EU underlines importance of common approach to agricultural imports from Ukraine - European Commission
On Wednesday, the European Commission discussed the problem of excessive agricultural imports from Ukraine and the EU market with five "frontline" countries and Ukraine, and outlined ways to solve this problem.
Executive Vice President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis and European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski said this in a joint statement following a meeting with representatives of Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Romania, as well as Ukraine.
The full text of the document is published on the European Commission’s website, Ukrinform reports.
“We presented the EU's comprehensive proposals to address the concerns expressed by these 5 Member States regarding the deterioration in the situation of Union producers for specific products. This proposed Commission package includes a second tranche of agricultural financial support to affected farmers, exceptional safeguard measures on key products and measures to facilitate the transit of Ukrainian grain exports via the Solidarity Lanes. The Commission's proposed package is subject to Member States lifting their unilateral measures,” the document says.
“We underlined the importance of rapidly following a common EU approach, rather than unilateral solutions to avoid multiple bans and solutions which put the internal market at risk,” representatives of the European Commission said.
According to the statement, the Commission took note of the views presented by participants.
“We agreed to continue political consultations in the coming days in view of a swift solution,” the document says.
As reported, there were protests by local farmers in the countries bordering Ukraine, who are suffering from the influx of Ukrainian agricultural exports that resulted in a decrease in market prices for agricultural products.
The governments of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria have announced a ban on the imports of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products. The European Commission insists on finding a common solution to existing problems within the EU.
The governments of five EU countries - Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria - addressed the European Commission with a letter proposing that protective measures be taken to limit agricultural imports from Ukraine.