EU agriculture ministers will discuss the possible extension of restrictions on imports of Ukrainian grain through bordering countries after September 15, European Commission spokeswoman Miriam Garcia Ferrer said on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th July, 2023) EU agriculture ministers will discuss the possible extension of restrictions on imports of Ukrainian grain through bordering countries after September 15, European Commission spokeswoman Miriam Garcia Ferrer said on Tuesday.
"On the extension of the preventive measures that, as you know, they are being phased out by the 15th of September, this is a topic that will be addressed today during the Agriculture Ministers council," Ferrer told a briefing, adding that "these measures are targeted and temporary."
She also noted that the EU was working hard on ways to get grain out of Ukraine after the suspension of the grain deal.
Ferrer did not specify whether the meeting would result in a concrete decision today, but advised to follow the press-conference after the meeting.
In March 2022, the European Union launched green corridors to facilitate the transit of Ukrainian grain to the world's markets amid Russia's military operation. In June 2022, Ukraine was granted a temporary duty-free trade arrangement with the bloc. However, the cheap grain from Ukraine ended up flooding EU markets instead, sparking outrage among local farmers.
On May 2, the European Commission banned the sale of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed, and sunflower seed in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia until June 5 in a bid to "ease logistical bottlenecks," but allowed their circulation in other European markets. The ban was later extended until September 15.
Last week, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Poland would unilaterally ban grain imports from Ukraine if the Commission did not extend the restrictions after September 15.
