Recasts with European Fee assertion
WARSAW, April 16 (Reuters) – Unilateral motion on commerce by European Union member states is unacceptable, a European Fee spokesperson mentioned on Sunday, after Poland and Hungary introduced bans on grain and different meals imports from Ukraine to guard the native agricultural sector.
After Russia’s invasion blocked some Black Sea ports, massive portions of Ukrainian grain, which is cheaper than that produced within the European Union, ended up staying in Central European states as a consequence of logistical bottlenecks, hitting costs and gross sales for native farmers.
The difficulty has created a political drawback for Poland’s ruling nationalist Regulation and Justice (PiS) celebration in an election 12 months because it has angered folks in rural areas the place assist for the PiS is often excessive.
“We’re conscious of Poland and Hungary’s bulletins relating to the ban on imports of grain and different agricultural merchandise from Ukraine,” the spokesperson mentioned in an emailed assertion. “On this context, it is very important underline that commerce coverage is of EU unique competence and, due to this fact, unilateral actions should not acceptable.”
“In such difficult instances, it’s essential to coordinate and align all choices inside the EU,” the assertion added.
The Polish ban, which got here into impact on Saturday night, can even apply to the transit of those merchandise by the nation, the event and expertise minister mentioned on Sunday.
“The ban is full, together with the ban on transit by Poland,” Waldemar Buda wrote on Twitter, including that talks can be held with the Ukrainian facet to create a system that ensures items solely move by Poland and don’t find yourself on the native market.
Ukraine’s ministry of agrarian coverage and meals mentioned on Saturday that the Polish ban contradicted current bilateral agreements on exports, and referred to as for talks to settle the problem.
Ukraine’s state-run Ukrinform information company mentioned Ukrainian and Polish ministers are as a consequence of meet on Monday in Poland and the transit association can be centered on within the talks.
Ukraine exports most of its agricultural items, particularly grain, through its Black Sea ports, unblocked in July according to an settlement between Ukraine, Turkey, Russia and the United Nations.
Round 3 million tonnes of grain left Ukraine each month through the Black Sea grain hall whereas solely as much as 200,000 tonnes are transferring to European ports by Polish territory, based on the Ukrainian ministry.
Ukraine’s farm minister Mykola Solsky mentioned on the weekend that 500,000 to 700,000 tonnes of assorted agricultural merchandise cross the Polish border each month, together with grain, vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, meat and different merchandise.
(Reporting by Alan Charlish in Warsaw, Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv and Jan Strupczewski in Brussels; Modifying by Sharon Singleton and Hugh Lawson)
((alan.charlish@thomsonreuters.com;))
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