Ukraine’s neighbors urge EU to extend grain import ban set to expire in September

Ukraine’s neighbors urged the European Union to extend the grain import ban set to expire on September 15, Poland’s Agriculture Minister Robert Telus said Wednesday.
“We signed a joint statement of five countries – Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania – on the extension of the ban on imports… of grain from Ukraine to our countries until the end of the year,” Telus said following a meeting with his counterparts in Warsaw, calling on the EU to approve the extension.
In June, the EU agreed to restrict imports of grain from Ukraine to five member states seeking to protect their farmers who blamed those imports for the slump in prices on local markets.
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On Wednesday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki urged the EU executive arm to further extend the restrictions.
“Either the European Commission agrees to develop… regulations to extend this ban, or we will do it ourselves,” Morawiecki told reporters.
Poland, a staunch ally of Ukraine as it battles invading Russian forces, has at the same time criticized imports of Ukrainian grain that triggered protests from local farmers.
“This is not against the Ukrainians, this is… for the Polish farmers,” the Polish premier said, adding that Poland currently allows the transit of grain from Ukraine.
“It does not threaten to destabilize the internal market, which is why we facilitate this export and enable transit,” Morawiecki said.
The EU has become a major transit route and export destination for Ukrainian grain over the past year.

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