports from Ukraine last year.
The ministers also called on the European Commission to examine whether Ukrainian production instructions meet EU standards.