The European Commission has extended restrictions on grain imports from Ukraine until September 15, the European Union Regulation having already been published in the Official Journal, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Petre Daea, said on Tuesday.
“The European Union Regulation has already appeared in the Official Journal. The restrictions on wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower imports from Ukraine are extended until September 15. It proves that we were persistent, we managed to transmit the necessary information, and The European Commission understood the difficulties faced by farmers and decided on this aspect, considering that we will soon enter the harvest and we must have the free spaces, but also the possibility to capitalize on the production both internally and externally”, he stated Petre Daea, informs Agerpres.
Regarding the unlocking of the second support package for farmers affected by cheap imports from Ukraine, worth 100 million euros, within which the Commission proposed the allocation of an amount of almost 30 million euros for Romania, the Minister of Agriculture conveyed that the compliance of Hungary is currently expected, which must suspend the unilateral measure it has taken.
“I hope that Hungary complies and suspends the unilateral measure it has taken, because it is a condition imposed by the European Commission. I hope that after the extension of restrictions on grain imports from Ukraine, after the appearance of Regulation 1100 of June 5, 2023 , Hungary should suspend its measure, and the Commission should release the money”, said the Minister of Agriculture.
On May 2, the European Union imposed restrictions until June 5, for imports of wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds from Ukraine, with the idea of reducing the excess supply of cereals in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. These countries have complained that cheap grain from Ukraine makes local production unprofitable. The community executive specified that during this period, wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds from Ukraine will be able to be sold in any other country in the community block.
On the other hand, on Monday, Brussels decided to reduce the number of products affected by restrictions, for example, restrictions will no longer be applied to sowing seeds. Also, the transit of goods to other EU member states is still allowed, through the “solidarity corridors” (created to help Ukraine export its grain after it could no longer use its Black Sea ports).
“These measures continue to be necessary for a limited period of time, taking into account the exceptional circumstances of logistical disruptions and limited grain storage capacity, ahead of the harvest season, faced by the five Member States,” the European Commission informed .
Previously, the EU liberalized all imports from Ukraine with the idea of helping the authorities in Kiev to counter the Russian invasion. Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia became transit routes for grain from Ukraine that could no longer be exported by sea because Ukrainian ports were blocked due to the war.
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called for the unconditional removal of all export restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural products during talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
As early as May, Petre Daea, together with his counterparts from four other EU member states, namely Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, sent a letter to the community forum in which they requested the restriction of imports of Ukrainian agricultural products and the extension of the term and after June 5. He stated that the proposed measure supports Romanian farmers who will no longer face competition from Ukrainian products on the local market.
Editor : D.R.
