The Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave five reasons why the EU should lift the ban on imports of Ukrainian grain

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has explained why the EU should lift the ban on imports of Ukrainian grain, which expires on Friday, September 15.

The post was published on Facebook by the department's representative, Oleg Nikolenko, giving five main reasons why the ban should be lifted:

1. Ukraine and the European Union have established a joint coordination platform where all reservations of certain EU countries are resolved.

2. Exports of agricultural products from Ukraine do not lead to destabilization of the European market, because even with the European Commission's ban and the long-term lack of imports of Ukrainian grains, the problems of farmers in Slovakia, Poland, Romania and Hungary persisted. First of all, it is necessary for the governments of these countries to consider national decisions, which should not include restrictions imposed on Ukraine. Brussels has many support tools in this area.

    

3. Bulgaria's decision to resume imports of Ukrainian grain, adopted on Thursday, September 14, only confirms the groundlessness of unilateral restrictive measures.

    

4. Restricting the export of Ukrainian grain products plays into the hands of Russia, which is Ukraine's competitor on world grain markets. For the aggressor country, the lack of bans on access to the EU market is a huge advantage, and reducing the volume of supplies of Ukrainian grain opens up an opportunity to increase the profits that the Russian Federation uses to finance the war with Ukraine.

    

5. The import ban is illegal because it violates the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU and violates the rules and norms of the EU Single Market.

Ban on the import of Ukrainian grain to the EU - what is known

On June 5, the European Commission imposed a ban on the export of wheat, barley, rapeseed and sunflower from Ukraine to five EU countries until September 15. Ukrainian grain can be imported to these countries only under transit conditions.

The conflict began in April. Then Poland introduced a ban on the import of grain from Ukraine. Previously, Polish farmers protested for several months against the transport of Ukrainian agricultural products through Poland to third countries. They found that a significant part of Ukrainian grain is not sent further in transit, but settles in Poland, causing an imbalance in Polish markets and lowering the prices of Polish farmers' products.

Later, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania announced a temporary ban on imports from Ukraine of grains and oil plants, as well as some other agricultural products, which only allowed transit.

On September 12, Poland decided to extend the ban on imports of Ukrainian grain after September 15.

22 out of 27 EU countries do not support the appeals of Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Slovakia to extend the ban on imports of Ukrainian grain after September 15.

One EU diplomat believes that the decision to extend import restrictions will be “purely political” as elections will be held in Poland in mid-October. In response, a senior Polish official admitted that the upcoming “elections in Poland played a role”. The elections in Poland will take place on October 15, 2023.

Instead, Ukraine announced that it would seek compensation from World Trade Organization arbitration for violations of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade if Poland continued its embargo on Ukrainian grain exports.

Hungary announced that it has reached an agreement with Romania, Slovakia, and Bulgaria to introduce national bans on imports of Ukrainian grain if the EU does not extend the ban, which ends on September 15.