Poland, Hungary and Slovakia have decided to extend the embargo on Ukrainian agricultural products, despite the decision of the European Commission to lift these restrictions.
According to Reuters, Hungary will continue to ban the export of 24 agricultural products, including grains, vegetables, some types of meat, honey and the like.
Budapest restrictions were confirmed by a representative of the Hungarian governmentZoltan Kovacs and the head of the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture Istvan Nagy.
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According to the minister, official Budapest will close its borders to 24 Ukrainian products.
— We will protect the interests of Hungarian farmers, — Nagy emphasized.
For its part, the Polish government reported that Poland will adhere to the continuation of the import ban of Ukrainian grain, despite the decision of the European Commission.
— Despite the lack of agreement from the European Commission, I say to all farmers in Poland, we will continue the ban on the import of Ukrainian grain. We will not listen to Berlin or von der Leyen, Tusk or Weber. We will do this because it is in the interests of the Polish farmer, — Niezalezna quotes Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
Slovakia adheres to a similar decision. Thus, the Slovak government decided to ban the import of four goods from Ukraine, including wheat, at the national level. The ban will remain in effect until the end of the year for wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds.
The decision by all three governments was made after the European Commission refused to extend the ban on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products beyond September 15.
Recall that from May 2, the ban on the free circulation of Ukrainian agricultural products in five neighboring states of Ukraine continued. The agreement was valid until today, September 15.
Trade restrictions were introduced due to dissatisfaction on the part of Polish farmers with agricultural workers from other countries, where protests often took place. Farmers blamed the jumps in grain prices on large volumes of imports of Ukrainian grain, which ends up in warehouses in these countries.
Countries such as Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia have previously made statements that they intend to extend ban on imports of Ukrainian grain until the end of 2023. At the same time, Bulgaria, as another neighboring country of Ukraine, adhered to the decision of the European Commission of September 15, when it did not extend the restrictions on Ukrainian grain.
In his evening address on September 15, President Vladimir Zelensky called on the countries bordering Ukraine, support the decision of the European Commission. Otherwise, these governments will wait for a civilized response, probably hinting at appealing to the arbitration of the World Trade Organization, as Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal previously spoke about.
